Center for Continuing Education and Conference Services

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTION TEAM

	Tonia D. Aiken, JD, BSN - The USA LNC certificate program is taught by Tonia D. Aiken, RN, BSN, JD. and other legal and healthcare professionals to provide an interactive educational program for experienced registered nurses. Tonia has extensive experience in medical malpractice litigation, healthcare issues, and representing nurses in disciplinary matters. She is a past president of The American Association of Nurse Attorneys and its Foundation. She is a nationally recognized author and speaker in addition to her work as a trial attorney, consultant, inventor, and entrepreneur. Tonia is an editor and contributing author of Legal, Ethical, and Political Issues in Nursing and Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Occupations, a member of the NSO Advisory Board, past editor of the Journal of Nursing Law and is a co-author of AALNC’s Legal Nurse Consulting: Principles & Practice, 3rd Edition, Chapter 1 entitled, The Law, Standards of Care, and Liability Issues. Mrs. Aiken worked as a nurse immediately upon graduation from nursing then began her legal pursuit. She has primarily devoted her career to law in order to represent and advocate for nurses and health care providers. She has served as faculty for Legal Nurse Consulting Courses for over 10 years and is an author and contributing author of several textbooks and A-V material used in legal courses nationally.

	Prof. Carolyn Dolan has over thirty years of clinical nursing experience in multiple high risk areas of medical malpractice and risk management. She has advocated her entire career for the uninsured, poor, and underserved and has represented such groups locally, regionally, and nationally. She served on the governor’s task force for Hispanics many years, and founded a federally qualified health care center. Prior to joining the USA faculty, she served as adjunct faculty for the Univ of MS and Jones County Community teaching EMS and Mass Casualty Response. Upon joining USA, she was named the Director of Nursing for a seventeen county region of rural AL where she represented rural nursing and the needs of the rural underserved at state/national levels. She has received national awards in the fields of Emergency Nursing and Migrant Health and was named Unsung Hero by the Migrant Clinician’s Network in 2007. She is a certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and expert witness on a variety of nursing areas. She consults locally and state wide on malpractice case preparation and has appeared in court and deposition as an expert. Since obtaining the JD and admittance to the Bar balances her legal interest through service, research, publication and presentations on a number of topics important to preserving the standard of care in nursing and risk management. She is an associate editor of the Journal of Nursing Law and a member of the American Association of Nurse Attorneys. Prof. Dolan practices as an Advanced Practice Nurse at Victory Health Partners in Mobile, AL, a faith based agency for the working poor.

	Tamela Esham - Ms Esham worked primarily in the intensive care unit and managerial positions in nursing prior to going to law school where she graduated magna cum laude. After graduation from law school she focused on medical malpractice defense and other related health areas of law. She has represented physicians, nurses, pharmacists, counselors and other health professions and has tried multiple jury cases to verdict. She has lectured and provided seminars to health care and legal professionals in a number of various areas. She has lectured in nursing, legal, ethical and political venues and was published in the text Legal, Ethical and Political Issues in Nursing, Second Ed., Chapter 10 Risk Management (Required course textbook). She was named ‘One of the Nation’s “Best Lawyers” for 2012’. She remains a member of STT, the nursing honor society in addition to several legal associations.

	John Kocke - Mr. Kocke is an experienced RN of many years. In the mid-nineties he launched a business in medical consulting and case management that has expanded and continues to thrive; AMC Resources, Inc. The company is engaged in managed care services including medical case management, vocational rehabilitation, medical-legal consulting, litigation assistance, expert witness testimony, life planning, utilization review, pre-certification, second injury fund consulting, medicare set asides and medical bill review/auditing services. His clients include worker’s compensation claimants, Jones Act and long Shore and Harbor Workers’ Act Insurance claimants, self insured employers and funds, attorneys, third party administrators, federal, state and local public entities. He is co-developer of the VirtualCase File, a web based managed care program. In addition he is certified in life planning, case management, and is an instructor of the LSU School of Nursing. He is a court appointed medical and personal guardian, a frequent lecturer regionally and spent four years in active military service and four years in military reserve service.

	Leroy Riddick, MD - Dr. Riddick began his career in forensic pathology as a deputy medical examiner in Washington D.C. He moved to Alabama and joined the Department of Forensic Sciences in Mobile in 1979 and remained there until 1984 when he became Coroner of Mobile County. In 1984 he assumed the position of State Medical Examiner which he holds today. His specialty/research is in drug chemistry, firearms, serology, toxicology, trace evidence including laser fingerprint examination. His academic/teaching career includes teaching European history and English (1960-65) at the Pingry School, research with the Dept. of Forensic Medicine, NYU, & joint appointment with George Washington School of Medicine in Washington D.C. He joined USA-COM staff as a clin asst prof of pathology in 1979 becoming a full professor in 1990. Dr. Riddick has received a number of distinctions and is certified in Forensic and Anatomic pathology. He was one of 3 pathologists selected by the Philippine & Singapore governments to review the death of Delia Maga, the sole forensic scientist on the Constitution Policy to investigate the fairness of the death penalty & named to the Scientific Review Board for the Armed Services Institute of Pathology. His publications/presentations/societies are internationally, nationally and regionally recognized and voluminous. He is a qualified expert witness (over 500 court appearances) in the USDC, Mobile, AL, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, LA, the Circuit Court of Northern VA, The First, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Twenty-First, Twenty-Eight, Thirty-fifth Judicial Courts of AL, and the Second, Fourth, Tenth, and Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Courts of MS.