Our amazing speakers

Dr Susanne Ångerman

Dr Susanne Ångerman is a Finnish physician specializing in anaesthesia and prehospital emergency medicine, with extensive experience in HEMS. She is currently serving as associate chief physician for HEMS at Helsinki University Hospital (FinnHEMS 10). Her research has advanced the implementation of standardized protocols in the HEMS environment, ensuring that complex interventions, such as emergency anesthesia and prehospital blood transfusion, are performed with high safety and efficacy. She has contributed to optimizing on-scene times, increasing the first pass success rates of prehospital intubations, and improving the recognition of prehospital blood transfusion needs in non-trauma patients.

Dr László Hetzman

Dr László Tibor Hetzman is an emergency physician and air ambulance doctor based in Hungary. He graduated summa cum laude from Semmelweis University in 2005, with additional training in Germany, the UK, and the US. He holds board certifications in orthopaedics, traumatology, emergency medicineand prehospital emergency medicine. László has been flying with the Hungarian Air Ambulance since 2007, and also worked  with EAAA in Cambridge as HEMS consultant. He previously served as Medical Director of the national air ambulance service and is actively involved in international collaborations such as EHAC, FAAME, and EUPHOREA. Currently, he is Deputy Director for Strategy at the Emergency Department of Semmelweis University and Chief Scientific Advisor for the Hungarian Air Ambulance. He’s doing his PhD in Prehospital major trauma care by HEMS.

MAG (FH) Bernd Lang

Bernd Lang has a degree in Health Management and Health Science. During these studies. He specialized in human factors and learning processes as well as on organizational behavior and management systems. Bernd joined ÖAMTC Air Rescue in 2005 and currently acts there as Training Director and Compliance Manager, focusing on the areas Training & Learning, Research & Development and Quality & Compliance. He is an Aeromedical Crew Resource Management (ACRM) trainer and chairman of the EHAC ACRM working group. Human factors science and the human beings as well as the systems in which they work, are his real passion.

Prof Peter Brindley

Peter Brindley is a full-time Critical Care Doc and a tenured full Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Anesthesiology, and Medical Ethics, with over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts and over 100 other articles, including over 60 regular opinion pieces for the British Medical Journal. He has presented to audiences in over 15 countries during approximately 700 invited presentations, 50 plenaries and 15 named lectures.

Dr Jason van der Velde

Dr Jason van der Velde is a Prehospital Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Retrieval Physician working as the Clinical Lead for the Irish Health Service Executive’s National 24 hour Emergency Telemedical Support Unit, MEDICO Cork. Based in the Emergency Department in Cork University Hospital, he has a Fellowship in Trauma and Critical Care and a Masters Degree in Disaster Medicine, with over 25 years experience providing Prehospital Critical Care around the world.

Prof Giacomo Strapazzon

Professor Giacomo Strapazzon, MD, PhD, DiMM is Head of the Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine of Eurac Research in UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites, Italy. He is a consultant in emergency medicine, delegate for the Italian Mountain Rescue (CNSAS) within the International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR) and lectures at the University of Padova, Italy. He has been principal and co-investigator in over 30 in-field, clinical and lab studies, mainly focusing on cold injuries.

Prof Jacob Steinmetz

Jacob Steinmetz, MD, PhD, is a Professor in Prehospital Emergency Medicine and a consultant in anaesthesiology in Copenhagen, Denmark. He currently works as a clinical anaesthetist, prehospital emergency physician and part time researcher. With 120 publications his work has appeared in leading journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of the American Medical Association.

Prof Stephen Sollid

Stephen J. M. Sollid is Professor of Prehospital Critical care at Stavanger University in Norway and secretary general of the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. He is a trained anaesthesiologist with his clinical work predominantly as a prehospital critical care physician in the Norwegian air-ambulance system since 2002. His research merits are in patient safety and prehospital critical care.

