Advancing Burn Care Through Education, Collaboration & Leadership
This spring, the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation was proud to support nearly 20 attendees at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Burn Association (ABA) — one of the leading educational and networking events in the world of burn care.
The group included burn care providers and survivor family members from Children’s National Hospital and the MedStar Washington Hospital Center Burn Center, along with active and retired members of the District of Columbia Fire Department.
For burn care professionals, attending the ABA Annual Meeting is far more than a conference.
It’s an opportunity to collaborate with some of the most respected minds in burn medicine, rehabilitation, research, prevention, and recovery — all with one shared goal: improving outcomes for burn survivors.
Throughout the week, attendees participated in educational sessions focused on cutting-edge surgical techniques, rehabilitation strategies, pediatric burn care, research advancements, emerging technologies, disaster preparedness, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The meeting also provides valuable opportunities for continuing education, mentorship, collaboration, and professional connection across the global burn community.
This commitment to education and collaboration directly aligns with the mission of the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation.
We fund and champion the professionals who make world-class burn care possible — nurses, therapists, social workers, child-life specialists, physicians, researchers, and first responders. These are the people who walk beside survivors through every phase of recovery, and our role is to ensure they have the tools, training, and resources needed to continue providing exceptional care.
Through our support, hospitals gain access to advanced rehab and pediatric equipment, burn teams attend educational opportunities like the ABA Annual Meeting, and research and partnerships continue moving the field of burn care forward.
As Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Elizabeth Waibel shared:
“Attending the ABA Annual Meeting allows us to bring new ideas, research, and best practices back to our patients and families. It’s an opportunity to learn from leaders across the burn community, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and continue improving the care and support we provide every day.”
Representing Washington, D.C. on a National Stage
The conference also highlighted the incredible expertise and leadership represented within our local burn care and fire service community.
Several professionals supported by the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation served in educational leadership roles throughout the meeting — helping guide national conversations around firefighter safety, disaster preparedness, pediatric burn care, emergency response, long-term recovery, and family-centered care.
Jason Woods served as a Course Director for multiple educational forums focused on burn disaster response, wildfire and mass casualty preparedness, and firefighter rescue operations.
Elizabeth Waibel, NP, and Carrie Tully, PhD, of Children’s National Hospital, along with Mulualem Gebrewold, MSN, RN — the mother of a pediatric burn survivor from the Washington, D.C. area — served as moderators for a pediatric burn care session centered on caregiver voices, family partnerships, and support throughout recovery.
Rebekah Allely, OTR/L, from MedStar Washington Hospital Center, also served as a Course Director for a session focused on helping burn care teams better support survivors navigating intimacy, sexuality, body image, and communication after burn injury — an often overlooked but deeply important part of long-term recovery.
Together, these sessions reflected the broad, interdisciplinary nature of modern burn care — where firefighters, survivors, families, therapists, nurses, physicians, and researchers all play an essential role in recovery.
Seeing local providers and fire service professionals contributing in leadership roles on a national stage reflects the depth of knowledge, compassion, and collaboration within the burn community here in Washington, D.C.
As burn care continues to evolve, opportunities like the ABA Annual Meeting help ensure that survivors and families in our region continue receiving compassionate, evidence-based, and forward-thinking care.
By investing in the professionals who care for survivors every day, we are also investing in stronger outcomes, stronger support systems, and the future of burn recovery itself.
Support the Teams Behind Burn Recovery
From nurses and therapists to firefighters and physicians, burn recovery depends on professionals committed to learning, collaboration, and compassionate care.
Your support helps fund continuing education, professional training, conference attendance, and collaboration opportunities that strengthen burn care for survivors, families, and firefighters throughout our region to ensure that they provide the best possible care for survivors and families.
Supporting Survivors Starts with Supporting the Teams Who Care for Them
