John G. Benitez, MD, MPH, FAACT

John G. Benitez, MD, MPH, FAACT is a former member of the Board of Trustees (AACT). He has extensive research experience in tricyclic antidepressant antidote mechanism of action, disaster preparedness, military medicine, and poison center administration. Currently works in public health specifically with disaster preparedness and environmental epidemiology. He sits on various committees of the National Academy of Medicine and is a member of the National Biodefense Science Board for HHS. Previously has served with the World Health Organization's International Programme on Chemical Safety, as a reviewer with numerous scientific medical journals, and has evaluated sites after chemical disasters.

Nick Branderhoff, MD

Dr. Nicklaus Brandehoff is an emergency medicine physician, medical toxicologist, and wilderness medicine enthusiast. He is an assistant clinical professor of the department of emergency medicine and division of toxicology at the University of California San Francisco-Fresno program. He completed medical school at UCSF and an Emergency Medicine residency at UCSF-Fresno. He then completed a Toxicology Fellowship at the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center where he was fortunate enough to learn from some of the world’s experts in snakebite management and venom research. He has authored several chapters and academic papers on envenomations. In his spare time, he loves traveling, training his Dutch Shepherd, and is excited to become a father in January 2019.

Kirk Cumpston, DO, FAACT

I completed a Bachelor’s of Science degree in General Biology from Purdue University, and a Doctor of Osteopathy degree from Des Moines University, College of Osteopathic Medicine.  After this, I completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a fellowship in Medical Toxicology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County and Rush University Medical Center, in Chicago, IL. My first academic position was as the Medical Director of the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and College of Pharmacy at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.

I have been at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center since 2006. Currently I am an Associate Professor in the Division of Clinical Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, and Medical Director of the Virginia Poison Center. My primary scholarly interests are in medical toxicology.  I work clinically as an emergency medicine physician and provide outpatient and inpatient medical toxicology consultation. I am the Associate Program Director of the Medical Toxicology Fellowship and Director of the GME and medical student medical toxicology rotation at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

Christina Hantsch, MD, FACEP, FAACT, FACMT

Dr. Hantsch is a graduate of the Honors Program in Medical Education at Northwestern University. She completed an emergency medicine residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin followed by a medical toxicology fellowship at Vanderbilt University. After her training, she began practice in the Chicago area and is currently Professor of Emergency Medicine, Director of the Division of Toxicology, and Director of Academic Affairs in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

At Loyola, she established a toxicology service, fielding questions and providing direct clinical care for patients with medication/substance overdoses, adverse medication effects/interactions, envenomations, hazardous material exposures, addiction, withdrawal, and other toxicologic issues. Dr. Hantsch served for more than 8 years as medical director of the Illinois Poison Center. Her areas of interest also include emergency preparedness, having researched aspects of the topic, participated in exercises, and contributed to planning. She is a regular organizer and contributor to local, regional, and national/international toxicology continuing education programs.

Mike Hodgman, MD, FAACT

Dr. Michael Hodgman is a graduate of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed an Internal Medicine residency at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY and a Medical Toxicology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. His interests include management of acutely poisoned patients and the toxicity and safety of herbal and dietary supplements. He is currently medical director of the Upstate New York Poison Center.

Christopher Hoyte, MD, FAACT, FACMT

My name is Christopher Hoyte, MD, FAACT FACMT and I am the Medical Director of the Rocky Mountain Poison Center and the Fellowship Director at Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety.  I am an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Section of Medical Toxicology. I also serve as the Medical Director of the Medical Toxicology Clinic at the University of Colorado Hospital. I attended Princeton University receiving my undergraduate degree in molecular biology. I completed my emergency medicine residency at the Cook County Hospital in Chicago, IL and medical toxicology fellowship training at the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety.