Karina Damsgaard Nørby

Karina Damsgaard Nørby is a psychologist specializing in Emergency Medicine, with expertise in mental health in high-stress environments, crisis intervention, and psychological first aid. She is the HEMS Psychologist with the Danish Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, where she supports frontline personnel and conducts research on trauma-exposed professionals. Karina is a former Crisis Psychologist in the Danish Defense.

Mona Guterud

Mona Guterud is a Paramedic and Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. She holds a PhD and has 18 years of experience in ambulance services. Her research focuses on advancing prehospital emergency care, drawing from her frontline experience to enhance patient outcomes and system efficiency. With particular expertise in prehospital stroke care, she is dedicated to improving triage to ensure patients receive the right care as early as possible.

Dr Anne Kristine Bergem

Anne Kristine Bergem is a medical doctor and specialist in psychiatry. She has further education in violence risk assessment and management. She has worked clinically as a senior physician, and served as a professional leader. Bergem has been an editor and author of several books and scientific articles. She previously held an associate professor position at the Department of Paramedicine at OsloMet. Currently, she is a special advisor at the Norwegian Psychiatric Association.

Dr Dinis Reis Miranda

Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Erasmus Medicaal Centre, Rotterdam. Dinis Reis Miranda is an anesthesiologist-intensivist and ECMO director of adult ECMO in the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam the Netherlands. In the ErasmusMC he has set up the ECPR program: ECPR team members are at the hospital 24/7 with a response time of 5 min being ready for ECPR at the trauma bay. Also, being a physician at the Dutch HEMS, he set up the On-Scene trial: a nationwide stepped-Wedged trial of prehospital ECPR by the Dutch HEMS. Results are expected in the first half of 2026.                     

Håvard Mattingsdal

Håvard Mattingsdal works as a HEMS Technical Crew Member and is currently a PhD-candidate at the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. He is a registered nurse and EMT, holds a Master’s degree in risk and safety management and the Diploma in Mountain Medicine. His research focuses on workload and risk in helicopter rescue operations.

Cdr Dag Rune Vatle

Commander Dag Rune Vatle is the medical leader/Cdr of the 330Squadron/RNoAF, the National Search and Rescue helicopter operation in Norway. He is a consultant anaesthesiologist and has worked in SAR and HEMS operations since 2009. Prior to this he also many years was engaged in the Royal Navy, as a diver’s physician and ship-doctor. He attended several international missions during this period. His main interests are prehospital medicine, safety, communication and teamwork.

Dr Mikael Gellerfors

Mikael Gellerfors is Research Director with the Swedish Air Ambulance and Rapid Response Cars in Stockholm. Mikael works as Senior Consultant with Dalarna Ambulance Helicopter, Critical Care Physician with the Rapid Response Car in Stockholm and anaesthesiologist at Karolinska University Hospital trauma unit. His research centers on prehospital advanced airway management and he has been in several prehospital expert groups.                   

Dr Harry Ljungqvist

Harry Ljungqvist is a medical doctor, a doctoral researcher and a paramedic from Finland. His research focuses on modern high-quality prehospital anaesthesia by the Finnish HEMS. He is currently working as a physician in the Meilahti joint emergency department at the Helsinki University Hospital and as a part time doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, he will defend his thesis on prehospital anaesthesia this year.

Tine Almenning Flaa

Tine Almenning Flaa holds a MSc in psychology from the University of Bergen (UiB) and completed her Ph.D. at the same institution, with funding and collaboration from the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation (NAAF). Her research focused on sleep, sleepiness, and shift work within the air ambulance sector. She currently serves as a researcher at NAAF, where she continues her investigations into sleep, sleepiness, fatigue, and safety, actively contributing to the implementation of Fatigue Risk Management strategies at the Norwegian Air Ambulance.

Dr Sven Christjar Skaiaa

Sven Christjar Skaiaa is a consultant anaesthesiologist and HEMS-physician at Oslo University Hospital, Air Ambulance Department, SAR helicopter services. He worked as an IFMGA Mountain Guide before becoming a doctor, and has a passion for rescue-, mountain-, and environmental medicine. He is a delegate of the International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR) MedCom and has research interest in the fields of mountain medicine and the provision of medical care in austere environments. Dr Skaiaa lives with his family in the mountains of Hemsedal, Norway. 

