Utah Trauma Network 2025 Speakers
Graham Brant-Zawadzki, MD - University of Utah Health
Dr. Brant-Zawadzki is a dual board-certified emergency physician in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services (EMS). He serves as an associate professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine where he completed his fellowship in wilderness medicine & EMS. He also serves as the Chief Medical Officer & Medical Director for Unified Fire Authority and Utah’s USAR Task Force 1. His expertise bridges academic leadership and operational field medicine, with a focus on prehospital care, disaster response, and austere environment medicine.
Mari Freedberg, MD - Intermountain Medical Center
Jarod Goglio, IEMT, NREMT-AEMT - EMS Coordinator, Castle Rock Ambulance Service
Jarod is a dedicated EMS professional with 10 years of experience, currently a paramedic student set to graduate in November 2025. As an EMS coordinator for Castle Rock Ambulance Service, he lead's operations and quality assurance initiatives to ensure high standards of care. Jarod leverages his data analytics expertise to enhance decision-making and improve service outcomes. His passion for teaching promotes a culture of continuous learning among peers and recruits. Alongside his EMS career, Jarod works full-time as a plant supervisor at a chemical manufacturing facility. Married for four years, he enjoys sharing life with his wife, three dogs, and horses, often spending time outdoors at their cabin in Star Valley, Wyoming.
Ramesh Grandhi, MD - University of Utah Health
Dr. Grandhi is a ABNS certified, dual-trained cerebrovascular neurosurgeon who treats vascular pathologies through both endovascular techniques and traditional, open microsurgical approaches. He has extensive experience with patients with cerebrovascular conditions such as arteriovenous malformations, brain aneurysms, and intracranial hemorrhages. In addition, he has a significant interest in treating patients with stroke and uses minimally-invasive approaches ranging from carotid and intracranial stenting to mechanical thrombectomy for large vessel occlusions.
He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and a master’s degree in physiology at Georgetown University. Dr. Grandhi attended medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University and did his residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he completed an enfolded fellowship in Interventional Neuroradiology. He then completed a fellowship in Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery at the Baptist Neurological Institute in Jacksonville, Florida.
Matthew Grantz, MD - Stroke Director, St. Mark's Hospital
Matthew Grantz, M.D. grew up in Colorado. He earned his biochemistry and psychology degree from Fort Lewis College in Colorado. He then taught high school science in Sub-Saharan Africa with the Peace Corps.
Recognizing his fascination with the brain and medicine, he earned his medical degree at the University Colorado in 2007 and moved to Utah to complete neurologic training. During training at the University of Utah, he was Co-Chief Resident and was awarded the teaching award by trainees.
He is board-certified in general neurology and vascular neurology. He has published or given lectures on various aspects of neurology including, top-down cognitive processing, dementia, stroke, seizures and trauma.
Dr. Grantz joined St. Mark’s Hospital in 2019, as a neurohospitalist and serves as the Stroke Director. His philosophy for patient care involves educating patients and understanding how each patient views his/her illness. His interests include inpatient neurology, critical care, and stroke care.
He is active in the American Heart/Stroke Association. He is the Past-Chairperson of the Utah State Stroke Task Force, that serves to optimize stroke care throughout the state of Utah.
Emma Hamilton, MD - St. Mark's Hospital
Seantae Jackson
Seantae Jackson is a survivor, speaker, and co-founder of the Sandal Blue Foundation. After a catastrophic car accident involving her family, she began sharing her story to offer healthcare professionals a rare window into the patient experience. Her deeply personal perspective brings powerful insights into purpose, resilience, and the lasting impact of compassionate care—reminding audiences not just what they do, but why they do it.
Courtney Lawrence, BSN, RN - Community Outreach and Disaster Coordinator, University of Utah Health
Courtney is the Community Outreach and Disaster Coordinator at the University of
Utah’s Burn Center. She also serves as a lead charge nurse in the ICU and helps
coordinate the Western Region Burn Disaster Consortium.
Before joining the Burn Center, Courtney worked for over 10 years at Primary Children’s Hospital, primarily as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department.
She is passionate about sharing her expertise and providing burn education to various groups, including EMS teams, healthcare providers, schools, and community organizations.
Courtney is also an active member of Utah’s state and federal disaster response teams,
contributing to both the Utah Health Emergency Response Team (UHERT) and the UT-1
Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT).
Laurie Merrick, RN, BSN, CNPT - Life Flight Pediatric Team
Laurie Merrick has been a nurse for 39 years. Twenty-two of those years were spent in the PICU at Primary Children's Hospital where she took care of some of the most medically complex children from the age of 1 day to 18 years. Laurie has been a part of the Pediatric Team with Intermountain Life Flight for the past 16 years and loves what she does. Laurie feels that she is able to make a difference in the outcomes of critically injured and sick children.
Laurie has four amazing daughters and three of them are nurses at Primary Children's Hospital so the saying the apple doesn't fall far from the tree applies to their family.
Nels Nichols, RN, BSN - Clinical Nurse Coordinator, Emergency Department, University of Utah Hospital
Megan Puckett, MD - University of Utah Health
Fernando Rivero, MPAS, PA-C, MPH - Emergency Medicine PA, University of Utah Hospital
Fernando Rivero is a graduate of the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program and currently works for Intermountain Health, McDay Dee Hospital Trauma Team.
He trained in emergency medicine with Utah Emergency Physicians group and previously worked in the IHC Emergency Departments and University of Utah Emergency Department. He also worked in rural emergency medicine in Moab and Monticello Utah.
Fernando is an adjunct faculty member with Rocky Mountain University and University of Utah PA programs. He earned a Master of Public Health degree from Westminster College in Utah where he later taught a graduate level public health course. He has taught many emergency-medicine lectures, and has presented nationally on the subjects of sexual assault and human trafficking recognition.
Fernando has extensive experience in Human Trafficking awareness education having given over 40 lectures to date to medical professionals, mental health professionals, medical and law students and many other groups. Publishing includes authoring a Core Pendium chapter for EM-RAP on Human Trafficking recognition.
As a passionate advocate, he has served under 2 Salt Lake City Mayors as a Human Rights Commissioner, served on the Salt Lake Sexual Assault Response Team and served on the Utah Attorney General’s Trafficking in Persons Task Force.
Natasha Thomas, LCSW - CHAT Social Work Manager, Salt Lake City Fire Community Health Access Team (CHAT)
Natasha Thomas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Social Work Manager for Salt Lake City Fire’s Community Health Access Team (CHAT). With over 13 years of crisis experience in Salt Lake City and Seattle, WA, she has a strong background in working with vulnerable and underserved populations. In her current role, Natasha leads CHAT’s efforts to provide in-the-moment crisis intervention and short-term case management, connecting individuals to long-term resources and support. Her work bridges public safety and social services, bringing compassionate, community-centered care to those in crisis.