Tonya Elliott MSN, RN, CCTC, CCHFN

Tonya Elliott has been a nurse for 38 years and has specialized in VAD patient care for over 35 years. She attended SUNY @ Buffalo where she obtained her BSN and earned her Masters at The Catholic University of America. She has served on committees for the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplant (ISHLT), International Consortium of Circulatory Assist Clinicians (ICCAC) and AAHFN. A particular area of interest for Tonya is the care of VAD patients in the community. Because the volume of VAD patients is growing and they live longer outside the hospital, it is paramount that clinicians are prepared to intervene when VAD patients have alarms and/or emergencies at home. She has worked with thought leaders in the EMS space and has published several papers and book chapters guiding the assessment and interventions of clinicians when caring for VAD patients experiencing emergencies.