Foundations of Respiratory Care

Kenneth A. Wyka has been in the field of respira tory care since 1970. He obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, and formal training in respiratory care from the Lenox Hill Hospital School for Respira tory Therapy in New York City. In 1972, he founded the respiratory therapy program at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey. Since then, he managed the respiratory care department at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey, was the director of respiratory clinical education at the Uni versity of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, started several pulmonary rehabilitation programs, worked in home care, and began a health-care/respiratory care consulting practice. He is the author of Respiratory Care in Alternate Sites and coauthor of Oakes' Respira tory Home Care: An On-Site Reference Guide. In addi tion, he has been the president of both the New Jersey and New York Societies for Respiratory Care and has been actively involved in several voluntary health and professional organizations. Currently, Ken is the Center Manager and Respiratory Care Patient Coordinator for Anthem Health Services in Queensbury, New York. Paul J. Mathews PhD, RRT, FCCM, FCCP, FAARC is Associate Professor of Respiratory Care, School of Allied Health; Associate Professor in Physical Therapy; and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Center on Aging, University of Kansas. He received his respiratory therapy training at Yale-New Haven Medical Center in New Haven, Connecticut. He holds his undergraduate degree from Quinnipiac College, Hamden, Connecticut; a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Hartford in Connecticut; and EdS and PhD degrees from the University of Missouri in Kansas City, Missouri. He has published more than 160 articles in various national journals, has authored several books, serves on six editorial boards, and has lectured at many national and international meetings. In 1989, Dr. Mathews was president of the AARC, and, in 1990, he was selected for AARC Life Membership. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine and of the American College of Chest Physicians. Currently, he is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. John Rutkowski is the director of Cardiopulmonary Services at Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey, as well as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark, New Jersey. His career in respiratory care includes over 40 years of clinical, managerial, and community outreach experience. He received his respiratory therapy training and certificate from St. Joseph Hospital School of Respiratory Therapy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, along with an A.S. degree from York College of Pennsylvania. He also earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Jersey City State College, an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a master of public administration from Seton Hall University. In addition to his work as a respiratory therapist, he remains active in the American Association for Respiratory Care and its New Jersey affiliate. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and its NJ affiliate, the Association of Healthcare Executives of New Jersey, and has earned the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) credential. Throughout his career, he has been active in the American Lung Association. He is a member of the ALA's Nationwide Assembly, board member, and past chair of the ALA in the Mid-Atlantic, advisory board member and past chair of the ALA in New Jersey, and a member of the Pediatric/Adult Asthma Coalition of New Jersey.