AARC Election 2025 — Hayfa Shakkour Perez

AARC Activities:

• AARC Congress 2023, SPOTY Award Recipient for Sleep Medicine

Affiliate Activities:

• 8th Annual Sleep Loss and Disorders 2016 CPAP Basics
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation- COPD support 2017 Living with COPD and OSA
• Geisinger Woodbine Lane 2017 PAP Trials & Intervention
• PSRC Spring Pulmonary Seminar 2018 OSA & COPD Overlapping Syndrome
• 9th Annual Pulmonary Medicine Symposium 2018 OSA & Sleep Therapy- Basics of PAP Intervention
• UPMC Williamsport Hospital 2019 OSA & COPD Overlapping Syndrome
• PSRC Spring Pulmonary Seminar 2019 OSA & Sleep Therapy- Basics of PAP Intervention
• Wellsboro Soldiers & Sailors High School 2019 Cardiopulmonary Introduction
• Wellsboro Penn College 2020 Oxygen Delivery Devices
• Wellsboro Green Home 2021 Care of the Patient with a Tracheostomy Tube
• Wellsboro Penn College 2021 Oxygen Delivery Devices
• Wellsboro Green Home 2021 Chest Physiotherapy Education & Instruction
• Wellsboro Senior Expose 2022 Senior Community Support & Education
• Wellsboro Education 2023 Respiratory and Oxygen Delivery Devices

Related Organizations:

• NBRC Consultant

Education:

• BS in Respiratory Therapy

Publications:

• https://www.ecronicon.com/ecprm/pdf/ECPRM-09-00658.pdf
• Covid-19, Ventilators and Respiratory Therapists – The Connection · https://www.ecronicon.com/ecprm/si/ECPRM-02-SI-08.pdf
• OSA & COPD The Impact of Overlapping Syndrome · https://www.ecronicon.com/rco19/pdf/ECPRM-01-RCO-05.pdf
• Respiratory Failure and Ventilator Dependency Surviving One Breath at a Time Until the End · https://www.ecronicon.com/ecprm/pdf/ECPRM-08-00330.pdf
• Respiratory Intervention and End of Life Matters- Until the Last Breath · https://www.ecronicon.com/ecprm/pdf/ECPRM-07-00214.pdf
• Respiratory Care Intervention and VAP Preventing Ventilator Acquired Pneumonia · https://www.ecronicon.com/ecprm/pdf/ECPRM-07-00160.pdf
• Respiratory Care, Compassion and Empathy · http://medwinpublishers.com/OAJPRS/OAJPRS16000110.pdf
• Sleep Apnea- Therapeutic Settings, Acclimation and Tolerance to Therapy · http://medcraveonline.com/JLPRR/JLPRR-02-00045.php
• COPD- to PAP or not to PAP · http://medcraveonline.com/JLPRR/JLPRR-02-00043.pdf
• Respiratory Therapists- Great Need in the COPD Population”

Elections Committee Questions:

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the AARC, and what do you recommend to address it?

The biggest challenge is keeping RTs engaged and solidifying the RT role in the Field of Respiratory Care across the board. Rts have much to offer but face many challenges/hurdles. We need to strengthen our numbers so we can push to increase RT salaries, standards of care, RT to pt ratio for safety and more focus on the Critical Care needs of pts and why RTs are valuable. I would also like to see a push in the Role of the SDS in Sleep medicine as this is a Specialty that is looked over in many facilities and by RTs because it is not “known” as an option to many. Lastly, being recognized by insurance companies for reimbursement of our care would be a benefit to all communities.

Healthcare is changing more rapidly than ever. What ideas do you have to help today’s respiratory therapist meet these changes?

Health care is changing more rapidly than ever. What ideas do you have to help today’s Respiratory Therapist meet these challenges? We have to be able to adapt to meet the needs of “todays” healthcare needs. Our Profession gained some acknowledgement during Covid, but now we have to make sure we remain a valued team member. “Remain noticed” is what I’d like to see for our Profession. Whether it be Preventative Care/pt Maintenance, education or general RT Care. I firmly believe this is the best step for RTs in todays healthcare demands.

If given the opportunity to represent your section, what would you do to increase section membership and promote engagement?

I see my role focused mainly in Sleep Medicine so we can move towards enhancing Skills, educating RTs on the Sleep Credential/ benefits for RTs and pts. Lastly, maintaining standards of care in Sleep Centers.