Eagles
Paul E. Pepe, MD, MPH, FAEMS
Eagles Global Coordinator
Paul E. Pepe is a life-long academician and public servant who has pioneered many multi-disciplinary advances in critical care and emergency medicine over the past four decades and who remains a highly-prolific and globally-respected leader in the realms of resuscitation research, EMS, disaster response and event medicine.
Currently, Dr Pepe is the creator, program director and perennial moderator for the world-renowned EMS State of the Science: Gathering of Eagles conferences and, in turn, he serves as the global coordinator for the affiliated metropolitan EMS medical directors alliance as discussed below.
Prior to his current public safety roles, he also spent many years as an academic and administrative chair for medical school-affiliated Emergency Medicine (EM) programs at both the Medical College of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) at Dallas. While in these positions, he had overall financial and programmatic oversight of the affiliated EM residency and fellowship programs (e.g., toxicology, EMS, ultrasound, disaster and event medicine) and their associated faculty members and Division Chiefs. He not only helped to develop and steward the formal approval of two highly-successful EMS residency programs (Dallas and Austin), but he founded one of the original EMS fellowships in the 1980s. He has also since mentored dozens of EMS fellows and associate EMS medical directors who have gone on to be quite successful in their own right.
In that respect, he has worked as a medical school faculty member for the past four decades and he has held tenured status for the past 30 years. He most recently retired from the UT Southwestern School of Medicine in Dallas where he had spent the past two decades as a tenured Professor of Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Public Health and also as the Riggs Family Chair in Emergency Medicine (EM). In conjunction with his academic and administrative duties, he also provided supervising attending physician services at the Parkland Hospital Emergency-Trauma Center for Dallas County, where, for many years, he also had oversight of the other faculty members and resident staff caring daily for hundreds of acutely ill and injured.
Dr. Pepe was not only the first nationally-elected President of NAEMSP, but he has since founded numerous premier educational offerings that have now trained thousands of newly-appointed and future EMS medical directors. Recognizing the breadth and scope of special event and protective medicine activities, he later helped to coin the term, Event Medicine (EVM), and he has since championed an academic model for EVM (specialized research and formal training) and those healthcare providers participating in crowd medicine and mass gathering medical care as well as other high-risk/high-profile events. He has since teamed-up with other world leaders in the realm of global entertainment medicine. His long-term vision is to create formal fellowship programs and eventual establishment of EVM as a recognized specialty in the House of Medicine, just as he did for the discipline of EMS.
Today, as the longstanding coordinator of the Metropolitan EMS (9-1-1 system) Medical Directors global alliance, he actively leads a de facto physician coalition consisting of the medical final decision-makers for medical preparedness, training and patient care protocols for the 50 or so largest U.S. cities, their European metropolitan counterparts (e.g., London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Amsterdam, etc.). and those of several other nations worldwide as well as the medical directors from key federal agencies. With this alliance, he has not only helped to establish local contacts and medical advance plans for major events and other special operations, but, most importantly, he has facilitated real-time communications and more rapid changes in best practices for stroke, cardiac and trauma resuscitation worldwide as well as just-in-time directives and training for national crises (such as the U.S. Ebola and post-Katrina landfall events).
Simultaneously, he has fostered the development of civilian tactical medical response and even imbedded S.W.A.T. doctors being incorporated in law enforcement tactical response and the development of toxicological, environmental and travel medicine expertise for mass gathering care providers.
Dr. Pepe has held key leadership support roles in major U.S. disasters including hurricane Katrina, the Dallas police ambush shootings and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school tragedy in Parkland, Florida, for which he had been serving as medical director for special operations for both the Broward Sheriff’s Office (S.W.A.T.) and the Coral Springs/Parkland Fire Rescue Department (EMS) components. He has recently helped the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services develop a now-published update (“Mass Casualty Trauma Triage: Paradigms and Pitfalls”) regarding recommended triage strategies for mass casualty and active assailant events.
Beyond his out-of-hospital emergency care and disaster medicine activities, he is an extremely distinguished academician with over 400 full-length published scientific papers, including many landmark publications such as the original “Chain of Survival” treatise, the first description and measurement of Auto-PEEP, permissive hypotension in trauma, re-appraisal of mouth-to-mouth breathing for bystander CPR, the Chicago airport AED study, on-scene management of pediatric cardiac arrest and the first clinical translation of “heads-up CPR”.
