Tina L. Palmieri, MD, MCCM, is the assistant chief of burns at Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California in Sacramento, California, USA, and professor and division chief, burn surgery, at the University of California in Davis, California, USA. She has been actively involved with the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) since 1995, serving on several committees, most recently the Membership Committee and Critical Care as Specialty Task Force. Her clinical interests include disaster, resuscitation, and trauma. During her free time, you can find her traveling and hiking. Get to know Dr. Palmieri as she reflects on her journey in critical care.
Why do you love being in critical care?
I want to make a difference. The medical field, specifically critical care, helps me do just that.
How did you get into critical care?
During residency, it became clear that critical care was team-based medicine focused on providing optimal patient care.
What advice do you have for those starting their critical care careers?
Learn as much as you can about all critical care areas. They will all become important during your career.
What industry trends have you excited about the future?
New treatment modalities that target individual patient issues.
What do you see as the most challenging issue facing critical care?
Critical care's biggest challenge is the fundamental change in medicine due to both disasters and political ramifications of current events.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
My biggest professional achievements are being designated a master of critical care medicine (MCCM), elected president of the American Burn Association, and completing a federally funded multicenter randomized prospective trial on blood transfusion.
What are the top advances in critical care since you started your career?
The top advances are lung-protective ventilation and restrictive red blood cell transfusion.
What do you love about SCCM membership?
SCCM helps me keep up to date in critical care arenas related to but not central to my critical care burn surgery practice.
Connect with @Tina Palmieri on SCCM Connect