CHARLES WITHERELL, RN, CS, MSN is the Clinical Nurse Specialist of the Pacemaker/Defibrillator Clinic at UCSF. Mr. Witherell, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, specializes in the care of patients whose heart rhythm disturbances are treated with artificial pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. He completed his baccalaureate program in nursing with highest honors at Northeastern University in 1975 and earned his master's degree in nursing with high honors at Boston College in 1976. Mr. Witherell is the author of several articles on cardiac rhythm control devices, and a book on telemetry, the process of monitoring the heart rhythms of hospitalized patients with wireless transmitters, as well as numerous patient education materials. A particular focus of care for Mr. Witherell is the individual patient's and family's emotional response to the serious difficulties they face. He is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a clinical nurse specialist, and is additionally certified as a legal nurse consultant by the Medical-Legal Consulting Institute. Mr. Witherell has worked in cardiac electrophysiology since 1985.