Meet the Leadership Team
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MEG MARINO, MD,FAAP, FACEP
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
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David Rayburn MD, MPH
VICE PRESIDENT
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Jessica Barbour, NRP
SENIOR PARAMEDIC CONSULTANT
MEG MARINO, MD, FAAP, FACEP
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
Dr. Meg Marino is a physician executive and EMS leader with more than a decade of experience shaped by frontline work and system leadership. She served as both the Director and Medical Director of New Orleans EMS, guiding the agency through significant clinical and operational advancement. Meg remained deeply connected to field operations, working directly alongside crews including responding on the ground during the January 1st mass-casualty event on Bourbon Street.
Her leadership anchored citywide responses through mass gatherings, severe weather, and unprecedented crises while turning New Orleans EMS into a revenue-generating, high-performance agency known for innovation and resilience.
During her tenure, she implemented the New Orleans EMS prehospital blood program, a landmark initiative shown to decrease the city’s murder rate by improving survival among victims of penetrating trauma. Before her time in New Orleans, Meg worked with the Houston Fire Department for 4 years, contributing to protocol development, curriculum design, and provider education for one of the nation’s largest EMS systems. Her commitment to service extends internationally as well; she served in Haiti after the earthquake, delivering critical care in austere environments and supporting recovery efforts.
Meg’s career reflects a steady dedication to innovation, equity, and the clinicians who make EMS possible. Her leadership blends clinical expertise, operational strategy, and a human-centered approach to building the EMS systems communities deserve.
DAVID RAYBURN, MD, MPH
VICE PRESIDENT
Dr. Rayburn is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at Louisiana State University, where he also serves as the interim Program Director for the LSU Combined Emergency Medicine–Pediatrics Residency. David serves as the Deputy Medical Director for New Orleans EMS and the Medical Director for the Lakefront Regional Airport and Audubon Nature Institute.
At New Orleans EMS, David had helped launch the agency’s prehospital ultrasound program and developed the Advanced Practice Paramedic Program, expanding the scope of practice for paramedics trained in ultrasound and blood administration. His work reflects a strong commitment to empowering field clinicians through thoughtful, evidence-based program design.
David’s clinical and research interests include paramedic education simulation, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and prehospital ultrasound. Known for his practical, collaborative teaching style, he remains deeply involved in training and skill development across all levels of EMS. His leadership centers on advancing field capability, validating prehospital practice, and supporting paramedics as essential clinical partners in emergency care.
He is deeply involved in training, known for an approachable teaching style that fosters growth and critical thinking. David believes in the expertise of paramedics and builds systems that support their clinical judgment.
Jessica Barbour, NRP, BS
Senior Paramedic Consultant
Jessica Barbour is a published EMS researcher, educator, and advanced practice paramedic with specialized expertise in prehospital ultrasound and field-based resuscitation. A proud daughter of the Mohawk Tribe of Akwesasne, she brings a deep commitment to community, resilience, and equitable care to her work in emergency medicine.
While with New Orleans EMS Jessica served as blood medic, Deputy PIO, and one of the original advanced practice field paramedics, contributing frontline insight across trauma, medical, and pediatric high-acuity care. She also helped shape the 2024 prehospital protocols for the New Orleans region. Before entering EMS, Jessica worked in sexual assault and human trafficking advocacy, an experience that shaped the foundation of her trauma-informed approach to patient care, provider wellness, and program development.
Since leaving working on the ambulance, Jessica has dedicated herself to validating the depth and value of prehospital medicine through research, education, and consulting proving that you don’t need to be a physician to influence modern healthcare, contribute meaningful research, or drive real clinical advancement.
Jessica brings a uniquely paramedic-centered perspective to protocol design, system development, and clinician support. Her blend of research experience, advanced clinical practice, and practical teaching ensures solutions that are evidence-based, operationally realistic, and grounded in the lived realities of frontline providers.