Officers
Dr. Sean Keenan, MD, FAAEM, FAWM, DiMM, Colonel (ret.), US Army, serves as the Assistant Director; Prehospital, Trauma and Operational Strategy for the CU Anschutz Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research at the University of Colorado in Aurora, Colorado. He also serves as the UCHealth EMS Medical Director for the greater Teller County, CO (Pike’s Peak region) covering over 1200 square miles with 14 fire and emergency medical services agencies, as well as a robust Community Paramedic program. He is a current subject-matter expert member of both the Committee of Tactical Combat Casualty care the Prolonged Casualty Care sub-Committee of the Joint Trauma System.
Dr. Keenan spent 27 years on active duty, including 13 years directly supporting or assigned to Special Operations Forces units, with five (5) combat deployments. His Special Operations medical assignments include: Battalion Surgeon in both 1/1 SFG(A) and 1/3 SFG(A), Joint Medical Augmentation Unit Augmentee, Group Surgeon for 10th SFG(A), and Theater Special Operations Command Surgeon for SOCEUR.
He is a small-business Executive Vice President and co-Founder of R2 Medical Group, as well as Trustee and CEO of a medical education nonprofit company, Specialized Medical Standards, both based in Colorado Springs, CO.
Dr. Paul Allen joined the US Army in 1989, serving in the Intelligence Corps. He began his career supporting the US Army Special Forces with the 10th Special Forces Group in the late 1980s. Since he joined the Army intending to serve within Special Forces, after directly supporting operations with the 10th SFG(A), he volunteered for Special Forces Assessment and Selection, was selected, and attended the Special Forces Qualification Course. He then embarked on a career in Special Operations Forces (SOF) medicine as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant and EMT-paramedic with Special Forces, deploying worldwide on contingency operations for the US Army. Later, he attended the Operations and Intelligence Sergeant Course (18F), adding this military occupational specialty as his secondary area of expertise. He served in the 7th Special Forces Group and a Special Mission Unit as an 18D, deploying to Central and South America and other austere and remote locations. At mid-career, he became a Physician Assistant (PA), encouraged by mentors to increase his medical knowledge and advance professionally.
Upon graduating from the Inter-service PA program, he was assigned as a battalion PA with the second battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment (2/325 AIR), 82nd Airborne Division, for the invasion of Iraq. After completing his tour with the infantry, treating disease non-battle injuries, conducting multiple trauma resuscitations, and evacuating combat casualties, he was nominated for an assignment as a surgical resuscitation team leader with the Joint Medical Augmentation Unit (JMAU, now JMU) at the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). While there, he continued to deploy, leading surgical teams supporting special operations missions, participating in damage control resuscitations, prolonged casualty care, and damage control surgeries in multiple operational environments during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, totaling three years between countries.
He subsequently attended the US Army/Baylor University physician assistant doctoral residency in emergency medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) to further his understanding of emergency medicine and resuscitation. Upon graduation, he was assigned positions within the graduate medical education system for PAs as the Research Director, Associate Program Director, and Program Director of the emergency medicine PA residency program at BAMC, and then the Graduate Education Manager for US Army PAs. Throughout these assignments, he continued to deploy as an individual augmentee supporting the JMAU for training and operational deployments until his retirement after 27 years of military service.
Since then, Dr. Allen has remained active in the pre-hospital academic community, conducting research and volunteering to teach tactical medical subjects to US Army medics, PAs, physicians and physician residents. He advises the Defense Health Agency (DHA) as a Defense Committees on Trauma (DCoT) subject matter expert on Austere Resuscitation and Surgical Teams with the Committees on Surgical Combat Casualty Care (CoSCCC) and Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC). He is also the Military Vice President of the Special Operations Medical Association (SOMA). Dr. Allen is currently a tenured Associate Professor, Program Director, and Chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies in the School of Health Professions at UT Health San Antonio and holds a cross-appointment as an Associate Professor with the School of Biomedical Science at UT Health San Antonio.
Dr. Pickett has served the US Army as a Battalion Surgeon, 2/19 Special Forces Group (Airborne) 2014-present; a Command Surgeon, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula, 2015-2016; a Command Surgeon, Advanced Operations Base-Levant (Lebanon) 2021 and A Co., 256th Combat Support Hospital, Mosul, Iraq 2011 90th Sustainment Brigade, Balad, Iraq 2009.
Presently, Dr. Pickett is serving as an EMS Fellowship Director at the University of Utah, where he shapes future physician-leaders in EMS through development and oversight of comprehensive EMS fellowship program, conveying subspecialty board certification. He leads multidisciplinary trauma and medical teams in the diagnosis, resuscitation, stabilization, and disposition of patients of every age presenting to the emergency department. In his roles he develops education plans, precept and teach resident physicians, fellows, and medical students studying emergency medicine.