Dr Jouni Nurmi

Dr Jouni Nurmi is an experienced anaesthesiologist working in prehospital critical care. He has a passion for translating rigorous scientific research into practical solutions for emergency care. As an associate professor, he has supervised numerous doctoral theses covering different aspects of prehospital care for critically ill patients. His current research focuses on enhancing the safety of prehospital emergency anaesthesia, optimising physiological stability, and utilising near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for monitoring cerebral oxygenation.

Randi Simensen

Randi Simensen is a paramedic working in the ground ambulance service at Oslo University Hospital since 2004. She is also pursuing a PhD at the Medical Faculty of Oslo University, in collaboration with the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation and Innlandet Hospital Trust. Her PhD project focuses on novel strategies for managing pain relief in the ambulance service. Over the past four years, in collaboration with the research group Oslo Air, she has conducted a comprehensive phase III, open-label, non-inferiority, three-armed, randomised trial; a prospective observational study; and an implementation study at Innlandet Hospital Trust.

Dr Philipp Seidel

Dr Philipp Seidel is a specialist in anesthesiology, having completed his training in both Germany and Norway. Since 2018, he has been working as a senior consultant in intensive care medicine at Stavanger University Hospital, holding the Scandinavian Diploma in Intensive Care Medicine (SDIC). He is a member of the Intensive Care Medicine Committee of the Norwegian Anaesthesiology Association and serves as one of the national coordinators for the Scandinavian advanced educational program for intensive care medicine (SSAI-IC AEP) in Norway.Since 2021, he has also been a PhD student at the University of Stavanger, researching point-of-care diagnostics in trauma. The focus of his research is on the application of microwave technology as a novel diagnostic method.

Dr Pål Morberg

Pål Morberg is a medical doctor and consultant in anaesthesiology at Vestfold Hospital Trust, working in both hospital and prehospital settings. With a diverse medical background he is committed to advancing anaesthesia practice and research. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD with the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation, focusing on how artificial intelligence can improve prehospital stroke diagnostics. His approach to work is balanced and pragmatic, emphasizing practical solutions and steady progress. Pål believes strongly in the value of teamwork and he is convinced that mutual support helps us improve each other.

Dr Vegard Nordviste

Vegard Nordviste is a medical doctor and full-time researcher at the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. With previous experience in ambulance services, he is currently leading the Norwegian clinical trial Dual Defib, a study investigating the use of dual sequential external defibrillation (DSED) and its potential impact on survival in prehospital cardiac arrest patients.

Dr Urs Pietsch

Urs is a trained anesthesiologist and intensivist with many years of experience in Swiss air rescue as a prehospital physician and intensive care physician. He is currently Deputy Head of Intensive Care Medicine at the Cantonal Hospital St Gallen/Switzerland. He has an academic career in which he has conducted research on prehospital airway management, alpine air rescue, simulation in EMS and critical care. He is passionate about patient safety, prehospital care under extreme conditions – both in his research and in his profession.

Dr Jostein Rødseth Brede

Jostein Rødseth Brede is a Medical Doctor and Consultant Anaesthesiologist at St. Olavs University Hospital, and PhD and Senior Researcher at Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. Jostein is also a HEMS doctor at 330 sqv, RoNAF. Research field: REBOA in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Anna Moe Øvstebø

Anna Moe Øvstebø is a PhD candidate at The Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. Her research will map the psychological consequences of being a first aid provider and how the Norwegian follow-up programme best can mitigate these consequences. Her PhD is in collaboration with The Regional Centre for Emergency Medical Research and Development (RAKOS), Stavanger University Hospital and Centre for Crisis Psychology at the University of Bergen. Øvstebø is also the project manager for the Norwegian first aid provider follow-up programme at RAKOS. The follow-up programme has won 2 innovation awards (2022 and 2024). Øvstebø has a master’s degree in human physiology as well as education in crisis psychology and grief counselling. 

