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The Procedures Course Chicago

A fully immersive cadaveric course focusing on life, limb and sight saving resuscitative procedures.

Date

Friday 2 & Saturday 3 October 2026

Mode

In-person

Format

Workshop

Registration 2

The Procedures Course sets the benchmark for resuscitative skills training, recognised internationally for its high-impact, hands-on approach. Developed by trauma care leaders from The Alfred Trauma Unit—Australasia’s largest trauma service—together with leading US experts, this course is designed to help you master critical life-saving procedures with confidence.


This course is designed for clinicians who want to refine high acuity procedures in a setting that prioritises depth, precision, and deliberate practice. The format allows close faculty guidance and uninterrupted time on anatomy, equipment, and technique.


Across two intensive days, you’ll train in small groups with un-embalmed cadavers, building the technical expertise and assurance to perform under pressure when seconds count.


PROCEDURES WILL INCLUDE

  • Thoracotomy

  • Surgical airway (cricothyroidotomy)

  • Orbital decompression (lateral canthotomy and cantholysis)

  • Pleural decompression (finger thoracostomy and pleural drainage)

  • Burr-hole craniotomy

  • Vascular access (MAC line / RIC line / Intraosseous access)

  • Temporary trans-venous cardiac pacing

  • Escharotomy

  • Emergency hysterotomy

  • Retrieval limb amputation


WHO SHOULD ATTEND

  • PHEM / Flight physicians

  • Emergency/Intensive Care/Anaesthetic Attending Physicians

  • Rural Primary Care Physicians/Staff Physicians involved in retrievals/trauma resuscitation

  • Senior Critical Care Residents (Emergency/Intensive Care/Anaesthetic/Retrieval)


WHERE AND WHEN

Chicago:

Friday 2 & Saturday 3 October 2026

Northwestern Simulation

240 E Huron Suite 1-200

Chicago, Illinois 60611

Prior to the ACEP26 Scientific Assembly 5-8 October 2026


“HIGHLY Recommend anyone considering a Cadaver based course to refresh their skills on uncommon life saving EM procedures to sign up! After two decades as a frontline EM physician at a Level One Trauma Center, I took the inaugural course in San Diego December 2024 with this amazing group of instructors from The Alfred. This hands on experience was confidence building from the pre-course video prep to the TWO full days of countless procedures. All participants were allowed to perform every procedure on multiple different cadavers. ... Can not say enough great things about this course!” Clayton Whiting MD, Pacific Emergency Providers, San Diego

Professor Mark Fitzgerald ASM

Professor Mark Fitzgerald is Director of the National Trauma Research Institute and Director of Trauma Services at The Alfred and has led the establishment of trauma reception, resuscitation and management programs along with Trauma Systems development in Australia, China, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. He is co-chair of the Australian New Zealand Trauma Registry. Professor Fitzgerald’s research themes include trauma systems development, clinical care of the severely injured, error reduction and the standardisation of resuscitation care.

A/Prof Christopher Groombridge

MBBS MA(Cantab) MSc PhD DOHNS (RCSEng) DRTM (RCSEd) DIMC (RCSEd) MRCS FACEM

Chris is an Emergency Physician and Trauma Specialist at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, and head of clinical research for the National Trauma Research Institute (NTRI). Chris has a particular interest in the prehospital management of trauma and has worked as a retrieval specialist with Sydney HEMS, CareFlight NSW, and Adult Retrieval Victoria, and internationally with London’s Air Ambulance and Essex & Hertfordshire Air Ambulance in the UK. He is a former director of emergency medicine training with the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and also a founder of The Procedures Course and The Airway Course, which are cadaver-based skills courses, teaching life-saving interventions to critical care clinicians.

Dr Cecil Johnny

Dr Johnny graduated with a MBBS from Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, India, in 1998, and achieved a Master of Surgery in 2005. He joined The Alfred in 2010 where he completed his Advanced Training in Emergency Medicine, and subsequently went on to receive his Fellowship of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine in 2017. Dr Johnny previously held the positions of Senior Resident & Lecturer in General Surgery at Christian Medical College & Hospital and Trauma Fellow for The Alfred Trauma Service. He has significant surgical experience including general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and vascular trauma.

Dr Lauren Chalwell

Dr Lauren Chalwell, MD, FACEP, FACEM
Dr Lauren Chalwell is an Emergency Physician and Trauma Consultant at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. She previously was the Director of Emergency Trauma Services and Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at University of California San Francisco - San Francisco General Hospital in the US. She has a significant interest in resuscitation and procedural skills education and for years has taught cadaver-based procedural skills courses locally, regionally and nationally at ACEP Scientific Assemblies. Her other academic interests include emergency trauma education, clinical guideline development, and community violence prevention.

Dr Marianne Juarez

Dr. Marianne Juarez is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, California. She is interested in orthopedic trauma and procedural skills education and has taught limb- and life-threatening procedural skills through cadaver-based courses locally, regionally and nationally, including at past ACEP Scientific Assemblies. Her other interests include medical education, mentorship and advising with a focus on those underrepresented in medicine, and the advancement of DEIB-related issues in medicine and medical education. She is also the Co-Director of Medical Student Education within the Department of Emergency Medicine at UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and enjoys teaching across fields at all levels of education and training.

Jeff Tabas MD

Jeff is a professor of emergency medicine at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) school of medicine and practices clinically at San Francisco General Hospital Emergency Department where he is the ED trauma liaison for the hospital trauma program. He completed internal medicine and emergency medicine residencies at UCLA Medical Center and has focused his professional career on researching and developing innovative curricula in cardiovascular emergencies, procedural skills training, and faculty development. He has developed and taught multiple cadaver based procedures courses at local, regional, and national venues.

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