Over the past several years, his vanguard research efforts in Florida have helped to introduce ground-breaking research that has helped to immediately double survival chances for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (e.g., in Palm Beach County) and also helped to establish one of the highest reported survival rates for children with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (e.g., in Polk County) and now has helped with a vanguard project to bring whole blood to the field for trauma patients in critical life-threatening conditions. In he has since presented over two-dozen scientific papers in which he reported these advances (and other successes based in Florida communities) at major national and international conferences. In addition, he continues to be one of the most sought-after speakers on EMS and out-of-hospital critical care worldwide.
Exemplary awards and honors have come from a spectrum of professional societies including the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (Excellence in Research), the Society for Critical Care Medicine and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. Designated as a Master of both the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the American College of Physicians (MCCM, MACP), he continues to lead many inter-disciplinary scientific panels for stroke, cardiac arrest, neuroprotection and EMS systems and he has established a tight-knit global coalition of major city EMS medical directors.
Several years ago, when receiving an award for lifetime achievements from the American College of Emergency Physicians, presented in Washington, D.C. by then U.S. Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, Dr. Pepe was cited as the most accomplished emergency medical services physician of our generation.
Ray Fowler, MD, FACEP, FAEMS
The “First Eagle”
Dr. Ray Fowler is Professor and Chief, Division of EMS, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The “First Eagle”, Dr. Fowler, was present at the original Gathering of Eagles and has been present and helped to host all of its international gatherings over the past quarter century.
Dr. Fowler was a member of the working group that founded the National Association of EMS Physicians, having served as its second nationally elected President. He was also the original international program director for BTLS, now known as International Trauma Life Support.
Dr. Fowler is a globally recognized leader in EMS and has helped to found numerous educational advances in the field, including the MAEMSP National EMS Med Dir practicum and workshop, as well as the Eagles innovative annual conferences.
U.S. Metropolitan Municipalities EMS Medical Directors
Peter M. Antevy, MD
Greater Broward EMS Medical Directions Association (GBEMDA)
Peter M. Antevy, MD is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine (EM) physician practicing in-hospital emergency medical care at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, a level I trauma and tertiary care center in South Florida. Board-certified in pediatrics, emergency medicine and the complex subspecialty of EMS, he is also the founder and chief medical officer of Handtevy – Pediatric Emergency Standards, Inc., and he serves as the Medical Director for Davie Fire-Rescue, Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Rescue, Southwest Ranches Fire Rescue and MCT Express, all in South Florida. Dr. Antevy also serves as Associate Medical Director for several other agencies including Palm Beach County, Florida and he is also the longstanding medical director for two highly-regarded paramedic training programs as well as several mobile integrated healthcare (MIHC) programs in greater Broward County, Florida. Dr. Antevy was recently appointed to serve as the lead pediatric EMS specialist/consultant for the highly-influential Metropolitan EMS Medical Directors Coalition. This highly-cohesive international consortium, known for envelope-pushing education and operational advances in 9-1-1 care, is largely comprised of the jurisdictional, accountable medical directors of the 50 to 60 largest municipalities in the U.S. and Europe as well as several key U.S. federal agencies.
In turn, he has been the recipient of many regional, national and international honors and awards including the 2014 Raymond H. Alexander EMS Medical Director of the Year in Florida and the 2015 EMS 10 Innovator of the Year Award from the Journal of Emergency Medical Services. In 2017, he was awarded the prestigious Ron J. Anderson Memorial Award in Dallas, TX, the international public health service accolade bestowed for his far-reaching public health contributions in emergency medical care, particularly for his efforts to improve outcomes for critically ill and injured children. In 2018, Peter was named National Medical Director of the Year by the NAEMT. At the same time, Dr. Antevy remains a grounded, in-the-trenches EMS medical director as exemplified by his recent intrepid on-scene patient care at the Parkland, Florida high school shooting incident and, in turn, his connected follow-up of patients, families and rescuers. A world-class lecturer and training expert, he has become an admired and sought-after educator-speaker for innumerable state and national conferences.
Glenn H. Asaeda, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, DABEMS
Fire Department of New York
Glenn Asaeda, is Chief Medical Director with the Fire Department of the City of New York. He was one of the Medical Directors at the World Trade Center Attack on September 11, 2001 providing on site medical oversight and direction during the tragic incident. He is Associate Task Force Medical Director for NYTF-1, NYC’s FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team with deployments to Haiti, Upstate New York, and Hurricane response. He is also an auxiliary police officer with 26 years of service, assigned to the NYPD 61st Precinct in Brooklyn South.
Marc K. Eckstein, MD, MPH
Los Angeles Fire Department
Dr. Eckstein is the Medical Director and the Commander of the EMS Bureau of the Los Angeles Fire Department and a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California. A former New York City paramedic, he has over 30 years of experience in EMS and has been a member of the LAFD for 24 years. He is responsible for introducing major changes in the Los Angeles EMS system, including 12 lead ECGs, waveform capnography, standing field treatment protocols, STEMI Receiving Centers, and prehospital stroke scores. Dr. Eckstein implemented his own 911 dispatch system in Los Angeles, the nation’s second largest city, in 2014. This tiered dispatch system has proven to reduce call processing times, improve the provision of dispatcher-assisted CPR, improve operational efficiency, and save lives.
As Commander of the LAFD’s EMS Bureau, he created the first Mobile Integrated Health Unit in any urban fire department in the US. He successfully implemented Advanced Provider Response Units (APRUs), which are staffed by an EMS Advanced Provider along with a paramedic and he also introduced the nation’s first mobile Sobriety Emergency Response Unit (SOBER Unit). Both of these resources provide high level medical evaluation of low acuity patients in the field and allow treat and release on scene and a safe mechanism for transport of selected patients to alternative facilities, such as Mental Health Urgent Care Centers and Sobering Centers.
After obtaining his Bachelor of Science Degree with Distinction from Cornell University in 1985, Dr. Eckstein obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York in 1989. He completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center, serving as Chief Resident in 1993. He earned a Masters in Public Health (MPH) with a Concentration in Homeland Security from American Military University in 2007.
Dr. Eckstein has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters, and lectures around the world on Emergency Medical Services and disaster preparedness topics. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the EMS Achievement Award from the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Medicine (CAL-ACEP); the EMS Medical Director of the Year Award from the National Metropolitan EMS Medical Directors Consortium; the Meritorious Service Award for Exceptional Leadership and Contributions in EMS from the California State EMS Authority; the EMS Innovator Award for being selected as one of the world’s Top 10 EMS Innovators by the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS); the Clinical Excellence Award from the California State EMS Authority; the Healthcare Leadership Award from the Los Angeles Business Journal; and the Community Service Leadership Award from Firehouse Expo.
Dr. Eckstein is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and he was among the first group of physicians to be subspecialty board certified in Emergency Medical Services. He has built a national reputation as an innovative physician, leader, and scientist.
Joseph M. Weber, MD
City of Chicago EMS (West)
Medical Director, EMS System for the City of Chicago (West) and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County; Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL
Eddie J. Markul, MD
City of Chicago EMS (North)
Dr. Markul is board certified in both emergency medicine and emergency medical services and has served as the EMS Medical Director for Chicago North EMS since 2011. In this role he provides medical oversight for the Chicago Fire Department, the third largest EMS agency in the US, in addition to private ambulance providers. His accomplishments include significant system improvements for out of hospital cardiac arrest survival and trauma care, establishing a prehospital system of care for high risk obstetric patients, and co-developing a collaborative training for CFD, CPD, 911 and ED providers when responding to patients in a mental health crisis. He has served on the Mayor’s Mental Health Steering Committee and currently co-chairs the Collaborative Response Subcommittee of the Crisis Intervention Advisory Committee.
Dr. Markul is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois where he serves as the Prehospital Leader for Illinois Heart Rescue, a state-wide project to improve outcomes for cardiac arrest.
Katie L. Tataris, MD, MPH
City of Chicago EMS (South)
Medical Director, EMS System for the City of Chicago (South); Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Chicago and University of Chicago Hospital, Chicago, IL
Christopher T. Richards, MD, MS
City of Chicago EMS (East)
Medical Director, EMS System for the City of Chicago (East); Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
David E. Persse, MD
Houston Fire Department
Physician Director, City of Houston EMS, and also Public Health Authority, City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services; Past-Chair, Board of Directors, NREMT; Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine and Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
C. Crawford Mechem, MD
Philadelphia Fire Department
Crawford Mechem, MD, is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. For the past 21 years he has served as the EMS Medical Director for the Philadelphia Fire Department as well as the Philadelphia Regional EMS Medical Director. He has been one of the Eagles since 2002.
Garth Gemar, MD
Phoenix Fire Department
Undergrad, Medical School, Residency in Surgery at University of Nebraska.
When cut I bleed Husker football.
ER physician 1986-2013. Still Boarded.
ACEP since 1987.
EMS physician 1989-present.
-prehospital medical director for NW metro valley 1989-2008
-City of Glendale FD medical director since 2008
-City of Surprise FD medical director since 2009
-Southwest Ambulance > Rural/Metro > AMR local medical director 2009-2016
-City of Phoenix FD CMO since July 1, 2019, recently named for additional 5 years.
Arizona Department of Health Services/Bureau of EMS Medical Director 1998-2003.
NAEMSP for at least a decade.
Chairman of the Board, Central AZ Regional EMS Coordinating System (statutory body).
State Trauma Advisory Board (ADHS Director appointment).
EMS Council (Gubernatorial appointment).
David Miramontes, MD, FACEP, FAEMS NREMT
San Antonio Fire Department
Dr. Miramontes started his Medical and EMS experiences starting in high school as a Volunteer Firefighter EMT in Northern California. His educational experiences led him to Critical Care and Emergency Nursing for total of ten years. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Physiology at University of California at Davis and attended Medical School at the University of Toledo Medical School. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at Mercy St. Vincent’s Medical Center where he also was a Lifeflight Physician and a Resident EMS Medical Director.
Dr. Miramontes has worked at Mercy St Vincent’s as an Attending Physician and Emergency Medicine Residency Core Faculty member from 1999-2011. He also was the ED Medical Director for 3 years at a smaller community hospital. He was the EMS Medical Director of numerous Fire Departments Northwest Ohio to include the City of Toledo Fire, Lifestar Ambulance in four Counties, and been extensively involved with Local and Regional disaster planning. He is a National Registry EMT, Hazmat Tech, and Firefighter II qualified and continued his EMS Medicine practice.
He also has been the involved with the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) for over 20 years. He has deployed to a number of disasters to include Ground Zero, Guam Typhoons, Hurricane Gustav, and was a Chief Medical/Safety Officer for the Haiti Disaster Mortuary Support Mission.
Dr. Miramontes assumed a command position in August of 2011 as the Assistant Chief of Fire and EMS and Medical Director for the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department (Washington DC) and served over 3 years. He had extensive exposure to Mass Casualty, Special Events planning and National Security events that took place within the National Capitol Region
Dr. Miramontes, currently practices EMS medicine full time as the Medical Director for the City of San Antonio Fire Department. The department has over 1800 Firefighter EMT’s and Paramedics serving to protect the 7th largest city in the United States. He is responsible for the delegated practice of medical care, training, quality assurance, research, 10 community paramedics, disaster preparedness, infection control and he coordinates the provision of EMS medical care with area Hospitals.
Dr. Christopher Kahn, MD, MPH, FAEMS
San Diego Fire-Rescue
Dr. Christopher Kahn, MD, MPH, FAEMS began his medical career as an EMT-Basic for STAT Ambulance of San Diego County. After completing his formal education and spending two years as the Medical Fellow for the Office of Emergency Medical Services at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, he joined the faculty at UC Irvine, where he served as the base hospital physician director. In 2011, Dr. Kahn joined the UCSD faculty, and now serves as the fellowship director for Emergency Medical Services, chief of the Division of EMS and Disaster Medicine, and medical co-director for the Emergency Management program. He became the EMS Medical Director for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department in 2017. He continues to maintain research interests in mass casualty triage, ambulance safety, and application of information technology to emergency medical services. He is a member of DMAT CA-4, and serves as a reviewer for several journals in addition to being the section editor for “NHTSA Notes” in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Kahn is board-certified in Emergency Medical Services (as well as Emergency Medicine), and works diligently to advocate for EMS patients and agencies. In his limited free time, when not playing with his kids, he also enjoys playing a wide variety of board games and reading, particularly mysteries and science-fiction.
S. Marshal Isaacs, MD, FACEP, FAEMS
Dallas Fire-Rescue
As a kid growing up up just outside of New York City, Marshal Isaacs spent a great deal of time chasing ambulances and fire trucks on his bike after school. Today, Dr. Marshal Isaacs is fortunate to be paid to “chase ambulances and fire trucks”, serving as the Medical Director for the UTSW/Parkland BioTel EMS System and the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department, one of the busiest medical 911 response systems in the United States.
