2024 Presenters

Richard Myers, MD, FAAOS, FACS

Dr. Richard Myers is a fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic trauma surgeon. He specializes in traumatic injuries to the musculoskeletal system (fractures, dislocations, tendon ruptures, etc.). He is fellowship trained in orthopedic traumatology, allowing him to care for the most complex injuries of the musculoskeletal system including fractures of the pelvis, fractures around or involving joints, and multiply injured patients. Additionally, he is skilled in dealing with complex infections of the bone and soft tissue, fractures that don’t heal or heal incorrectly, and amputation care. 

Dr. Richard Myers grew up in the Philadelphia area, but has moved back and forth across this great country several times! He completed his undergraduate work at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, then moved to the San Juan Islands for a year, pursued medical school on the east coast, residency back in Portland, OR, and fellowship then back in Baltimore, MD.  

He comes to Missoula Bone and Joint after leaving a high acuity, high-paced orthopedic trauma position in Coastal Virginia working at hospitals in Norfolk & Virginia Beach. He was drawn back out West by the wide open spaces, the kindness of the people, and the quality of life to be had in this great Montana community. He is joined by his wife, Kristen, and their two daughters, Ellery and Ayalet. Richard is also excited to rejoin his former residency classmate and good friend, Dr. Roster!  

When he is not putting his patients back together, he enjoys outdoor activities, travel, scuba diving, music, and team sports, but most importantly, family time with his wife and daughters.

Drew Buckner, BA, MDIV

A native of Longview, TX, Drew Buckner graduated from Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Married since 1996, Drew and his wife Brenda have two sons and three daughters, along with two daughters through marriage. The past 14 years of his 35-year pastoral career have involved both founding and directing Braveheart Chaplain Ministry. The non-profit provides effective, relevant and timely support services to emergency responders, their families, and citizens in crisis throughout Flathead County, Montana. Braveheart has grown to include eight chaplains, all of whom come from various backgrounds and career experiences. In his free time, Drew can be found hiking, biking and backpacking in the Montana outdoors.

Rachel Bodick

Rachel (Siblerud) Bodick was raised and still lives in the Flathead Valley.  She became an EMT after high school, joined her local volunteer fire department and continues to love serving her community.  Besides being an AEMT for the last 15 years, Rachel is a first responder chaplain with Braveheart, she has taught piano, is a bookkeeper, has her own bookkeeping business and is currently on the Flathead County Crisis Support Team.   She is married to Steve, who was born and raised in the Flathead Valley and they have two children, Wade and Emma whom they are grateful to be able to raise here as well.

Laurie Merrick, RN, BSN, CNPT

Laurie Merrick is a Pediatric Flight Nurse for Intermountain Life Flight who feels passionate about providing expert care for pediatric patients.  Laurie grew up in Montana but has been working at Primary Children’s Hospital since she became a nurse.  She has four daughters and three of them are nurses at Primary Children’s Hospital.

Liz Mark, BSN, RN

Liz Mark is the TeleBurn Coordinator with University of Utah Health Office of Network Development and TeleHealth. As a dedicated burn nurse, Liz brings compassion and expertise to the forefront of the TeleBurn program. Her mission is to bridge the gap between patients, providers, and quality burn care, no matter their location. Through telehealth services, she aims to deliver personalized guidance, support, and education to individuals across the Intermountain West.

Courtney Lawrence, BSN, RN

Community Outreach and Disaster Coordinator, University of Utah Health. Courtney is a RN in the University of Utah’s Burn Center. As a nurse in the Burn Center, she is a lead charge nurse in the ICU and one of the Community Outreach Coordinators and is a coordinator for the Western Region Burn Disaster Consortium. She previously worked at Primary Children’s for over 10 years as a RN in Oncology and in the Emergency Department. Courtney is passionate about sharing her knowledge and providing education to those who care for both pediatric and adult burn patients. She participates in community outreach by providing burn education to groups including EMS, healthcare facilities, schools, and community groups. Courtney is a member of Utah’s state and federal disaster response teams: Utah Health Emergency Response Team (UHERT) and UT-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT).

