On-Site Ministry of Health mentor in Pristina, Kosovo, October 2005 – March 2006:

George I. Johnston

Education: MS Applied Science (biomedical engineering), Portland State University 1979, BSEE Johns Hopkins University 1955; Registered Professional Engineer, (PE) No. 8140 (electrical), Oregon Board of Engineering Examiners, 1974; Certified Clinical Engineer (CCE) No. 41, The International Certification Commission, 1975; Certified Safety Professional (CSP) No. 6870, American Society of Safety Engineers, 1982.

Applicable domestic experience: 1948-1955, medical electronics technician ,Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine; 1955-1958, biomedical engineer, Instrument Section (later to become Instrument Engineering and Development Branch), National Institutes of Health; 1958-1988, founder of the University of Oregon Medical School’s biomedical engineering  support facility (Research Instrument Service),  later to become the Oregon Health Sciences Center’s University Hospital Clinical Engineering Department.  1964-1972 participated as part of teaching faculty in summer NSF (National Science Foundation) sponsored six week course “Electronics for Scientists” designed to provide research scientists basics in electronics and ability to design custom research instrumentation for their projects.  After retirement (1988) continued consulting activities with Dybonics, Inc. (founded by me with two partners in 1967) in medical incident/accident investigation/reconstruction providing expert testimony in legal cases.  Published over forty papers or monographs on original research instrument development or clinical engineering management.

International:  Began volunteering for one-month biomedical engineering consulting assignments for Project HOPE in 1983, in Jamaica (twice), Poland (once); June 1988, did a one-month biomedical engineering development project on an OHSU contract with Saudi Arabia’s University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; following retirement in 1988 did a one-year biomedical engineering education and training project for Project HOPE in China; returned to China for three months in 1990 to manage the organization and conduction of the “Second Annual Conference on Biomedical Engineering Training and Education in China” ( I did the first one in 1989); 1992 did a one-year biomedical engineering education and training project for an NGO in Guyana; Since then have participated in workshops and short term assignments in Egypt, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Belize, Kosovo, India, Tanzania and Ecuador for a variety of organizations.

Applicable knowledge: Government relationships in developing countries, clinical engineering management, basic and advanced electronic education on trouble-shooting, design and fabrication.

Workgroup members (Advisors) off-site:

Leader: Thomas Judd

Education: Masters of Science Aero Engineer Naval PG School, 1973.  "Equivalent Masters of Science Biomedical Engineering" Johns Hopkins University 1979. Bachelors of Science Aero Engineer US Naval Academy 1972. PE 1980, Certified Clinical Engineer (CCE) 1983, CertProfHealthcare Qual. 1999

Applicable domestic experience:  30 yrs clinical/biomedical engr - Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville FL, Hospital Corp of America (HCA), Department of Defense (DoD) Military Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente (KP); 17 yrs CE and healthcare quality - HCA, DoD, KP.  

International: Started Advanced CE Workshops 1991, led or participated in 10 of 30; worked with CE colleagues in 75 countries related to this.  WHO Consultant to Ministries of Health in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America for Essential Health Technology Package - health resource planning/management tool since '00.

Applicable knowledge: Ministry of Health (MoH) relationships, healthcare in 3rd world countries, quality of care, and CE management

Contact Tom at

Steve Grimes

Stephen Grimes is a Senior Consultant and Analyst specializing in clinical engineering and health technology management issues with GENTECH in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Mr. Grimes has nearly 30 years experience with hospitals, shared service organizations, and healthcare consulting firms. As a nationally recognized authority on topics ranging from future challenges facing clinical engineering to medical device security and the HIPAA Security Rule's implications for biomedical technology, he is a frequent speaker and author. He is also the regular columnist on information technology to the Journal of Clinical Engineering and the associate editor for clinical engineering for IEEE's Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine. He also serves as a healthcare technology management consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Mr. Grimes is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), and a Senior Member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) where he chairs their Medical Device Security Workgroup. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) where he currently serves as President-Elect and chair of their HIPAA Task Force. Mr. Grimes is a graduate of Purdue University's Biomedical Engineering Program.

David “Dave“ Harrington, PhD.

Started as designer of medical devices in 1964, became product manager, sales, then to New England Medical Center in 1976 as head of Medical Engineering.  Retired 1996 for international work, headed non-profit organization (AMRF) several yrs before starting to develop facilities to make medical supplies in developing countries
Have over 90 published articles on medical instrumentation, worked in over 40 countries on medical projects.  Bachelors of Arts in Education, Bachelors of Science in Engineering, Masters in Business Administration (MBA), PhD in religion.