Dr. Isaacs, a native of New York City, began his education at Union College in New York, during which time he completed studies of comparative health care systems at the University College of London and the University College at Uppsala, Sweden. He later served as a congressional intern for then U.S. Representative, Albert Gore, Jr. Following graduation from The State University of New York at Stony Brook Medical School in 1988, Dr. Isaacs completed formal residency training in Emergency Medicine (EM) at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he later served as one of the program’s Chief Residents during the 1990-1991 academic year.
From 1991 to 1992, Dr. Isaacs completed fellowship training in Prehospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at Stanford University under the direction of a previous administrator of the National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA), Dr. Ricardo Martinez. In addition to his fellowship training, Dr. Isaacs served as the Lead Flight Physician for the Stanford Life Flight air medical transport program, thus gaining significant experience in both ground and air-based EMS.
Following his formal training, Dr. Isaacs then joined the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and was based as a faculty member and attending emergency physician at the county’s level I trauma center, San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH). Dr. Isaacs first served as the Medical Director of the Paramedic Base Station for the City and County of San Francisco. Soon afterwards, Dr. Isaacs was asked to assume the role of Medical Director for the City’s Paramedic Division (a health department service at that time) and he was also appointed Medical Director for the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD), medically-directing its citywide Early Defibrillation and Basic EMT/First Responder programs.
In July 1997, the San Francisco Department of Public Health Paramedic Division and the SFFD were merged into a single agency and Dr. Isaacs had the honor and privilege of serving as the Medical Director for San Francisco’s reorganized EMS field response. During his 13-year tenure with the City of San Francisco, he implemented advancements in patient care, prehospital care research, and oversaw the proliferation of automated defibrillators throughout the community.
In 2006, Dr. Isaacs was recruited to Dallas, specifically to work directly with Dallas Fire-Rescue and to personally provide round-the-clock medical oversight for the City of Dallas’ EMS program, one of the busiest in the nation. In 2012 Dr. Isaacs was appointed Medical Director for Prehospital Emergency Medical Services/BioTel for the Parkland Health & Hospital System and in 2015 he was appointed Medical Director for the 11-city consortium of fire department-based EMS programs known as the UTSW/Parkland BioTel EMS System.
Dr. Isaacs also serves as a senior Attending Physician and Faculty Member in the Department of Emergency Medicine (EM) at the Parkland Memorial Hospital Emergency-Trauma Center and is a full Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Isaacs has a special interest in addiction recovery and serves as the Chairman of the Committee on Practitioner Peer Review and Assistance as C0-Chair of the Dallas County Medical Society’s Physician Wellness Committee. Dr. Isaacs is a tireless advocate for physicians, nurses, firefighters, paramedics and police officers suffering from impairment due to substance use disorders.
Clement C. Yeh, MD
San Francisco Fire Department
Dr. Clement Yeh is an Associate Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Director for the San Francisco Fire Department. Dr. Yeh began working at Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG) in 2002 as a resident in the Emergency Department after attending Stanford University. He joined the faculty at UCSF, working full time at ZSFG. As the City’s only Trauma Center, the hospital serves as the Emergency Medical Services Base Hospital, allowing Dr. Yeh to invest in his interest in pre-hospital care, working closely with San Francisco Fire Department Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians. After working on various projects to improve the 911 systems, Dr. Yeh became the Medical Director for the Department of Emergency Management 911 Communications Center and in 2012 began serving as the San Francisco Fire Department Medical Director As part of extending and improving the safety net of emergency care in the City, he has been involved in a joint project between the SFFD and the Department of Public Health that will help to improve the health of some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable patients.
Daniel P. O'Donnell, MD
Indianapolis Fire Department
Dr. O’Donnell currently serves as the Chief of Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services. Prior to that Dr. O’Donnell served as the Chief Medical Director for IEMS and Indianapolis Fire Department. Additionally, Dr. O’Donnell is an associate clinical professor of Emergency Medicine at IU Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. O’Donnell received his B.S. from the University of Michigan and attended medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. O’Donnell completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at Indiana University School of Medicine and then went on to complete his Emergency Medical Services Fellowship. In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. O’Donnell serves as the program Director for the IUSOM EMS fellowship as well as the Medical Director of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department SWAT team.
Robert Lowe, MD, FACEP, FAEMS
Columbus Fire Department
Medical Director – Columbus (OH) Division of Fire.
Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine – Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
EMS Fellowship Director – OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, Columbus Ohio.
Previously served as an EMS Medical director in north Texas, northern Colorado, and central Ohio. Dr. Lowe came to medicine as a second career having graduated Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering, he spent two years at General Dynamics Ft. Worth Division (now Lockheed) and 4 ½ years working for Rockwell Space Operations Company at the Johnson Space Center in Houston as a Control and Propulsion instructor for Space Flight Training. He was the lead Control/Prop instructor for Shuttle missions STS-61 and STS-67. As he developed an interest in medicine, Dr. Lowe became active with League City EMS, while working in Houston. He graduated Medical School from Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Lubbock Texas and completed an Emergency Medicine Residency at St. Vincent’s Mercy Medical Center in Toledo Ohio, during which time he participated as a Flight Physician with St. Vincent Mercy Life Flight. He is married to wife Romaine (also an Aerospace Engineer) and they have 4 children.
twitter at @EMSLowe
Veer Vithalani, MD, FACEP, FAEMS
City of Fort Worth (MedStar Mobile Healthcare)
Veer Vithalani, MD, FACEP, FAEMS is the Interim Medical Director for the Emergency Physicians Advisory Board in Fort Worth, which provides Medical Direction & Oversight to the MedStar Mobile Healthcare System; as well as an Attending Emergency Physician & the EMS Director for the JPS Health Network. He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the National Association of EMS Physicians.
Originally from San Diego, California, he attended medical school in the United Kingdom in a combined program between the University of St. Andrews and University of Manchester. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency as part of the inaugural class at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. He has a long-standing interest in EMS, Trauma, Resuscitation, and Prehospital Care, and underwent his EMS Fellowship in Fort Worth. His hobbies include technology, data, and spending time with his wife and daughters.
Robert B Dunne MD FACEP, FAEMS
Detroit Medical Control Authority
Robert Dunne graduated from the University of Michigan’s Inteflex program (a combined bachelors degree MD program). He completed emergency medicine residency training at Henry Ford Hospital In Detroit, MI where he was chief resident. He has served as EMS coordinator, associate program director and research director. He has held faculty positions at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University (WSU). He is currently the vice chair of emergency medicine and St John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit and associate professor at Wayne State University, School of Medicine.
Currently Robert is the medical director of the Detroit East Medical Control Authority and the City of Detroit Fire Department. He is subspecialty board certified in EMS by the American Board of Medical Specialties and the director of the WSU EMS fellowship.
On going research interests include, out of hospital cardiac arrest, opioid overdose response, acute stroke care and EMS utilization.
He serves on the State of Michigan Emergency Medical Services Coordinating Committee. He is past President of Michigan’s American College of Emergency Physicians (MCEP) chapter and current chair of the MCEP state EMS committee.
Robert is a medical officer on MI-1 Disaster Medical Assistance team, a federal medical response team. He has been deployed for many disasters from 1997 to the present, including Katrina, the World Trade Center response and many US special events including presidential inaugurations and the G8 summit.
Dr Dunne has served as a tactical medical physician for the Detroit Metropolitan Airport Special Response Team and the Wayne County Sheriff
Joelle Donofrio, DO
San Diego Fire and Rescue
Dr. J. Joelle Donofrio is the Associate Medical Director for SanDiego Fire and Rescue. SHe is also medical director of emergency medical services at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and an assistant professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
After graduating cum laude from Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Donofrio completed her pediatric residency at the University of Southern California and Los Angeles County Medical Center. She went on to complete a three-year pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Harbor-UCLA under the mentorship of Dr. Marianne Gausche-Hill and an emergency medical services fellowship at UC San Diego.
Dr. Donofrio’s research interests and publications involve pediatric disaster and prehospital care of both adults and children. Her other interests include paramedic pediatric education and optimization of prehospital system-based care. She is the West Coast and pediatrics representative for the Prehospital Emergency Care Podcast, a service of the National Association of Emergency Medical Service Physicians, and is an advocate of Free Open Access Medical Education.
Michael R. Sayre, MD
Seattle Fire Department
Michael Sayre is Medical Director for the Seattle Fire Department and the Seattle Medic One program. He works as an emergency physician at Harborview Medical Center, serves as the Medical Director for the Michael K. Copass Paramedic Training Program at the University of Washington, leads the EMS Medicine Fellowship at the University of Washington, and contributes to the Resuscitation Academy and the Global Resuscitation Alliance. He is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington.
