Richard Cartie hails from a small town in upstate New York. He always got good grades in school, and with them came the question from adults in his life: “Are you going to be a doctor when grow up?”

“I always thought that’s what you did with good grades,” Dr. Cartie said.

Once he got to college, he searched for something else that might interest him, changing his major three times. But once he started working at a hospital, he found his calling. His venture into pediatrics didn’t mean his career path was a typical one, tough. He knew that with his personality, critical care would be the best fit.

“I was unusual in the fact that I went into pediatrics knowing I wanted to do critical care,” he said. “I’m the kind of person who functions best under pressure as opposed to the day-to-day operations of an office setting.”

During his tenure in the PICU, Dr. Cartie diagnosed a patient with a rare condition, Stephens-Johnson Syndrome, which is often treated at burn centers. He referred that patient to JMS, and soon after received a recruiting call. He made the move to Augusta to head up the JMS pediatric unit, making him one of only a few doctors in the world who specialize in acute critical care of pediatric burns.

While he is not working, Dr. Cartie keeps up with his kids who are all in high school or college. He enjoys traveling with his family and an occasional game of volleyball.

As strange as it may sound, a love of music ended up leading Jay Coates into the medical field. Members of his college fraternity were EMTs and often worked at concerts and other events. Coates, a music major at the time, decided to go through the training and join them. He ended up with a career in medicine because of it. It was the challenge of quick problem solving that led him to his specialty, though.

Dr. Coates really enjoyed the unknown aspects of trauma and burns, having to think on his feet. The fluid and dynamic aspects along with the need to make critical decisions on the fly is what he was really interested in.

Serving as part of a larger team that strives, together, to make a difference in the lives of patients and their families is what keeps him fascinated with his chosen field today.

In his time away from work, he loves to travel, cook, scuba dive, and snow ski. But Dr. Coates has not forgotten his original love. Music still plays a large role in his life. He continues to play percussion and listen to music every opportunity he gets.

Cardiothoracic surgery was originally Dr. James Collins’s destination. That is until he began conducting research on regenerative medicine and cellular scaffolds in medical school. While observing plastic surgeons at work, he decided to take a different path for his medical journey. He had a wonderful experience and realized he could do a great amount of good for people.

Though there are many positive aspects of his chosen field, helping patients improve their quality of life is the most rewarding part of being a plastic surgeon for Dr. Collins.

He understands he cannot always make people exactly like they were before an injury, but he has the ability to help people improve their function and adapt to their new circumstances in a way that makes them forget any handicap that they might have. It is a very gratifying experience when Dr. Collins’ patients surpass his expectations for them.

Outside of work, Dr. Collins enjoys spending time with his wife and their pets. They enjoy the outdoor hobbies of hiking, river kayaking, and gardening. He also enjoys reading, playing chess, cooking, drawing, playing guitar, and new opportunities to learn.

While growing up in a small town in the south of Puerto Rico, Juan Colón-Santini was always interested in science. His father, an engineer, encouraged him to follow his instincts and make the best of the opportunities available.

As he progressed into high school, his interest began to narrow into medicine. Following his father’s advice, Dr. Santini pursued that interest as it came into sharper focus. During medical school, he decided that making a difference early on a child’s life was his passion.

He considers it a privilege to share what he has learned along years of practicing, especially with young couples and their young children. That’s what continues to rejuvenate his interest in the medical field.

Outside of the office, Dr. Santini enjoys working around the house and volunteering. He continues to lead an active lifestyle and participate in several activities. Though he misses the water sports of his home, such as sailing and diving, he has developed a love of golf while living in Augusta.

Dr. Derek Culnan has been obsessed with fixing things for as long as he can remember. His interest in research and science drove him to a career in medicine. It was in the medical field that he could combine his love of research and repairing to help those in need. Dr. Culnan is drawn to perform the most technically challenging and complex operations.

During his time at Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America, he has found growth as a surgeon and a person. He enjoys being able to travel around the country and the world to help wherever he is needed. Dr. Culnan promises to give his patients all that he has, savoring the moments he’s able to rejoice with them.

