ELM course content is developed and updated by a distinguished faculty of physician-attorneys and medical-liability experts. With decades of clinical and instructional experience in analyzing and resolving medical liability problems, the ELM editorial faculty brings expertise, experience, and authority to the coursework.

Sal Fiscina, M.D., J.D., Co-Founder

Dr. Fiscina has authored several textbooks in law and medicine and has been a professional lecturer in legal medicine for over 30 years. Dr. Fiscina is a graduate of Harvard University, the University of Rochester Medical School and George Washington University National Law Center. He is currently on the adjunct faculty at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Georgetown University Law Center. He also serves as Chairperson of the American Board of Legal Medicine. Previously, Dr. Fiscina was Deputy Chairman of the Department of Legal Medicine at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and President of the American College of Legal Medicine. In addition, Dr. Fiscina has been a consultant to various organizations, such as the National Practitioners Data Bank. As a result of his extensive experience in legal medicine, Dr. Fiscina has developed specialized instruments for assessing and managing risks associated with clinical practice.

Two decades ago, Dr. Fiscina founded Education in Legal Medicine (ELM), creating its initial, interactive, unified multi-modality courses for educating and training physicians in medical-legal issues and principles. Dr. Fiscina contributes daily to the oversight and development of ELM courses and programs.

Jeff Shane, M.D., J.D.

Dr. Shane, a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist and experienced trial attorney, has 35 years of experience in legal medicine. He is a graduate of Boston University, Boston University School of Medicine and George Washington University National Law Center. Prior to joining ELM, Dr. Shane served as the Chief of the Division of Medicolegal Consultation at the Department of Legal Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. He was also a consultant for the Department of Justice and other government agencies on federal malpractice claims and lawsuits. For more than 30 years, he has lectured to hospitals, medical associations, and law schools on medical-legal topics, giving more than 100 presentations. Dr. Shane is a Fellow of the American College of Legal Medicine, and is certified by the American Board of Legal Medicine. He spent more than 20 years in trial practice before Federal and State Courts, and has argued before appellate courts in Maryland and Florida. He is also a retired United States Air Force Colonel.

Paul J. Connors, M.D., J.D.

With 40 years of experience in legal medicine, Dr. Connors is a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and holds fellowships in the American College of Legal Medicine and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the National Law Center of The George Washington University. He has served as associate professor and lecturer in Medical Jurisprudence at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and is currently an adjunct professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Dr. Connors has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Law and Medicine and is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Legal Medicine. He currently serves as the staff consultant in the Department of Legal Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Dr. Connors has lectured extensively on medical professional liability issues.

Lynda Benak, MSN, RN

Lynda Benak has been a Registered Nurse since 1981. She has worked at numerous hospitals and health systems holding positions such as Charge RN, Perfusion Clinical Instructor and RN/Medico Legal Death Investigator. After years of experience in the field, Mrs. Benak attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA and achieved a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 1999. Mrs. Benak has been published seven times in publications such as The Journal of Forensic Nursing, On the Edge and Vital Signs. She is an adjunct professor of nursing at the University of Southern Maine. She also speaks and holds membership at numerous healthcare risk management and nursing associations including the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) and the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN).