Tracey Conway
Actress / Speaker
Collapsed Due to Arrhythmia

Actress, comedienne and writer Tracey Conway, best known from the popular Seattle TV comedy, Almost Live! now spends most of her stage time sharing the story of the night she literally died on stage, a victim of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.  A classically trained theatre actress with an MFA in Drama from the University of Southern California, Conway has performed in many theatre productions, and over a decade on television and independent feature films.  In 1995, during a live taping of her comedy series, Conway suddenly collapsed on the set. Members of the audience, colleagues, fire-fighters and EMS professionals participated in her emergency resuscitation that ultimately returned Conway to life. Audiences continue to be affected by her powerful and unique story, Drop Dead Gorgeous, as Conway travels internationally sharing the lessons she learned in those literally heart-stopping moments, not only about avoiding heart disease and living with a chronic disease, but also what she has come to value in life given a very rare second chance.   When not on the speaking platform for her company Tracey Conway Speaking, Inc., www.traceyconway.com, Conway continues to enjoy a variety of acting roles in the Pacific Northwest, and resides with her Siberian Husky, Lulu, in Seattle.

Lisa Y. Harris, M.D.
Primary Care Physician, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Private Practice, Rochester, NY

Lisa Harris, M.D. was born in Oneida, New York, the eldest child and only daughter of the honorable Judge Roy and Mrs. Lucille King. Dr. Harris attended Monroe Jr. Sr. High School and then furthered her education at the University of Rochester, where she received a B.S. in neurosciences.  Later, she attended Morehouse School of Medicine where she received her medical degree. Her training was completed at the Detroit Medical Center in Detroit, MI. Dr. Harris is boarded in two specialties, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, allowing her to care for both the adult and pediatric populations. Currently, Dr. Harris is in private practice in Downtown Rochester, NY.  In addition to a busy medical practice, Dr. Harris is a licensed evangelist in the Church of God in Christ, a Sunday school teacher, youth group leader, President of the Young Women's Christian council at her local church. She is a member of Jack and Jill of Rochester, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physician Executives and serves on numerous boards in her community.

Arthur J. Moss, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Cardiology
University of Rochester Medical Center

Arthur Moss M.D. is a Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Director, Heart Research Follow-up Program at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry in Rochester, NY.  He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. Moss' education included: Undergraduate-Yale University, Graduate-Harvard Medical School, Medical Internship and Residency-Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, Cardiology-University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY.  Dr. Moss' major areas of interest are in genetic and acquired heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias), acute and chronic coronary heart disease, prevention of sudden cardiac death, and clinical trials involving drugs and devices.  He is a consultant to the FDA for drugs used in the prevention and treatment of heart disease. His major scientific accomplishments involve the study of mechanical and electrical risk factors in coronary heart disease, investigations into lipid and clotting factors that contribute to coronary disease, clinical trials involving the implanted defibrillator in high-risk coronary patients, electrocardiology, phenotype/genotype investigations of the inherited long QT syndrome, and studies of drug-induced heart rhythm disorders. Dr. Moss has authored more than 300 scientific medical articles and four medical books. He is a current member of National Institutes of Health Study Section.

Nora Goldschlager, M.D.
Director, Coronary Care Unit
San Francisco General Hospital, UCSF

Nora Goldschlager, M.D. is the Co-Director of the Cardiology Division, the Director of the Pacemaker Clinic, Coronary Care Unit and Electrocardiography Laboratory at San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center.  She is also a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.  She has authored many books, including a few of the most recent, "Cardiac Pacing for the Clinician" and  "Electrical Therapy for Cardiac Arrhythmias: Pacing, Antitachycardia Devices," and she has published more than 150 articles. Currently a Fellow of the American Heart Association and a member of the Foundation for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Prevention, Dr. Goldschlager is active in numerous editorial boards, associations and boards.  She received her medical degree from New York University School of medicine in New York, New York, where she grew up.  Dr. Goldschlager sites her forthrightness due to her upbringing in NYC as a trait that has served her well in life and in her career-she says straightforwardness in approach always succeeds.  With her father an internist and cardiologist, Dr. Goldschlager always knew she wanted to be a doctor, even though she majored in music and voice in high school and philosophy in college.  Dr. Goldschlager says practicing medicine is a joy because of the challenge and because what she does actually makes people feel better and live longer with enhanced quality of life.

Richard E. Kerber, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

Richard E. Kerber, M.D., is a academic cardiologist who has a long standing interest in general cardiology, cardiac imaging by ultrasound (echocardiography) and cardiac defibrillation and resuscitation from cardiac arrest.  He has been a Professor of Medicine at the University of Iowa since 1971, and has also served as President of the American Society of Echocardiography and Chairman of the American Heart Association's Council on Cardiopulmonary and Critical Care and the AHA's Emergency Cardiac Care Program.  He enjoys playing the classical clarinet, and riding his bicycles on various week long cross state bicycle rides.

Elissa Orlando
Civilian Guest

Elissa L. Orlando is a 20-year veteran of public affairs programming and multimedia storytelling. Orlando is director of national programming and special projects at WXXI Public Broadcasting. She was producer of the nationally televised Crucible of Freedom companion program to Ken Burns Not for Ourselves Alone.  Orlando has won several New York State broadcasting awards for television news reporting in Somalia Africa, Homestead Florida and other local and national venues.  She is a recipient of the Gracie award for television programming from American Women in Radio and Television, and she is the recipient of a Telly award for her production of the TV documentary Reclaiming the Crescent.  Orlando also received the Woman of the Distinction award from the Jefferson County Women's Conference in 1995. She was formerly TV news and public affairs director at WXXI, where she also served as executive producer, Website editor and news anchor of Need to Know, WXXI's Emmy Award-winning newsmagazine.