When Dr. Culnan isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his two children and wife. They love to ski and fish in their free time. He and his wife also spend much of their time editing and reviewing manuscripts, as well as authoring original work.  

Long before he was a surgeon, Shawn Fagan cared for burn and trauma patients. As an EMT in one of the most notorious neighborhoods in Los Angeles, the 24-hour ambulance shifts were often a blur of traumatic incidents and other emergency calls. But it also provided focus for Dr. Fagan’s career path.

He saw, first-hand, the injuries and challenges many of these patients faced. It became harder and harder to just drop them off at a hospital and move on to the next call. He wanted to do more.

He went to medical school and focused his care on trauma and burn patients, completing various fellowships and training with world-renowned surgeons along the way.

Dr. Fagan is honored to have shared time in the classroom, emergency room and operating room with some wonderful surgeons and mentors. Each one had a different style and a different approach, and he finds himself calling on their lessons daily.

During his career, Dr. Fagan has cared for thousands of burn and trauma patients, including patients from the Boston Marathon bombing while he was working at the Sumner Redstone Burn Center at Massachusetts General Hospital – where he served as Medical Director.

Away from the burn center, Dr. Fagan enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his wife, Kim, and their three children.

A native of Bangladesh, Zaheed Hassan came to the US in 1988 to further his medical career. After completing residencies in both plastic and general surgery, it was a fellowship at the University of Kansas Medical Center that shaped his future for years to come. This fellowship lead him to a career in burn surgery.

Dr. Hassan joined the staff of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in 2000 and has called Augusta “home” ever since. He currently serves as the Vice President of Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America.

Apart from his family, his patients are most important to him. Dr. Hassan’s goal is to do what’s necessary to first heal their wounds, and then get them back to as normal a life as possible.

That mentality has led Dr. Hassan to serve in many organizations in the medical community, including the Medical Association of Georgia, American Burn Association, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, International Society of Burn Injuries, Bangladesh Medical Association of North America and several others. He is also an active member of the Augusta community, having received the 2004 Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Person of the Year Award, and has been an integral part of the Islamic Society of Augusta and its community development.

Despite his busy schedule, Dr Hassan still drops off his children at school each morning. When he has free time he enjoys fishing, gardening, playing golf and traveling.

In the late 1970s, Bounthavy Homsombath’s family immigrated to the United States as part of a wave of refugees from the southeast Asian nation of Laos. The family settled in the suburbs of Rochester, NY. During high school and college, he worked as a mental health counselor for autistic children, which set him on the path toward a career in the medical field.

However, it was a critical care and burn fellowship that helped Dr. Homsombath discover his calling. It’s something he still gets fulfillment from each day, as he assists patients along the path to their pre-injury life. He’s lived his life wanting to make a difference in the world and does so through his work.

When he’s not busy caring for his patients, Dr. Homsombath spends his free time with family. He especially enjoys boating on the lake or the ocean with his wife and children.

Dr. William Lineweaver’s engagement in medicine is a long story that is populated by a roster of outstanding teachers. He credits his mentors with his success. His interest in burn was dormant for a long time until the only burn unit in Mississippi closed in 2005. When Dr. Lineweaver had an opportunity to work for JMS, he couldn’t help but join the team. His principle teacher in burn surgery management has been Dr. Fred Mullins, who continues to introduce clinical and administrative innovations that are having remarkable influence on the development of burn care in this country.

Dr. Lineweaver finds that his position at JMS allows him to maintain a rich clinical practice with a great amount of variety both in burn care and reconstructive surgery. The practice has supported the development of the number of research initiatives which promote academic development. His productive and supportive colleagues have played a major role in his enjoyment with the JMS Burn Centers.

Dr. Lineweaver currently serves as the Chief Research Officer for Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America.

Outside of work he enjoys listening to music, literature, and traveling.

Healing people runs in Fred Mullins’s family. He is connected to a long history of caring for the Augusta area, so it wasn’t a surprise when he graduated from the Medical College of Georgia as a Physician Assistant. He joined the staff of the burn center in Augusta, working under the tutelage of Dr. Joseph M. Still—the namesake and founder of the nation’s largest burn center. Dr. Mullins then returned to the Medical College of Georgia and obtained his Medical Degree in 1996. He completed his General Surgery residency at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System in 2001, and returned to the private practice of Joseph M. Still Burn Centers, Inc., as a burn surgeon.

