Leadership

The CERTAIN: Global Critical Care and Emergency Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic is led by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in intensive care, emergency medicine and global health.

Dr. Brogan is the director of global health in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and the practice chair for emergency medicine for Mayo Clinic Health System in Minnesota. She has extensive expertise in training interprofessional teams through procedural workshops, residency education and simulation‑based learning.

Dr. Brogan focuses on adapting emergency skills to resource‑available settings and promoting evidence‑based best practices. She consults with clinical leaders across Asia, Africa and Latin America to advance emergency medicine as a specialty, advise on quality improvement initiatives and contribute to practice guideline development. Her work aims to elevate emergency medical care worldwide.

"Through hands-on training, simulation and coaching, our program equips emergency medicine teams everywhere to deliver safer, more-effective care, even and especially in resource-limited and high-pressure environments where the right decision can save a life." — Dr. Brogan

Dr. Dong co-founded the Checklist for Early Recognition and Treatment of Acute Illness and Injury (CERTAIN) research study that led to the creation of the CERTAIN: Global Critical Care and Emergency Medicine Program. He uses simulations and modeling tools to study healthcare delivery systems. He is a field leader in modeling patient workflow and system performance as well as studying human cognition in challenging settings. His ground-breaking work has improved patient safety and care quality in intensive care units (ICUs) and acute care settings.

Dr. Dong combines his passion for technology, commitment to data-driven approaches and cultural acumen to advance the quality of emergency and critical care. His work has covered countries including China, Vietnam, Japan and Malaysia.

"Built on the CERTAIN study, our program shows how simple, practical and evidence-based tools can transform how teams work. It improves patient safety, care quality and decision-making in emergency medicine and critical care worldwide." — Dr. Dong

Dr. Gajic is a critical care and pulmonology expert and a co-founder of the CERTAIN: Global Critical Care and Emergency Medicine Program. His research focuses on how and why people become critically ill and how care teams can improve outcomes. His work centers on sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiorgan dysfunction. He studies these conditions through clinical trials, human-centered care models, virtual simulation and clinical informatics.

Dr. Gajic's hometown is Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he attended medical school. When war broke out in 1992, Dr. Gajic used his newly acquired skills to practice emergency medicine and surgery in Sarajevo, which separated him from his wife and two children for nearly three years. They were finally reunited and immigrated to the United States, where Dr. Gajic has practiced medicine ever since.

Dr. Gajic mentors clinicians and researchers at all career stages. He has trained physicians, nurses, data scientists and implementation leaders who now lead clinical programs, research networks and quality initiatives around the world.

"Our program helps teams master patient-centered critical care by focusing attention away from ever-increasing distractions and toward what matters the most: the human being. Our structured, evidence-based approach improves outcomes, strengthens teamwork and supports clinicians in the most challenging conditions." — Dr. Gajic

Dr. Kilickaya studies anesthesiology and critical care, with special interest in pulmonary clinical research. He also is involved in Mayo Clinic's Multidisciplinary Epidemiology and Translation Research in Intensive Care (METRIC) Program, focusing on research that bridges clinical practice and translational ICU studies to improve critical care efficiency as well as patient safety and outcomes. Additionally, he uses medical informatics to advance critical care innovations and evidence-based clinical interventions.

Dr. Kilickaya's research contributions include implementation of clinician-designed, human-centered electronic medical record viewers in the ICU, ultrasound-guided interventions, ventilator management and intensive care protocols. He also developed and verified digital twin patient models for predicting treatment responses and improving ICU outcomes.

"In acute care, complexity is unavoidable, but confusion should not be. Too often, errors occur when clinicians are not fully aware of what is happening with the patient or not confident about the next best step at the bedside. Our program helps clinicians develop structured thinking, simplify decision-making and deliver reliable care, while always preserving the human side of medicine." — Dr. Kilickaya

Dr. Niven studies how training and quality improvement methods can improve care for critically ill patients. His work focuses on making sure evidence-based best practices are used consistently at the bedside in intensive care units (ICUs). He also studies the most effective ways to improve critical care across different health systems, including those with limited resources.

Dr. Niven is the chair of education in the Mayo Clinic Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and the medical codirector of one of the institution's pulmonary function laboratories. He serves as the enterprise director for the Academy of Educational Excellence as well as president-elect of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST).

Dr. Niven completed his training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He served more than 21 years in the U.S. Army Medical Department, where he fulfilled various leadership roles including ICU director. His work was recognized with prestigious military awards including the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. His combat experiences caring for critically injured people give him exceptional expertise in crisis situations as well as deep empathy for clinical teams providing care in challenging and austere environments.

"Drawing on real-world experience and proven science, our program draws on real-world experience and proven science to prepare clinical teams to perform at their best in crisis. We're laser-focused on supporting the people on the front lines of emergency and critical care in delivering compassionate, high-quality care." — Dr. Niven

Sam is a senior program coordinator in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Mayo Clinic's campus in, Rochester, Minnesota, where she supports and oversees clinical research operations. She joined the CERTAIN Program in 2025. She has extensive experience in research coordination, protocol development, regulatory compliance, budgeting, staff supervision and multisite study management. Sam has contributed to a wide range of clinical research at Mayo Clinic, including in pulmonary medicine, Alzheimer's disease research and community-based initiatives. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.

Ann Marie is a healthcare strategist and innovation leader who advises the CERTAIN Program on strategy, growth and long term sustainability. She identifies opportunities to expand the program's reach and impact, supporting its mission to strengthen critical care and emergency medicine globally and improve outcomes for patients, providers and healthcare systems.

Ann Marie has more than 20 years of experience leading the development and commercialization of successful products and services across healthcare and other industries, helping organizations transform expertise into scalable programs, products and business models. Before supporting the CERTAIN Program, she served as the Mayo Clinic Director of Product Strategy, International. Her background spans healthcare delivery, digital health, genomics, consumer products, nonprofit organizations and international market strategy.