Dr. Glenn A Barnes DNP, RN, EMT-P, NHDP-BC, FAWM

Founder and Senior Instructor

Dr. Glenn Barnes is a Doctor of Nursing Practice with over 30 years of experience in emergency, trauma, Emergency Preparedness, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Survival, Executive Protection, and Emergency Response. Dr. Glenn Barnes's background includes over 28 years of military service having served in both the US Army and US Navy. He is a former US Army Green Beret (18A) who returned to military service in the Navy Nurse Corps after the events of 9/11. Given his background, he was selected to lead a joint task force team to train federal law enforcement in emergency response for the two years after 9/11. Lieutenant Commander Barnes then deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom and was the Officer in Charge of the largest outlying clinic just south of the Iraqi border. Post-deployment he began a career as a private military contractor working counter-narcotics in Afghanistan, diplomatic protection in Iraq, and a year as the Senior Nurse Mentor to the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan. He returned to the US and began a career in academia, earning his DNP with a focus on pathogen response. He is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Texas at Tyler where he has created electives of Nursing in Nontraditional Environments (NiNE) and Emergency Preparedness for Individuals and Communities (EPIC). He is an international speaker and consultant and a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.

John D. Walker, MD, FAWM, FNAP Assistant Director, Simulation-Based Education

Dr. Walker began taking responsibility for the outcome of patients in austere, resource-limited environments as a teenage global health volunteer in isolated jungle villages in the western mountains of Honduras, Guatemala, and Islas de la Bahia and continued responding to wilderness emergencies during his undergraduate years as a NAUI-qualified scuba diver, EMT-A, and member of the National Ski Patrol.

During his ten years of clinical experience as a residency-trained, board-certified emergency physician and ACLS, PALS, and ATLS instructor, he developed a passion for simulation-based education and continued teaching as an Adjunct Associate professor at the University of Texas School of Nursing, while serving as the CDC Liaison and Preparedness Medical Director for the Texas State Physician On-Call Team for Public Health Emergencies.

After the events of 9/ll, he served as a commissioned officer in the Texas State Guard Medical Reserve Corps, a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center Threat Assessment Commission, and an instructor for the U.S. Department of Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute. He loves technical rock climbing and rope rescue and is a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.

Amanda Swanberg BSN, rn, cen

Amanda Swanberg is an Emergency Specialty Nurse at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. She has been AWLS/WLS: MP instructor for over 3 years. Amanda is an avid outdoorswoman, camper, and hunter and was past president of the Wilderness Medical Student Interest group at UT Tyler under Dr. Barnes. She is board-certified in emergency nursing, a licensed EMT, and a published author.