VIDEO: Ask the Experts: Itching & Scar Management

This webinar is sponsored by Orlando Health.

Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, in collaboration with Orlando Health, discusses some of the most commonly asked burn survivor questions:

"Why are my burns so itchy?" presented by Susan Smith NP
"Rehabilitation Therapies, Scar Management, Use of Compression" presented by Rachel Gonzalez DPT
"Interactive Music Therapy services benefits for situational stress, pain/procedural distraction, life coping, relaxation" presented by Ryan Tonkin.

In this 60-minute session, burn industry professionals team up to discuss these important survivor questions, provide tips about scar management, information on interactive music therapy, and provide insight into the Orlando Health Burn Center. Survivors and healthcare professionals alike are invited to join and submit questions for this exciting panel discussion.

This is a session recording from Phoenix: Engage 2022.

Meet The Speakers

Amber Wilcox is a burn survivor, yoga instructor, and marketing professional
from Ormond Beach, Florida. After her kitchen accident in 2020, Amber
faced burns on 20% of her body from a hot caramel spill. After two skin graft
surgeries from Orlando Regional Burn Center, Amber experienced hypertrophic
scarring and underwent a series of laser burn surgeries at Tampa General
Hospital. As the Marketing Lead for Phoenix Society, Amber oversees our organizational and service marketing, manages our PR and media efforts, develops strategies to grow and continually engage with our community, and so much more. When not marketing, Amber enjoys volunteering for Phoenix Society as a Peer Supporter, teaching yoga for Kula for Karma supporting youth in Florida detention centers, or providing free yoga for peers on her website, yogaamber.com.

Dr. Susan Smith is the Burn Trauma Nurse Practitioner for the Warden Burn Center at Orlando Regional Medical Center with over 30 years of burn nursing experience. In her role, she coordinates and provides care for burn- injured adult patients in the inpatient, perioperative and outpatient settings. She collaborates closely with the multidisciplinary team to facilitate community outreach education and survivor support. Susan has presented locally, regionally, nationally and internationally on a variety of burn-related topics and has authored /co-authored several peer-reviewed publications. She serves with the American Burn Association as National Burn Educator, Advanced Burn Life Support National Teaching Faculty and as an elected member of the National Burn Research Committee.

Howard Smith, MD, FACS, is a member of Orlando Health Advanced Surgical Associates. He is board-certified in general surgery, antireflux surgery, and surgical critical care. Dr. Smith earned his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine and completed his surgical residency at Indiana University Hospitals. He then completed a surgical fellowship at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut. Dr. Smith’s clinical interests include burns, nutrition, critical care, and trauma.

Dr. Rachel Gonzalez is a Board Certified Specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy. She currently works as a trauma clinical rehabilitation specialist for Orlando Regional Medical Center. She received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Central Florida in 2010. In past years she has presented at the Southern Regional Burn Conference on Early mobility in the trauma ICU, Critical care polyneuropathy in the burn-injured patient, Implementation of a 3D scanner for the fabrication of a custom facial orthosis, and Development of an integrative model to improve access to rehabilitative services for patients following burn injury in the outpatient burn clinic setting: A multidisciplinary effort. Dr. Gonzalez also had a poster accepted to the American Burn Association Conference in 2020 on a Retrospective study completed to determine optimal timing for immobilization of the hand and upper extremity following split-thickness skin autografting. She has 12 years of experience working with the burn/trauma population.

Ryan Tonkin is a board-certified music therapist with over 11 years of experience in healthcare. He has worked extensively with the inpatient psychiatric population, facilitating groups and individual sessions. Currently, Ryan is working in the inpatient medical setting at Orlando Regional Medical Center, Central Florida’s only level 1 trauma center. Populations that Ryan works with include oncology, burn, trauma, end-of-life, and patients under palliative care treatment.

VIDEO: Ask the Experts: Itching & Scar Management

Meet The Speakers

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