Hello! My name is Ken Bretl. I am your instructor for the Internet Allied Health 110 Biomedical Terminology course. Here is a little bit about myself:

Even though I was born in Illinois, I grew up in Wisconsin. I am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee where my undergraduate degree is Zoology. Back in the early 1970's there was not a lot to do with a zoology degree. I raked dead fish off the beach for the Milwaukee County Park Commission and cataloged sea shells for the Milwaukee Public Museum. I decided to go back to school!

I packed up my bags and took off for the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, where I enrolled in the school for Respiratory Therapy. Upon finishing this program, I stayed on at the hospital, then called Billings, to work in the clinical setting. Eventually, I became the coordinator for the certification training program in Respiratory Care. After six years of clinical work, I decided to take some time off to travel.

Time off took me backpacking to Mexico, Belize, and eventually Guatemala. My interest then, and still today, are the ancient ruins and cultures of the Aztec and Mayan societies. My main port of call was Isla Mujeres, a small island off the Yucatan peninsula, were beaches and coral reefs consumed my time. The jungles of Tikal, with spider monkeys swinging from branch to branch, and the opening up of the forest into ancient ruins is awesome! Also during this time off, I studied film and animation at Columbia College, Chicago. Eventually, it was time to get a job and get back to work!

I became the chief Respiratory Therapist at St. Anne's Hospital in Chicago where I supervised a staff of ten technicians. While there, the College of DuPage recruited me to become part of the Respiratory Care training program. That was 19 years ago! Presently, I am the coordinator of three programs: Respiratory Technician, Respiratory Advanced Practitioner, and Patient Care Technician training. Most recently, the college has received the Human Patient Simulator. In this lab we are able to simulate many physiological scenarios that students would see in the hospital setting. Let's see, what else is there?

As mentioned, I have a baccalaureate degree in zoology. I am a registered and certified Respiratory Care Practitioner. (Our roles in the hospital are the mechanical ventilators that maintain life support for patients with heart and lung disease.) I have a master's degree in communication arts and science from Governors State University where I studied Instructional Training and Technology. I am continuing my education in cognitive psychology. My wife and I have children and volley ball and dance and wrestling and track and karate and dogs and a lawn mower, all living in the suburbs. Pretty normal! I competitively race walk, and play a few musical instruments. Driving in my truck, I listen to Bob Dylan and whatever CD's I can get from my kids. OK, how is that for openers?

Hey! Hope you enjoy Allied Health 110, Biomedical Terminology. It will be a lot of work. If you work it on a daily basis, you will be successful. Good Luck!