A certified registered nurse anesthetist, Nicole A. Underdahl, MS, CRNA, provides anesthesia care to patients across a wide spectrum of surgical cases. Originally from Hazen, Nicky earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from MedCenter One College of Nursing, Bismarck, in 1996, and received her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, in 2009. Prior to joining Trinity’s Anesthesia department she worked in Trinity’s ICU and was a flight nurse with Northstar Criticair. A member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the North Dakota Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Nicky is certified by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists. She and her husband have two grown children.
Spine Disorders
Ashley Stevens, CRNA
A certified registered nurse anesthetist, Ashley L. Stevens, CRNA, provides anesthesia care to patients across a wide spectrum of surgical cases. The Minot native earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Minot State University and received her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia from Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth. Her CRNA training included a two-and-a-half-year residency at St. Alexius Medical Center, Bismarck, and an obstetric epidural/spinal rotation at Parkland Memorial Hopsital, Dallas, TX. Prior to joining Trinity’s Anesthesia department she worked six years in the Intensive Care and Post Anesthesia Care units as an RN. A member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the North Dakota Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Ashley is certified by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists. She and her husband, Guy, have a daughter.
Brian Tin-Maung, MD
A board certified anesthesiologist, Dr. Tin-Maung manages patient pain levels before, during, and after surgical procedures, with a focus in obstetrical and cardiac anesthesiology. Born and reared in Myanmar (Burma), he earned his medical degree from the University of Medicine 1 in Yangon and completed his Anesthesiology residency at New York Medical College, Valhalla.
Kari Rist, CRNA
A certified registered nurse anesthetist, Kari Rist, CRNA, provides anesthesia care to patients across a wide spectrum of surgical cases. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Nursing from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and received her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. Prior to pursuing her advanced degree she served as a registered nurse at UniMed Medical Center and later at Trinity Health after the two systems merged. She’s been a member of Trinity’s Anesthesia Department since 2004. A member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Kari is certified by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists.
Christine Nelson, CRNA
A certified registered nurse anesthetist, Christine M. Nelson, CRNA, provides anesthesia care to patients across a wide spectrum of surgical cases. A Minot native, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Minot State University and completed her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. She was a staff RN with Trinity Health for five years prior to joining our Anesthesia team. Christine is a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the North Dakota Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
John Nwankwo, MD
A member of our Anesthesiology team, John Nwankwo, MD, provides safe and effective anesthesia care for patients undergoing the full range of surgical procedures. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the American University of Antigua College of Medicine in the Caribbean and completed his four-year Anesthesiology residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. He also holds an MBA in Healthcare Administration from Plymouth State University, New Hampshire. Originally from Nigeria, Dr. Nwankwo spent his early career as a petroleum geologist, exploring for oil and gas deposits in Malaysia and performing geological survey in Las Vegas. He also practiced as a Registered Nurse in Houston, TX, prior to pursuing his medical career. He is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the American Medical Association.
Karen J Kelly, CRNA
A certified registered nurse anesthetist, Karen J. Kelly, MS, CRNA, provides anesthesia care to patients across a wide spectrum of surgical cases. A 1984 graduate of the former Trinity School of Nursing, Karen earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Minot State University in 2006, and received her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, in 2009. Prior to joining Trinity’s Anesthesia department she worked in the orthopedic and ICU units of Trinity Hospital and was a flight nurse with Northstar Criticiair.
A member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the North Dakota Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Karen is certified by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists. She and her husband, Chris, a member of Trinity’s Revenue Integrity staff, have four grown children, the oldest of which is Dr. Jennifer Johnson, a member of Trinity’s Ob/Gyn team. When not juggling work schedules they enjoy camping, traveling and spending time with family.
Karen Johnson, CRNA
Karen Johnson, CRNA, is a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Trinity Health Western Dakota, who provides pre-op, intra-op and post-operative anesthesia care to patients across a broad spectrum of surgical cases. Born and reared in Cooperstown, ND, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Jamestown College. She practiced rural nursing and was a critical care nurse in an intensive care unit for 10 years. She earned a Master of Science in Anesthesia from the University of North Dakota and served as a nurse anesthetist in Williston for eight years before joining Western Dakota’s Ambulatory Surgery Center. Karen is a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and board certified by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists.
Durand Jones, FNP-C
A certified nurse practitioner, Durand Jones, FNP-C, cares for patients as part of Trinity Health’s Neurosurgery team. Originally from Memphis, TN, he served in the U.S. Air Force, moving to Minot AFB in 1988. He completed his military service and pursued a career in nursing. He practiced 16 years in Grand Forks and Bottineau and five years as traveling nurse. He also served two years as a clinical nurse instructor at Williston State College and Dakota College at Bottineau. He and his wife, Correen, have a son and daughter. They enjoy many types of outdoor activities.
Rebecca Heilman, CRNA
A certified registered nurse anesthetist, Rebecca A. Heilman, CRNA, MSN, has more than 20 years of experience providing anesthesia care to patients across a wide spectrum of surgical cases. The Willow City native earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, and her Master of Science with a clinical specialty in anesthesia from the University of Mary, Bismarck. Her CRNA practice has been primarily with St. Joseph’s and Trinity hospitals in Minot. She also has done locum and consultant work in North Dakota and Montana. An active member of the North Dakota Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Rebecca has served as past president, board member and government relations chair with that organization. She’s also a member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and is certified by the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists. She and her husband, Steve, have two sons.