James was first introduced to the medical field at age15 after his Father was injured while working as a State Trooper. Helping to care for his Father, uncovered his passion to care for the ill and injured. As a volunteer in the hospital, he was exposed to various health professions and found his niche in critical care. He first  obtained his BS in Respiratory Care, then continued his education and became physician assistant. His first job was in cardiothoracic surgery at Montefiore/Einstein Medical Center located in Bronx, New York. After having a life-changing experience with 9/11, he returned to Connecticut to be closer to his family where he currently works in surgical critical care. James has performed over 800 tracheostomies using open and percutaneous techniques. Throughout his career, he witnessed many tracheostomy related complications and the need for further training in airway management for all healthcare professionals. In recognizing the lack of tracheostomy/airway training in today’s healthcare fields, he attempted to remedy this with education activities. James encountered a barrier to finding a simulation model to meet these educational needs. As a result he joined forces with Mr. Sandor and together they created the ClearView tracheostomy simulator and are on a greater mission to improve airway/tracheostomy education, safety, and quality of care.