Laurent LaBrie

Education: Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering, Lehigh University. 1985; MBA, Boston University, 1989; Masters of Science Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1995.  

Applicable experience:  6 years' biomedical engineering and Biomedical Engineering management experience in US Army and University of Connecticut Health Center.  Additional 8 years' healthcare administration experience in Romania, Turkey, Rwanda, Mexico.  Assembled and thrice deployed the US Army's mobile disaster/terrorist response hospital for the Eastern Hemisphere.  Professional Internet website designer and business & economic analyst.  

Applicable knowledge:  logistics, duties & customs, transportation, healthcare in 3rd world countries, website design, publicity & search engine optimization, economics, finance, and statistics.

Patrick “Pat“ Lynch

  An experienced biomedical technician, engineer and manager who has over 30 years' experience in the support/management of medical equipment. Pat is a CBET and CCE who has chaired the Biomedical Equipment Technician (BMET) Board of Examiners (BOE) and is the current chair of the CE BOE.  
  21 years with Premier (now Aramark) to 7 years with a large non-profit hospital in Atlanta, now Regional Director for Clinical Engineering in Indiana for TriMedx, Inc., a medical equipment service company wholly owned by Ascension Health in St. Louis.  TriMedx provides clinical engineering in 12 states, from Alaska to Florida and employs over 240 technicians and engineers.  Applicable experience:  Successful strategist in the establishment and implementation of laboratory, general biomedical and radiological service programs.  Specific technical expertise in medical equipment management and anesthesia equipment.

James “Sam” Miller

Education: Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering, Gannon University (1958); Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (1964); Clinical Engineering Certification #149 (1976).

Applicable Experience: In 1974 he established the Biomedical Engineering Department at the Millard Fillmore Hospitals (MFH) in Buffalo, NY. Department operations included serving the Clinical Engineering needs of all MFH facilities and scores of other local hospitals as well on a shared engineering services basis. Life Member of IEEE, recently served as Chair of the ACCE International Committee.

International Experience: Now semi-retired, but serving as volunteer faculty for international training missions. Member of a hospital delegation exchanged visits with two hospitals in Lviv, Ukraine as part of the United States Agency for International Development/American International Health Alliance (AIHA) partnership program. Within the past five years he has participated in training missions to Ukraine and Armenia sponsored by Carelift International, Technology Management workshops in Nicaragua, Peru, Ecuador for World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization, and in Kosovo for International Aid, Inc.

Tyson Stull

Army BMET in US Army Hospital Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, 2003-2005; Instructor to Kosovo MoH Biomedical team 2005

Billy Teninty

International Aid non-governmental organization (NGO) , Medical Equipment Training (MET) program director; led training for MoH Kosovo Biomedical team 2003-present; US Air Force trained BMET; 30 years involvement in international NGO efforts related to medical equipment support

James O. Wear, Ph.D.

Bachelors of Science (l959), Masters of Science (l960), and Ph.D. (l961) from the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR). Managing Director, Little Rock Employee Education Resource Center, Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA). Responsible for training of engineering and safety personnel in 172 DVA hospitals, about 10,000 employees. A lot of distance education techniques to train employees. Professor, Biomedical Instrumentation Technology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock, AR) from 1972-2000. Active in the ACCE, AAMI, ASHE. CCE and Certified Health Care Safety Professional. Fellow ASHE.

Currently on Board of Examiners for CE. Previously served on BOE for BMETs, CEs, and Health Care Safety Professionals.

Many publications in national journals, 20 chapters in books and co-authored 9 books; many 200 presentations locally and globally. Taught in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Russia, Lithuania, Estonia, Australia, Thailand, Brazil, Nepal, South Africa, Singapore and Malaysia, many for WHO/PAHO ACCE workshops. 

Vicky Young

Education: Bachelors of Science - Biology, Dalhousie University, 1993.  Bachelors of Arts and Science - Systems Engineering, University of Waterloo, 1997.  MHSc - Clinical Engineering, University of Toronto, 2000.

Applicable Experience: 1.5 years in Medical Imaging Research (X-ray Group) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. 5 years experience working in NWT and Nunavut on capital medical equipment/furniture planning, purchasing, logistics, and integration for new Health Centres and Hospitals with Government of NWT and Ehrler, Limousin & Associates. Hospital Clinical Engineering Experience: 1 year cumulative - University Health Network (Toronto) and Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston).

International Experience: Kosova - Healhtcare Technical Managment (HTM) needs assessment Dec. 04.

Applicable Knowledge: HTM and healthcare in Northern Climates (north of 60th latitude).