About ThinkFirst

About us

  • ThinkFirst - SIU School of Medicine is a chapter of the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation, sponsored by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS).
  • Started in 1989 by Dr. E. Shannon Stauffer, chair of the SIU School of Medicine Orthopaedic Surgery and Mary Kay Reed, RN, MPA - originally called Risky Business with the goal of preventing injuries through community education about the 'business and consequences of taking risks.'
  • Renamed ThinkFirst in 2001, in alignment with ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation
  • For more than 30 years, ThinkFirst has evolved to include current issues such as impaired and distracted driving, 
    child passenger safety, TBI (traumatic brain injury) awareness and helmet use.
SIU Medicine ThinkFirst 2019 team photo

Our staff

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Danny Hicks

Danny Hicks, Voice for Injury Prevention Speaker

National Child Passenger Safety Technician
Victim Impact Panel Speaker

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Mary Kay Reed

Mary Kay Reed, BSN, MPA, Health Education Coordinator

National Child Passenger Safety Instructor
Retired ThinkFirst Director

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Lori Truter

Lori Truter, MA, Health Education Coordinator
ThinkFirst for Youth/Kids Educational Speaker

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Jeff Conant

Contractual VIP Speaker

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Tony Hofmann

Contractual VIP Speaker