Tiffany Bombard, MD NRP
Program Medical Director

Tiff is an emergency physician at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital. She is a self-proclaimed EMS "lifer," having worked in hospital-based, municipal and private service EMS and as a firefighter, flight paramedic and ski patroller. Tiff graduated from Albany Medical College in Albany, NY and is board certified in Emergency Medicine. Additionally, she serves as the EMS Coordinator at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, as agency medical director and as a member of the REMAC and SEMAC.

Laurel Plante, MD, FACEP, FAEMS
Associate Medical Director

Laurel Plante, MD, FACEP, FAEMS graduated from UVM Larner College of Medicine in 2003, and from Tufts-Baystate Emergency Medicine Residency in 2006. Prior to this, she served as an EMS provider on Shelburne Rescue and later on UVM Rescue. Upon graduation, she took a job as an emergency medicine attending at Rutland Regional Medical Center where she served as the District 10 EMS Medical Director from 2007-2010.

She later joined University of Vermont Medical Center, where she initially served as the medical director of the grant-funded UVM Paramedic course, which graduated 18 new paramedics. This course allowed for paramedicine to start in District 3, the largest EMS District in Vermont (and the only one transporting primarily to UVM Medical Center, the only Level 1 Trauma Center in Vermont). After the completion of this class, Dr. Plante oversaw the implementation of paramedicine in the District and has helped to grow this program from an initial 15 paramedics to now almost 100.

As the EMS medical director, she provides oversight, guidance and training for roughly 1,000 EMS providers at any one time. Most recently, with a transition in focus towards education, she has accepted the role of the medical director of the UVM Health EMS Academy as well as the associate medical director of the Elizabethtown Paramedic Program, overseeing the Vermont/NH portion. Dr. Plante is also an associate professor at UVM Larner College of Medicine and course director for the 4th year medical student EMS rotation.

Melissa Brook, Paramedic
Clinical Coordinator

Melissa Brook is an EMS educator and paramedic from the North Country EMS Region, where she serves as the director of operations and clinical educator for Gouveneur Rescue. She has experience in urban, rural and critical care ground and flight EMS. She is a NYS, National Registered and Certified Flight Paramedic.

Joshua LaDuke, MA
Paramedic Program Director

Joshua LaDuke is a 15-year EMS professional who has severed the greater Onondaga County area. He joined the paramedic program in 2024 and serves as the program director after 10 years in prehospital medicine education in Onondaga County. Joshua obtained his master’s degree from SUNY Empire in 2023, majoring in teaching in emerging technologies. He is passionate about patient care, specifically for pediatrics.

When not in the classroom, he enjoys spending time with his family in their home in Marcellus, NY.

This program could not be complete without our additional staff:

• Simon Gardner, Paramedic
• Craig Jackson, Paramedic
• Mike Weller, Paramedic
• Joe Valentine, Paramedic
• Matt Rudrow, Paramedic
• Sarah Lamb, Paramedic
• Carl Matteson, Paramedic