2025 ACMT-EAPCCT Transatlantic Toxicology Talks Series | Treatment for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor is a medical toxicology and hyperbaric medicine physician at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. She is triple board-certified in Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. She completed her undergraduate education at Harvard College and earned her medical degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine. She completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Rochester, followed by a fellowship in Medical Toxicology at the University of Connecticut. From 2018 through 2023, she served as the co-medical director of National Capital Poison Center, and she has provided medical toxicology consultation services to the Connecticut Poison Control Center since 2006. Since 2015, she has served as medical director of hyperbaric medicine at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and she also maintains an outpatient medical toxicology clinic at this facility. She is an Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery and Emergency Medicine at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and serves as an associate faculty member of the MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety. 

An avid researcher and writer, Dr. Johnson-Arbor has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed medical journals including New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, and Annals of Emergency Medicine. She enjoys teaching toxicology principles and hyperbaric medicine to the public as well as medical professionals. Her work as both a hyperbaric medicine and medical toxicology physician has allowed her to gain unique perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic carbon monoxide poisoning as well as their long-term complications.

Dr. Eric Lavonas is an emergency medicine physician and medial toxicologist in Denver, Colorado. He is board-certified in Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. He practices emergency medicine at Denver Health Medical Center and medical toxicology at Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety, and is a tenured Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Lavonas’ publications related to carbon monoxide poisoning include a 2004 report in the MMWR about a CO poisoning outbreak, a 2008 ACEP Clinical Policy, the 2011 Cochrane Collaboration systematic review, and a 2014 analysis of regulatory priorities in CO alarm laws. He has lectured nationally about CO poisoning, collaborated with the CDC and other government agencies and regulatory bodies, and testified before Congress on the subject of CO alarms. Dr. Lavonas serves on the Science Advisory Council of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation and works as a consultant for the American Heart Association. The author of more than 100 scientific publications, Dr. Lavonas received the 2017 Outstanding Contribution to Medial Toxicology Research award from the ACMT.

Dr. Ophir Lavon is a board-certified medical toxicologist, clinical pharmacologist, and internal medicine specialist. He is the director of the Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit at Carmel Medical Center (Haifa, Israel), and leads its fellowship program. Dr. Lavon is the current chairperson of the Israel Society of Toxicology and a board member of the Israeli Society for Clinical Pharmacology (both affiliated with the Israel Medical Association). Dr. Lavon is a board member of the European Association of Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) and serves as the chairperson of its Communication Committee. He is an active member of ACMT and AACT. Dr. Lavon is a senior lecturer at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine of the Technion – Israel Institution of Technology, Haifa, Israel. Dr. Lavon is the chair of several advisory committees for the Israel Ministry of Health, including the Advisory Committee for Preparedness and Response to Toxicological Mass Casualties Events and the National Committee for Antidotes. Dr. Lavon served for several years as a medical consultant at the Israel Poison Information Center, and he is the former director of the Patient Safety and Risk Management Unit at Carmel Medical Center.

Dr. Raido Paasma is an anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist at West Tallinn Central Hospital, Estonia. He completed his medical degree and residency in anesthesiology at Tartu University. With over two decades of leadership experience, Dr. Paasma served as the Head of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care at Pärnu Hospital, where he contributed to advancing critical care practices. His PhD research, focused on toxic alcohol poisoning and prognostic factors in methanol poisoning, has provided insights into clinical toxicology. In addition to the clinical work, Dr. Paasma has published extensively in peer-reviewed medical journals and served as a clinical consultant for the Estonian Poison Information Centre. He also teaches clinical toxicology at Tartu University, sharing expertise with both students and residents.

Dr. Hantsch is a graduate of the Honors Program in Medical Education at Northwestern University. She completed an emergency medicine residency, including a year as chief resident, at the Medical College of Wisconsin and then continued her training in a medical toxicology fellowship at Vanderbilt University. After her fellowship, she spent nearly 22 years at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and Loyola University Medical Center. There, she established an inpatient toxicology clinical service and clinical rotations for graduate medical trainees and students in multiple fields. With an interest in medication management and safety, she joined the hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, serving as member for 6 years before being appointed chair and leading the committee for another 6 years. Dr. Hantsch earned the academic rank of Professor of Emergency Medicine, was Director of the Division of Toxicology, and Director of Academic Affairs in the Department of Emergency Medicine. As a clinical faculty member, she was appointed to the Stritch Committee on Academic Rank and Tenure, serving for 7 years including 2 as a subcommittee chair leading revision of the clinician educator track guidelines. In 2018, she was the founding Program Director of the Loyola emergency medicine residency. Dr. Hantsch served for more than 8 years as Medical Director of the Illinois Poison Center. In addition, she is a regular organizer and contributor to many local, regional, and national/international continuing education programs. After leaving academics, she worked for the U.S. FDA in pharmacovigilance for a year. As of 2022, she is board certified in addiction medicine in addition to emergency medicine and medical toxicology. Dr. Hantsch was elected to the ACMT Board of Directors in 2021, is a member of the Education Committee, and chair of the Practice Committee.

Joshua D. King, MD, FACMT is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Medical Director of the Maryland Poison Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Penn State College of Medicine, followed by an Internal Medicine residency and chief residency at the University of Virginia. He then completed a Nephrology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital and, after returning to the University of Virginia as a nephrologist, pursued further specialization through a Medical Toxicology fellowship. Dr. King is a dual-specialized clinician-educator in nephrology and medical toxicology, with clinical expertise in extracorporeal treatments for poisonings, therapeutic drug removal, ICU nephrology, and medical education. At the University of Maryland Medical Center, he provides care through both the nephrology and medical toxicology consultation services, focusing on hospitalized patients. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. King is deeply involved in graduate medical education, training residents and fellows, as well as teaching undergraduate medical students. As the Medical Director of the Maryland Poison Center, he oversees the clinical management of poisoning, envenomation, and overdose cases for both the public and healthcare providers. His role also includes educating medical and pharmacy students and supervising physicians who rotate through the center. Dr. King’s research interests lie at the intersection of nephrology and toxicology, particularly in the extracorporeal removal of toxins through modalities such as dialysis and apheresis.