Through February 2024, Dr. Pickett served as Chief Deputy Medical Director, Austin/Travis County EMS System where he provided medical oversight to EMS, Fire, and Police with 130,000 calls annually to include mass gatherings, community paramedicine, harm reduction, specialized rescue, and tactical teams. Deputy Medical Director to Texas Department of Public Safety, providing medical oversight, program development, and direct medical support for Texas Ranger Division Special Operations Group, Ranger Recon, Aviation, and Maritime Enforcement Unit.
Additionally, Dr. Pickett serves as a Physician for Vigilint Protective Health Solutions where he serves as Medical Surgical Resuscitation Team Lead, leading small mobile surgical team providing on-site medical and trauma support to clients in austere and hostile environments.
Throughout his storied career, he has continued to teach and serve the Emergency and Operational Medicine profession both in military and non-military capacities serving on Tactical Response Units and SWAT teams with regional and local police and fire departments.
In addition to serving the Special Operations Medical Association in multiple volunteer capacities, Dr. Picket serves as Chair, Tactical Emergency Medical Support, National Tactical Officer’s Association.
SGM Sandro “Rabbit“ Heinrich is the Senior Enlisted Medical Advisor German Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operational Command Special Operations; a Special Operations Forces Combat Medic and serves currently as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Special Operations Medical Association (SOMA). His military assignments included, Senior Enlisted Medical Advisor Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK- German T1 Unit), Senior Enlisted Medical Advisor Allied Special Operations Forces Command (former known as NSHQ). “Rabbit” has conducted Humanitarian / Disaster Relief, Direct Action, Special Reconnaissance and medical operations around the world. His experience spans from the point of injury through extended care in austere locations.
During his military career, SGM Heinrich has deployed multiple times around the world to support Engagement Forces to understand and influence the human component of the land domain to advance NATO SOF global priorities.
He was awarded the SOMA Medic of the Year 2012, NATO SOF Medicine Award 2013 and the NAEMT Leadership Award 2024. Rabbit’s professional certifications include the German Paramedic certification; a Bachelor of Science Paramedic studies and a Master of Science Health Professions Education from University College Cork (UCC), Ireland.
His military training includes the KSK Operator training, KSK mountain training, HAHO / HALO training and Survival Escape Resistance and Evasion (SERE) Level C.
Rabbit is a lecturer on the NATO SOF Medicine Development Initiative for tactical and operational medical planning courses through UCC.
In addition to his involvement with the Special Operations Medical Association, Rabbit volunteers his time with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) to develop and certify NAEMT TCCC Training Centre’s and faculty across the NATO alliance and Partner nations.
MSG (Ret) John Dominguez is currently the Immediate Past President of the Special Operations Medical Association (SOMA), the 8th AMEDD Honorary Sergeant Major of the Regiment (HSGMOR), CEO of Klemheist Strategies LLC, an adjunct professor for the University of Cork in Ireland college of Security and Defense Medicine, Military Liaison for the International Board of Specialty Certifications (IBSC), and a retired Army Special Operations Medic. His military assignments included, Senior Enlisted Medical Advisor (SEMA) for Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH), 95th Civil Affairs, Special Warfare Medical Group (SWMG), and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). John conducted Humanitarian/Disaster Relief Operations, Special Reconnaissance, WMD Counter Proliferation, Direct Action, Foreign Internal Defense, and medical operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Ethiopia, Yemen, Kenya, Bangladesh, Thailand, Philippines, Haiti, Surname, Honduras, Peru, and Belize. His experience spans from point of injury through extended care in austere locations and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) casualty care.
During the course of his military career MSG (Ret) Dominguez individually deployed to support Civil Reconnaissance and augment Engagement Forces to understand and influence the human component of the land domain to advance the nation’s global priorities.
John’s professional certifications include the Paramedic Certification (Malta), Tactical Paramedic Certification (TP-C), Flight Paramedic Certification (FP-C), Georgia State Paramedic, Special Operations Advanced Tactical Practitioner License (SO-ATP), National Registry EMT, Pre- Hospital Trauma Life Support, Pediatric Trauma Life Support, Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certification. His military training includes the Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation Course Medical Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties Course, Joint Trauma Training Course, Advance Burn Life Support ISR, Special Operations Combat Medic Course, Special Operations Civil Affairs Medic Course, Survival Escape Resistance and Evasion (SERE) Level-C, and Special Operations Medical Skills Sustainment Course. He has also attended Trauma rotations at University of Virginia Commonwealth, Ben Taub, and Vanderbilt University.
John is a contributing author for the Journal of Special Operations Medicine Training Supplement, Advanced Tactical Paramedic Protocols (ATP-P), Editions 4 through 11, Peer Reviewer of the NATO Special Operations Handbook, Inaugural Edition, and is currently an advisor to The Army Surgeon General and Medical Enlisted Corps Chief.
In addition to his involvement with the Special Operations Medical Association and the San Antonio Chapter of the Special Forces Association, John also volunteers his time as Vice President of the Holy Cross Alumni Association, and he is volunteering his time to create the Combat Medic Association for the U.S. Army.
At-Large Members
Non-Voting Members
Senior Advisors
Call for Board of Directors Nominations
The Call for Board Nominations will open in November. Please contact SOMA with any questions regarding this process at [email protected].