The International Trauma Treatment Program’s Board of Directors consists of a diverse spectrum of individuals working in various fields.

Dianna Cox: Dianna is the Board Chair. For the last 13 years she has been the director of Pastoral Care at MultiCare Heath System (Tacoma General, Mary Bridge Children’s and Allenmore hospitals) in Tacoma, Washington.

Joe Pellicer, MD, has practiced emergency medicine for the past fifteen years at Providence Saint Peter Hospital, a large community hospital in Olympia, Washington. In addition to his clinical duties there, he teaches the residents that rotate through the ER. As the medical director for the county’s Medic One program, he also teaches and supervises an excellent group of paramedics.

Dr. Pellicer started his career as a family physician in Seattle, Washington. As a consultant to UNICEF in the East African country of Uganda in 1987, he conducted research and designed teaching materials about the AIDS epidemic. He has traveled extensively throughout the world and has served as a medical advisor on several international expeditions. Dr. Pellicer has expertise in both high-altitude and diving medicine, and he is working on his first novel.

(biography and photo taken from Notes from the ER website)

Elie Halpern: Elie graduated with a BA in Psychology and JD in Law from the University of Minnesota in the l960’s. He has spent over 20 years working with Legal Services programs in Micronesia (Palau and Chuuk) and in the State of Washington, and now specializes in representing people denied VA Disability, Social Security and SSI Disability benefits. He enjoys doing volunteer work at Black Lake Elementary School in Tumwater. He recently returned this year from volunteering for two and a half months through AJWS in Chiang Mai, Thailand with EarthRights International, an international environmental and human rights organization. Elie worked on issues in Burma relating to the international customary law requiring environmental impact assessments for all major development projects. Elie is the Board Treasurer and hopes to switch careers in the near future and work on ensuring sustainable development for the future.