Meet the speakers in Alaska.
Your speakers include distinguished faculty from VCU Nurse Anesthesia and other renowned experts from Alaska. Meet them here.
Additional information coming soon.
Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA
Herbert T. Watson Endowed Professor Chair and Associate Professor
VCU Nurse Anesthesia
Rebekah Carmel, PhD, CRNA
Assistant Professor
Program Director
Director of Clinical Education
Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Program
VCU Nurse Anesthesia
Ashley Kafka-Lunski, DNAP, CRNA
AKANA Director & Education Committee Chair
Ashley Kafka-Lunski, DNP, CRNA serves on the Board of Directors for the Alaska Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AKANA), contributing to the Education Committee. She practices in Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna Valley, delivering anesthesia care across a rural hospital, three outpatient surgery centers, and an endoscopy clinic. With over a decade of healthcare experience—including eight years in high-acuity critical care nursing—her clinical background spans OB, pediatrics, trauma, orthopedics, dental, and regional anesthesia. A Major in the Alaska Air National Guard, she supports military medical readiness and mentors nursing personnel through advanced trauma and critical care training. She earned her Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice with honors from Virginia Commonwealth University. Outside of medicine and service, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and exploring the Alaskan wilderness with her husband and two young children.
Christopher “Uksook” Delgado
Manager of Indigenous Training and Outreach
Alaska Native Heritage Center
