Dr. Garcia completed his medical school at the Catholic University – School of Medicine in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He worked for 5 years in Ecuador for the Departments of Neurology and Emergency Medicine at Kennedy Hospital, until he moved to USA for formal training. He completed his internal medicine residency at UIC/AMC in Chicago, IL and neurocritical care fellowship at WU/BJH in St. Louis, MO. Under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Diringer, during his fellowship, he learned the arts of neurocritical care, and the importance of personalized care in the Neuro-ICU. Dr. García was hired for Augusta University – Department of Neurology by Dr. Hess in 2013. On July 1st, 2015, the Department of Neurology gave him full support to innovate the neurocritical care division.
He is currently the head of the Neurocritical Care Division and the Medical Director of Neuro-ICU at Augusta University Medical Center. Under his direction the Neuro-ICU at AUMC has become a referral center for acute critical neurological conditions in this part of the country.
Dr. Shah obtained his medical diploma from B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, India. He completed his neurology residency at UT Health Science Center San Antonio before completing neurocritical care fellowship at UT Houston. His work philosophy includes brain-focused critical care and individualized patient care. He is interested in understanding pathophysiology and its application to outcome interventions for intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. He currently acting as the fellowship director for APP NeuroICU Fellowship Program.
Dr. Yalcin grew up in Turkey and obtained her doctorate of medicine degree at Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine. She moved to Boston, MA in 2012 shortly after she graduated from medical school. She worked as a post-doctoral research fellow for three years at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital/Harvard Medical School with focus on cortical spreading depolarization and transcranial magnetic stimulation on stroke recovery. She completed her residency training in neurology at Tufts Medical School in Boston, MA and her fellowship training in neurocritical care at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Her main research and clinical interest is the role of cortical spreading depolarization in SAH, TBI and acute stroke patients.
William Todd is from Thomaston, Georgia. He has over five years of neurocritical care experience as a nurse practitioner. Prior to a career as a nurse practitioner, William was a critical care nurse for 10 years working in the Neuro ICU at Augusta University Medical Center. He worked two years as a nurse at Navicent Medical Center in Macon, Georgia prior to moving to Augusta in 2006. He graduated from Georgia College & State University with BSN in 2003, Augusta University with MSN and FNP certification in 2014, and AGACNP Post-Masters Certification in 2017. William is currently enrolled at Augusta University working on DNP. He is also a retired Army Major with deployments to Bosnia in 1996, Iraq 2005, and Afghanistan 2009.
James Brinson is from Harlem, Georgia and has over three years of neurocritical care experience as a nurse practitioner. Prior to a career as a nurse practitioner, James was a RN for 4 years in the Neuro-ICU at Augusta University. James graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 2013 from Augusta University and graduated with his Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Augusta University in 2018. James is also currently full time faculty in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care DNP Program at Augusta University where his research interests include expanding the utilization and scope of practice of acute care nurse practitioners.
Laura Gambrell is from North Augusta, SC. She has over a year of experience in neurocritical care as a nurse practitioner. Prior to working in the Neuro ICU as a NP she worked in the Neuro ICU and Shock Trauma ICU as a critical care nurse at Augusta University for 5 years. She also has worked as a RN in interventional radiology at University Hospital. She graduated with her BSN in 2015 from the University of South Carolina- Aiken. After discovering her passion for critical care as a critical care nurse, she went to the University of South Carolina- Columbia where she graduated in 2020 with her Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner degree. Her interests include primarily critical care.
Cameron Autry is from Dublin, Georgia where he completed his BSN at Middle Georgia State University. He then moved to Augusta, Georgia post-graduation to work in the medical ICU at Augusta University as a registered nurse. During his time in Augusta, he obtained his DNP with certification as an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner at Augusta University in 2021.
Jiangnan Song is originally from the mainland of China with Bachelor of Science degree and majored in the Bio-chemical Engineering from 1994-1998. She moved to Augusta, GA with family in 2005 and started to pursue her interest in the medical field. She acquired her second Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Science in 2009 from Augusta University and worked for the Pathology Department of Augusta University Medical Center (AUMC) as a Medical Technologist from 2009 through 2018. Meantime, she decided to change the career path to Nursing and subsequently graduated from Augusta University with MSN in 2017 and DNP concentration in Adult Gerontology Acute Care (AGACNP) in 2021. She has been board certified by ANCC as AGACNP in 2021. After completing the APP fellowship here at AU NeuroICU, she has joined the team as an APP staff.
Katie Olson Wright is from Augusta, Georgia. She received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology before eventually pursuing a career in Nursing. She received her MSN from the Medical College of Georgia in 2011 and has more than ten years of experience as a bedside nurse in the Neuro ICU at AUMC, graduating with her DNP with a concentration in Adult Gerontology Acute Care in 2022. She is board certified by the ANCC as an AGACNP and continues her path as a Neurocritical care APP.
Daniel Williamson is from Ware Shoals, South Carolina. He received his Associate Degree in Nursing from Piedmont Technical College in 2017. He earned a Bachelor's and Master's of Science in Nursing in 2019 and 2020 respectively from Western Governors University before going on to earn a Post Master's certificate specializing in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) from Purdue University Global in 2022. He has been board certified by the ANCC as an AGACNP in 2022. Before beginning at AUMC he had worked for over five years in critical care as a Registered Nurse in the Medical ICU. He completed the Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship in the Neuro-ICU here at AUMC and joined the team as staff APP in November, 2023.
Aaron Chase is from Augusta, GA and joined the Neuro ICU team as the clinical pharmacist in March 2023. Prior to joining the Neuro ICU team, he worked as the evening ICU float pharmacist at AU. He graduated from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy with his PharmD in 2020 and completed his PGY-1 and PGY-2 critical care pharmacy residency at AU Medical Center from 2021 - 2022. He is currently a third year PhD student in the Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics program at the University of Georgia. Aaron’s clinical interests include critical care, and his research interests include acute lung injury and ARDS.
Jill Williams has more than 35 years' experience with neurology/neurosurgery ICU patients. She has held progressively responsible roles within the Neuroscience ICU. Williams has also served as Case Manager and Utilization Review Nurse for the Neurosurgery and Neurology Epilepsy Service and worked as a team leader to assist AU Health's designation as a comprehensive stroke center by the Joint Commission.
Williams earned her BSN from the Medical College of Georgia in 1985 and her MSN from Columbus State University in 2018. She is chair of the AU Organ Donation and Transplant committee with LifeLink of Georgia.
As nurse manager, Williams is responsible for managing day-to-day operations on the 20-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, including daily staff management, staff orientation and education, performance improvement, budget oversight, monthly staff meetings and staff support. She was instrumental as part of the team that opened the unit as the adult hospital's model unit for Patient Family Centered Care (PFCC).
Michelle Mitchell is from Augusta, Georgia. Here she attended Davidson Fine Arts and focused her talents in theatre, piano, and violin. Michelle continued her education at the University of Georgia where she received a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Public Health. During this time, her career focused in nonprofit organizations in Athens, Ga and worked with the Public Health Department. She later returned to Augusta to graduate with her Master in Nursing from the CNL program at Augusta University and refocused her career into healthcare. Michelle started at AUMC as a PCI in SICU/STICU and transitioned to an RN in the Neuro ICU. After graduating, she continued to work with the College of Nursing for several years, helping to mold the minds of nursing students. Michell has been with us for 7 years now, focusing in Neuro-Critical Care.
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