“Being a burn surgeon is truly a calling,” Dr. Mullins said. “While it can be emotionally and physically exhausting at times, I believe it is one of the most rewarding specialties.”

He describes the times he gets to interact with patients away from the burn center—like at survivor reunions—as some of the most special occasions.

“Seeing them getting back to as much of their pre-burn life as possible is great,” he said. “I enjoy seeing them smile, and there’s something extra special about knowing you and your team helped them get there.”

Dr. Mullins’s expertise includes the full spectrum of burn care, from field treatment, to surgery, to long-term care and rehabilitation.

“We have always believed that following a patient from their initial injury all the way through their long-term rehabilitation is best for all involved,” he said. “It allows us to build relationships and we get to really know the patients. That allows us, for example, to know if they are just having a bad day in their recovery process or if something more severe is wrong.”

That circle of care starts with a referral phone call. Often, it is Dr. Mullins taking those calls for the burn center.

“We accept every patient, every time,” he said. “We try to make the process as seamless as possible, and make sure the care of the patient is always at the top of our priority list.”

Dr. Mullins became the Medical Director of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in July of 2004, when Dr. Still had to retire from active practice due to health problems.  He now serves as President of Joseph M. Still Burn Centers, Inc., which has four clinics in the Southeast: the original in Augusta, full-service burn units in Jackson, MS, and Austell, GA, and outpatient clinics in Valdosta, GA, and Charleston, SC. He is also the President of Burn and Reconstruction Centers of America; Burn and Reconstruction Centers of Florida, which operates facilities in Miami, FL, and Bradenton, FL; Burn and Reconstruction Centers of Colorado, which operates facilities in Englewood, CO, and Aurora, CO; and Burn and Reconstruction Centers of Texas, which operates a facility in Plano, TX.

Hermann Orlet and his family lived in Europe during World War II. After immigrating to the United States, 10 years after the war ended, he served in the U.S. Air Force and began his journey into healthcare.

All along, his initial intent was to go into cardiovascular surgery, but it became evident during medical school that this specialty would put inordinate demands on his time to allow for a family life. Witnessing and assisting in the facial and oral reconstruction of a patient with a war wound from Vietnam, led to his reorientation into plastic surgery.

Dr. Orlet was blown away by what the doctor had done. Being able to impact a person’s life was what drove his career path. After joining the team at JMS in 1985, Dr. Orlet has continued to play a large role in the growth of the Burn Foundation of America, formally known as the Southeastern Firefighters Burn Association. Their campus dedicated the Orlet Garden of Hope to Dr. Orlet and his wife for their dedication and efforts towards their mission.

He no longer operates but still sees burn and reconstructive patients in a clinical setting, coordinating his experience with the current surgical team.

Army veteran, Raul Ponte, started his medical career in 1981 as a Physician Assistant in Jacksonville, FL. It didn’t take him long to decide that wasn’t enough. After just a year, he went back to medical school to become a physician to focus on helping children.

In 2003, his mother’s health necessitated a move to Florida, where he became Medical Director and Director of Pediatric Critical Care Services at Plantation General Hospital. It was there, through his cooperation with Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America’s facility at Kendall Regional Medical Center in Miami, that he became interested in focusing solely on pediatric burn and trauma patients. That led him to his current position at the nation’s largest burn center and the BRCA flagship, the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, GA.

His experience in caring for children and ensuring they are receiving the highest standard of care goes far beyond hospital walls.

Alex Senchenkov grew up in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine, while it was still part of the Soviet Union. An injury at the age of 11, and the subsequent treatment he received, sparked an interest in medicine would later develop into a career.

As a medical student, his first exposure to microvascular reconstruction led him to specialize in plastic surgery. He continues to have a keen interest in many of the reconstructive aspects of the specialty to this day.

Dr. Senchenkov enjoys the impact he can have on a patient’s life. As a physician, he is able to make a profound difference in the rest of someone’s life, just in a single day.

Outside of work, Dr. Senchenkov enjoys spending time reading and going for an occasional swim.