Ann Messer, MD, is a Board Certified Family Physician and has been practicing family medicine and urgent care for 30 years. She has a special expertise in Global Health. Dr. Messer is a Fulbright Specialist with the United States Department of State, teaching core clinical competency in medical education in developing countries. A graduate of Rush Medical School in Chicago, Dr. Messer did her residency work at Harvard in a triad of internal medicine, psychiatry, and family practice. This prompted her early interest in the importance, for both the patient and the doctor, of anticipating the stress points in every medical dynamic.

Dr. Messer is the Executive Director of One Good Turn, a global health nonprofit partnering with organizations worldwide to provide medical support and education to underserved communities. She has worked with neglected populations in extreme conditions around the world. In the field, Dr Messer has experienced many of the concepts that are covered in her lecture on the effects of stress on first responders who must often deal with unexpected events. Dr. Messer lives in Austin with her husband Tim; their three grown children are nearby, and together they enjoy outdoor sports, good food, and the family dog, Ziggy.