Our Team
With over 32 years of combined ECMO experience, our team of specialized educators are all practicing practitioners. We are uniquely equipped to provide cutting edge and practical ECMO education.
Cassia Yi, Founder
APRN, CNS, MSN, CCRN
Cassia Yi, is a board-certified Clinical Nurse Specialist and is the ECMO Program Manager at UC San Diego Health in San Diego. She is also a multidisciplinary simulation instructor for ELSO.
She is clinically active in the care of all ECMO patients and in ECMO research and quality improvement projects. She has experience in establishing a nurse run ECMO program and developing a Mobile ECMO team. Cassia brings extensive expertise in curriculum building, education and conducting high fidelity simulation.
Cassia is the president elect for the Southern California Chapter of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. She is active in the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and ELSO. She has been awarded the Marguerite Jackson award for professional nursing excellence and the Advanced Practice Nurse of the Year.
Travis Pollema, Founder
DO, CT Surgery
Travis Pollema, DO is a board certified cardiothoracic surgeon and the current director of the ECMO Program at UC San Diego Health in San Diego, CA. His areas of expertise include adult cardiac surgery, mechanical circulatory support including ECMO, and lung transplantation. He is an ECMO cannulation and management simulation instructor for ELSO.
He is clinically active as the director of ECMO and participates in all aspects of ECMO care including patient selection, cannulation, patient management, decannulation, ECMO transport with mobile ECMO team, and bridge to transplant if necessary.
His training as a cardiothoracic surgeon brings an extensive fund of knowledge for all types and configurations of circulatory support and experience with the latest advancements in life support technology.
He has been very active in ECMO education for physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, perfusionists, and EMS personnel.
Dr. Pollema completed his general surgery residency at the University of Kansas and his cardiovascular and thoracic surgery fellowship at UC San Diego Health.
Mazen Odish, Founder
MD, Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine
Mazen Odish, MD, is a board-certified pulmonologist and critical care physician at UC San Diego Health (UCSDH). Dr. Odish completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care and a residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix. Dr. Odish is board certified in internal medicine, critical care medicine, pulmonary disease, and pediatrics. He is clinically active in the intensive care unit and pulmonary clinic, caring for general pulmonary patients and the most critically ill. His clinical and research interests are in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and ECMO.
He is a member of the American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians and American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Odish's other interests include medical education. He currently teaches medical students during their preclinical and clinical years and volunteers as a teaching faculty for the internal medicine residency. He also teaches ECMO management for the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) as a physician trainer. Dr. Odish has many research interests but is focused on the management and care of patients on ECMO, his publications can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/mazen.odish.1/bibliography/public/
Michelle Parrett, Founder
RN, BSN, CCRN
Michelle has over 10 years of experience as a critical care nurse, including 6 years in ECMO. Currently serving as the Assistant ECMO Coordinator at UC San Diego Health, she is also trained as an ECMO Lead. Michelle combines clinical bedside expertise with a commitment to staying current in the ever-evolving field of critical care.
Passionate about education, Michelle teaches ECMO courses and high-fidelity simulation to various specialties, sharing her expertise to enhance patient care and team readiness. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Southern California Chapter of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, where she advocates for excellence in critical care nursing.