Meet the Team
Andra Farcas, MD, FAEMS
Dr. Andra M. Farcas is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is dual board-certified in Emergency Medicine and EMS. She is the Interim Medical Director for the University of Colorado Hospital and the UCHealth Denver Metro region. She also serves as Medical Director for various EMS agencies throughout the state of Colorado. Her work focuses on rural EMS, quality assurance/quality improvement, and prehospital education. She is an active investigator on several federally funded prehospital trials with a focus on care in rural and underserved settings.
Lesley Osborn, MD, FAEMS, FAMPA
Dr. Lesley A. Osborn is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is the System Medical Director for UCHealth LifeLine. A dual board-certified emergency physician in Emergency Medicine and EMS, her work focuses on prehospital trauma resuscitation, air medical systems, and critical care transport. She has served as medical director for numerous EMS agencies and helicopter programs in South Carolina, Texas, and now Colorado, where she implemented groundbreaking protocols — including Direct-to-OR for trauma, Direct-to-Cath Lab for STEMI, and Direct-to-Thrombectomy for stroke — each designed to reduce time to definitive care. She is an active investigator on several federally funded prehospital trials and has been a leading voice in advancing whole blood transfusion strategies for hemorrhagic shock. At UCHealth LifeLine, she continues to build scalable, data-driven critical care transport systems across Colorado and the western United States. Dr. Osborn also serves as a Major in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a Special Operations Flight Surgeon with the 308th Rescue Squadron.
Michael Duerson, MD
Dr. Michael Duerson is an Emergency Medicine and EMS physician.
Marc Scherschel
Marc is the Senior Director for Prehospital Care for UCHealth in the Denver Metro region. He grew up in Conifer, Colorado. He attended Colorado State University and Metropolitan State University for his undergraduate degree in Human Services with a concentration in Paramedicine. He received a master’s degree in Emergency and Disaster Management from the American Military University.
His initial Paramedic education was with Saint Anthony’s. Marc spent 28 years with the Denver Paramedic Division before joining the UCHealth team in 2020. Marc also serves as the Team Commander for the Colorado-3 Disaster Medical Assistance Team. Marc’s primary interests are with innovation in the prehospital arena to better the field for patients and field providers, initial and ongoing education and bringing high quality simulation to the field.
Desiree Harris
Desiree began her career as a field paramedic, spending more than 20 years in prehospital patient care before moving into systems-level quality improvement. She now serves as the Prehospital CQI Manager for UCHealth EMS in Denver, where she works to strengthen the quality and safety of emergency care across the region. Her work bridges frontline experience with data-driven improvement, shaping how multiple EMS agencies measure and advance the care they deliver.
Ryan Shelton
Ryan started in EMS in 1995 in Gunnison, Colorado. Ryan was a Lieutenant Paramedic at South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) for nearly 21 years of public service to the Denver-Metro area. He was involved as a Field Instructor, member of the Technical Rescue team, EMT class Director and Coordinator, and Suppression Paramedic Lieutenant.
Ryan enjoys working with subject matter experts and solving complex issues based on critical factors, while remaining practical. Ryan has planned, coordinated and implemented multi-agency full scale immersive training drills. He looks forward to the challenges that a region of healthcare brings with UCHealth.
Blake Wollenberg
Blake is the EMS Liaison for UCHealth Longs Peak and Broomfield hospitals. He moved to Colorado in 2001and attended University of Colorado Boulder. His love for healthcare and emergency medicine began when he witnessed a car accident in Longmont, CO. Without any formal training, he aided in calming the driver until EMS/Fire showed up. This led to the discovery of his passion for helping others. He attended Front Range Community College, where he achieved his EMT basic and IV certifications.
He is a nationally registered EMT, certified peer supporter, and Stop the Bleed Instructor. Blake has worked in EMS for over ten years, having functioned in EMS as a volunteer firefighter, interfacility medical transfer technician, prehospital EMS, urgent care tech, and emergency department tech. He helped to open Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont, Colorado and helped care for the very first patient ever seen at the new hospital.
Michael Dawson
Mike Dawson is a nationally registered Paramedic and the Emergency Services Liaison for Highlands Ranch Hospital. With over a decade of experience in EMS across the Denver metro region he trained and built his foundation at Denver Health, where he developed strong clinical and operational expertise in high-acuity environments. Mike specializes in emergency coordination and education, along with interagency collaboration. He is known for his ability to connect teams, streamline communication, and support effective response in dynamic situations. He is particularly passionate about leadership in EMS and fostering strong, capable teams in challenging environments.