Ziad Kazzi, MD, FAACT

Dr. Kazzi trained in Emergency Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta (2000-03) where he served as a chief resident before completing a subspecialty fellowship in Medical Toxicology at Emory University, Georgia Poison Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. He is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology. Dr. Kazzi joined the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) between 2005 and 2008 where he served as a Medical Toxicologist for the Regional Poison Control Center in Birmingham and the Alabama Poison Center. Currently, he is an associate professor at the department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia as well as the director of the International Toxicology Fellowship Program at Emory University. He is also the assistant medical director of the Georgia Poison Center and a guest researcher at the National Center for Environmental Health at the CDC where he participates in emergency preparedness and response activities in radiation.

As an emergency physician and toxicologist, Dr. Kazzi specializes in the recognition, triage, and management of poisonings and holds a deep interest in the areas of Radiation and International Toxicology. He founded and chaired the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology Radiation Interest Group since 2009. He is currently serving as a board member of the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) and the Medical Toxicology Foundation. He chairs the ACMT Clerkship Council and International Committees. Dr. Kazzi has extensively lectured at National and International conferences and developed several curricula and training programs in emergency preparedness and response. He is an active and founding board member of the Middle East North Africa Toxicology Association and currently serves as its President.

Mark Kostic, MD, FAACT

Dr. Kostic is a native of Pennsylvania, and a 1994 graduate of Jefferson Medical College. After medical school, he spent over 13 years on active duty with the US Navy, completing his residency training in emergency medicine at Naval Medical Center, San Diego, and his fellowship in medical toxicology at the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver in 2003. While in Virginia with the Navy, he served as both Medical Director and Associate Medical Director of the Virginia Poison Center. He joined the Wisconsin Poison Center in 2007 as its Associate Medical Director, He is currently a Professor of Emergency Medicine with the Medical College of Wisconsin.

He has served as the President of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology since October of 2018.

Jeanna Marraffa, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT

Jeanna Marraffa is a board-certified clinical toxicologist and currently serves as the Assistant Clinical Director of the Upstate New York Poison Center. She is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Upstate Medical University and is the Program Director for a Clinical Toxicology fellowship. She sees patients at the bedside as a clinical toxicologist.

She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT). She currently serves as Secretary for the AACT and is committee chair for the technology and communications committee. She previously served as editor for AACTion for nearly 5 years.

She is very active in academic endeavors having published numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, serving as a peer reviewer for journals in the field of clinical toxicology and clinical pharmacology.

Jennifer Sample, MD, FAACT

Jennifer A. Sample is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. She has served as Director of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology and
Therapeutic Innovations at Children's Mercy in Kansas City, and as Director of Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit for Federal Region 7. She is the past-Chair of the Council on
Environmental Health for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is also a Board Member of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology. Dr. Sample completed her fellowship in pediatric
pharmacology and medical toxicology as well as her residency in pediatrics at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City. She obtained her medical degree from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine in Vermillion. Her areas of interest include developmental pediatric pharmacology and toxicology, environmental toxicology, adolescent substance use, spider envenomations and adverse drug reactions.

Dave Vearrier, MD, MPH, FAACT

Dr. David Vearrier is board-certified in occupational medicine, medical toxicology, and emergency medicine. He is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and serves as core faculty for an Emergency Medicine residency and is the Program Director for a Medical Toxicology fellowship. Dr. Vearrier is core faculty for an Occupational Medicine residency and is the developer and course director for Occupational & Environmental Toxicology for the residency. He also serves as a consultant for a Regional Poison Control Center. He sees patients at the bedside as both a medical toxicologist and an emergency physician.

Dr. Vearrier was certified as a Medical Review Officer in 2009 by the Medical Review Officer Certification Council and has reviewed thousands of DOT and non-DOT drug tests. He has published several peer-reviewed papers and abstracts dealing with testing for drugs of abuse.

Dr. Vearrier is very active in academic endeavors having published numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, serving as a peer reviewer for journals in the occupational medicine and medical toxicology fields, and serving as a Chief Editor at Medscape. Dr. Vearrier is a Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, the American College of Medical Toxicology, and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. He serves as the Chairman of the Occupational and Environmental Toxicology Section of American Academy of Clinical Toxicology.