Prof Marius Rehn

Marius Rehn is a consultant anaesthesiologist and HEMS doctor working at the air ambulance department and Rikshospitalet, Oslo University Hospital. He is a senior researcher in the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation and a clinical professor at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo. He holds an adjunct professorship at the University of Southern Denmark and is Editor-in-chief of the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine.

Erik Normann

Erik Normann is an active HEMS Commander and Flight Instructor with more than 30 years’ experience as a helicopter pilot. He has held positions as Chief Pilot and Manager Flight Operations at Norwegian Air Ambulance Ltd, and now holds the position Head of Flight Ops Development in the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. Erik has a strong commitment to improving Pre-hospital medicine through safer and more reliable flight operations. He has run projects such as the implementation of new aircraft fleets and Night Vision Goggle Operations. In 2004 Erik was the initiator of Europe’s first GPS-based Point in Space IFR network at Norwegian Air Ambulance. He is an active participant in several EASA rulemaking processes and works as an advisor on helicopter flight operational topics.

Dr Christoffer Ericsson

Christoffer Ericsson, PhD, MSc, MHc, is an awarded educator in emergency care. With a clinical background as Advanced-Level Paramedic, lecturer, presenter and previous programme director for the Emergency Care bachelor programme, Christoffer now heads an international master’s degree in Emergency Care Systems Development and Leadership at Arcada University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki. Christoffer’s interest lies in making emergency care systems and team cultures more sustainable for professionals and students through education, development and research. Christoffer doctoral dissertation at University of Helsinki, where he explored paramedics’ job demands and resilience resources utilizing frameworks of organizational socialization, sense of coherence and professional value formation.

Dr William Ottestad

William Ottestad MD, PhD is a consultant anaesthesiologist and HEMS doctor working at Oslo University Hospital. He received his PhD from the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo. His PhD research explored the immune response in humans after severe trauma and haemorrhagic shock, and spanned diverse fields in medicine ranging from molecular biology to immunology, traumatology and critical care. He is pursuing findings from this project in a large-animal model as a postdoctoral fellow in The Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. Additionally, he is leading a research project evaluating Human External Cargo operations in the Norwegian HEMS. He has worked as a flight surgeon for the Norwegian Special Forces for almost two decades, and has a special interest in aviation, space and environmental medicine.

Dr Åke Erling Andresen

Åke Erling Andresen, MD, PhD, is a Consultant Anesthesiologist working in the air ambulance and the aeromedical evacuation squadron in Norway. He is Head of Research in the prehosital division of Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, with a special research interest in first responders, prehospital airway management and transport medicine. Åke Erling has a broad prehospital career, starting in the local fire department, and later taking part in critical care air transport teams, with experiences from several international missions

Dr Sigurd Mydske

Sigurd Mydske is a Medical Doctor and PhD-researcher working with The Mountain Medicine Research Group, a collaboration between Haukeland University Hospital, the University of Bergen and The Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation. His work concerns prehospital active warming of patients with accidental hypothermia. He is currently enrolled in the British DiMM course, and works in a physician-staffed emergency response car in Bergen.

Eirik Mikal Samuelsen

Eirik Mikal Samuelsen, PhD, works as an operational weather forecaster and a Scientific researcher at MET Norway, Tromsø. He also holds a 20 % position as an Associated Professor at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway. He has 18 years’ experience as an operational weather forecaster for aviation, and has been working as a scientific researcher following his PhD in sea-spray icing modelling 8 years ago. Additionally, Eirik also has expertise in numerical weather prediction, atmospheric turbulence, and atmospheric icing. Since 2022 Eirik has been working with the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation on a research project on atmospheric icing on helicopters, and is currently supervising a PhD Candidate on this topic. From 2023-2025 he has been participating in several flight campaigns together with Airbus helicopters and the NAAF, contributing to forecasting weather conditions prone to icing, and helping collecting data of the water amount and droplet sizes during such conditions in Norway.