Ed Hirsch

Ed Hirsch is an Assistant Montana Attorney General in the Prosecution Services Bureau and Montana’s Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor (TSRP). He has been a Montana prosecutor for over a decade specializing in DUI and domestic violence prosecution. As a line prosecutor he handled felony, child abuse, and high-volume jury trial caseloads. In his current role, Ed regularly teaches at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy, Highway Patrol Academy, holds trainings for prosecutors, law enforcement, and judges, while maintaining a small DUI homicide caseload. When teaching, Ed relies on his heritage as a fourth-generation educator, with his great grandfather, great grandmother, grandfather, and father all having been professors, to provide first-rate presentations on behalf of the Montana Departments of Justice and Transportation.

Steve Schmid

Steve Schmid is a Flight Paramedic for Life Flight Network. He has spent over 20 years operating in various roles of Fire/EMS to include: volunteer organizations, professional/paid, and spent 8 of those in the air medical industry. Steve has performed emergency medical services duties in urban, suburban, and rural areas of the country. Some of his passions include educating EMS providers (new and experienced), and helping develop solutions for long-standing problems to better rural healthcare. After serving 4 years in United States Marine Corps he joined a paid/professional fire department and pursued his Associates Degree in Emergency Medical Services. He later graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Healthcare Management from George Washington University in Washington D.C. Steve currently sits on many healthcare / EMS Committees and Boards in Montana. In his off time he enjoys recreating in the mountains with his wife and two kids.

Leif Iverson, NRP

Leif Iverson graduated from BYU-Idaho with a AAS in Paramedicine where he was named Paramedic of the Year and has been working as a Paramedic since 2005 in 911 systems in Galveston, TX, Las Vegas, NV, Grants Pass, OR and Bozeman, MT.  In 2015 he began working as a contractor for an underground mine in Montana.  

Justin Kambic

Justin was recently appointed as the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force Coordinator (Effective January 29, 2023). The objectives of this task force are to reduce Indigenous missing persons in Montana, improve collaboration, identify families’ needs, create and maintain a reporting system, track and maintain data on Montana Missing Indigenous persons, and create and maintain a network of communication among tribal communities. Justin is currently working with Montana tribal communities to implement search and rescue teams training to help improve overall response to missing person cases.  The training includes teaching students basic personal survival skills such as land navigation, fire craft, improvised shelter building, preparation, and methods to keep mental acuity and good decision making in a survival or isolation environment.  Additionally, the training covers the anatomy of a search and rescue operation, incident command roles and responsibilities, search theory and tactics, and systematic functions of a search operation.    

Haley Omeasoo, MA

Haley Omeasoo is an enrolled member of the Hopi tribe and a descendant of the Blackfeet Tribe. She is a doctoral student in the Forensic and Molecular Anthropology Program at the University of Montana (UM). Haley has been in the forensics field for the past 9 years and received her undergraduate degrees at UM in Forensic Anthropology and Human Biology (Pre-Med), with a Certificate in Forensic Science, followed by a master’s degree in Forensic Anthropology. Her research focuses on assisting tribal agencies in cases pertaining to Indigenous people’s issues, such as NAGPRA cases, repatriation, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) epidemic. Her Master’s Thesis was on “Identifying Skeletal Trauma Markers Associated with Intimate Partner Violence (IPV),” looking specifically at facial fracture patterns and the statistics of these cases involving Indigenous people across databases in different parts of the country. Her current work deals with cases of unidentified ancestral remains thought to be of Blackfeet descent in need of repatriation using a multidisciplinary approach involving DNA analysis. Haley’s motivation for such studies stems from real-life cases in and around her community on the Blackfeet Reservation. After graduating with her doctorate, Haley plans to continue her efforts in leading Ohkomi Forensics by providing expertise and knowledge in her aspired field that will assist in resolving cold cases in Indian Country. Haley hopes to be a voice that uplifts others and advocates for MMIW/MMIP still seeking justice. Outside of academia and work, she is a wife and mother to two boys and enjoys beading and fitness.

Tanner Ferderer, MD

Dr. Ferderer is a neurologist specializing in headache medicine and sports neurology. Completing their neurology residency at the University of Minnesota and subsequent fellowship at The Ohio State University, Dr. Ferderer has developed extensive expertise in managing neurological conditions, particularly in athletes and individuals suffering from chronic headaches. In their practice, they combine leading-edge research with patient-centered care to provide personalized and effective treatments. Through their clinical work, research, and educational outreach, Dr. Ferderer is dedicated to improving the quality of life for patients affected by neurological disorders and advancing the fields of headache medicine and sports neurology.