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.
ThinkFirst in Illinois
ThinkFirst SIU School of Medicine is one of eleven ThinkFirst Illinois chapters. All chapters share the common goal of preventing brain and spinal cord injuries. Please check with the ThinkFirst chapter nearest you to schedule programming.
Our staff
Megan Eairheart, BS, Director
National Child Passenger Safety Instructor
ThinkFirst for Your Baby Speaker
ThinkFirst for Parents of Teen Drivers Speaker
Danny Hicks, Voice for Injury Prevention Speaker
National Child Passenger Safety Technician
Victim Impact Panel Speaker
Mary Kay Reed, BSN, MPA, Health Education Coordinator
National Child Passenger Safety Instructor
Retired ThinkFirst Director
Nate Saint, BS, Health Education Coordinator
National Child Passenger Safety Technician
ThinkFirst for Teens Educational Speaker
Lori Truter, MA, Health Education Coordinator
ThinkFirst for Youth/Kids Educational Speaker
Jeff Conant
Contractual VIP Speaker
Tony Hofmann
Contractual VIP Speaker