Austin, TX – June 23, 2008 –Austin Community College is hosting the Healthcare Training Success Conference at the Radisson North Hotel June 25-27.

The ACC Healthcare Professionals Institute, a nationally recognized leader in healthcare training, will provide conference attendees opportunities to share processes for success in meeting their healthcare training needs.

Directors, coordinators, administrators and faculty from over 40 continuing education healthcare programs from community colleges across Texas and the United States will explore ACC’s prescription for healthcare training success.

“There is great need for healthcare professionals in Texas, and in some cities the deficiency represents a real problem,” said Kirk White, executive director of ACC’s Continuing Education Workforce Development Center, which oversees the institute. “Our goal with this conference is to share successes and provide expert insight to attendees so they can better address the healthcare professional needs in their regions.”

Keynote speakers for the conference include:

     ·Col. Patricia R. Hastings, Director, U.S. Army Emergency Medical Services.

     ·Dr. Thomas F. Ditzler, Director of Research, Department of Psychiatry at Tripler Army Medical Center.

     ·Yvonne Van Dyke, Vice President, Nursing Education and Professional Development, Seton Family of Hospitals.

“We have a strong agenda for this conference, and our keynote speakers have amazing credentials,” added White.

The conference begins at noon on Wednesday, June 25, and continues until noon on Friday, June 27. Col. Hastings and Dr. Ditzler will open the conference with their presentation From the Frontline to the College Campus – Creation of Technical Education Programs.

Van Dyke will close the conference with her presentation Healthcare Education: From the Classroom to Industry. In between, conference sessions will focus on healthcare and ESL, student support, industry collaborations, curriculum development, grants, partnerships, and more.

Bios for Keynote Speakers:

Col. Patricia Hastings has had a long and diverse career as a healthcare provider. She began as a paramedic and registered nurse after graduating from Iowa Methodist School of Nursing and Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She entered the Army in 1983 after completing medical training at the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Science in Des Moines, Iowa.

Dr. Thomas Ditzler, Ph.D., MA, FRIPH, FRAI, has served a civilian psychologist for the Department of Defense since 1982. He earned a BA in Psychology from Hillsdale College; teaching credentials in Social Sciences; MA in Education, University of Michigan; and Ph.D., Psychology, Clayton University; and has been a visiting student at Oxford University. He has completed studies in organizational behavior, University of London; and studied organizational response to bioterrorism at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Yvonne VanDyke, RN, MSN is the Vice President of Nursing Education and Professional Development for the Seton Family of Hospitals. She was previously the Executive Dean of Health Sciences at Austin Community College, where she was responsible for 15 health career programs. She also served as a professor of vocational nursing and department chair for many years.