Kevin E. McVaney, MD
Denver Fire Department and Denver Paramedics
Dr. Kevin McVaney is a native of Denver Colorado who received his bachelors of Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He attended medical school at Georgetown in Washington, DC and was trained in Emergency Medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center. After serving as a physician in the USAF, Dr. McVaney joined the Denver Health Emergency Medicine faculty in 2001. He served as Associate Medical Director from 2002-2008 and became the Medical Director of Denver Paramedics in 2010.
Dr. McVaney currently serves as the Medical Director for the Denver Emergency Medical Response System which unifies the medical coordination of Denver Paramedics, Denver Fire, Denver police and the Denver 911 Communications Center. He is also Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Joe E. Holley, MD, FACEP, FAEMS
Memphis Fire Department EMS
Dr. Joe Holley is the Medical Director for the State of TN Department of Emergency Medical Services as well as the Memphis and Shelby County Fire Departments and several municipal and private ambulance services in West Tennessee. He also holds the position of Associate Professor in Emergency Medicine for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Holley received his Medical Degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, followed by internship and residency at University Medical Center in Jackson. Dr. Holley has served on over 30 deployments, including Hurricane Katrina and the Pentagon on 9/11, as the Medical Director of the Tennessee Task Force 1, Urban Search & Rescue Team and serves on the national FEMA Incident Support Team. He is a member of the CAPCE Board of Directors, the National Association of EMS Physicians and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Holley is board certified in Emergency Medicine and was among the first group of physicians in the nation to earn the designation of Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Medical Services.
K. Sophia Dyer, MD
City of Boston Public Safety
Dr. Sophia Dyer, MD has been with Boston EMS since 1999. She served as Assistant Medical Director and Associate Medical Director before being named Medical Director in March 2009. Dr. Dyer is an active Emergency Medicine physician at Boston Medical Center with a specialty in toxicology and is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine. She serves as the Co-Medical Director for the Boston Marathon. Program Director for the Boston Medical Center/BEMS Fellowship in EMS. Associate Medical Director at Boston MedFlight and Co-Medical Director of the Boston Marathon.
Corey M. Slovis, M.D.<br />
Nashville Fire Department
Corey M. Slovis, M.D.
Professor and Chairman
Department of Emergency Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Medical Director, Metro Nashville Fire Dept.
and International Airport
Jonathan Jui, MD, MPH
Portland, Oregon
Jonathan Jui, MD, MPH, Professor of Emergency Medicine OHSU. Dr Jui is the EMS Medical Director for Multnomah County (City of Portand, Gresham, Port of Portland) and Medical Director of Oregon State Police, United States Forest Service Region 6 Incident Medical Specialist and Redmond Smokejumpers. He is board-certified in emergency medicine, internal medicine, emergency medical services, and infectious disease and has a Masters in Public Health (epidemiology). He has had a long standing interest in population based research, cardiac arrest, and patient safety and has been a co-investigator or site investigator on a number of national scientific investigations including NIH Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) Community Trial, Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study (Oregon SUDS), and Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) trials.
Jeffrey M. Goodloe, MD, FACEP
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jeffrey M. Goodloe, MD, FACEP serves as Chief Medical Officer for the EMS System for Metropolitan Oklahoma City and Tulsa. He is also Medical Director and a tactical emergency physician for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Dr. Goodloe is Professor of Emergency Medicine, EMS Section Chief, and Director of the Oklahoma Center for Prehospital and Disaster Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine. He works clinically at Hillcrest Medical Center Emergency Center in Tulsa, OK. Dr. Goodloe received his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. His emergency medicine residency was completed at Methodist Hospital of Indiana/Indiana University School of Medicine. He subsequently served as the inaugural EMS fellow at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
David E. Slattery, MD
Las Vegas Fire and Rescue
David Slattery, MD, FACEP, FAAEM is an Associate Professor and Director of Research for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and practices clinically at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. He also serves as a Deputy Chief and EMS Medical Director for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue and provides medical oversight for casino AED programs. He currently serves on the National CARES Oversight Board and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Emergency Medicine. He is a past president of the Nevada Chapter of the American College of Emergency Medicine, is a diplomat of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, ABEM Subspecialty Board Certified in EMS, and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine.
Ben Weston
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Emergency Medical Service
Dr. Weston is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He serves as Director of Medical Services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, overseeing Emergency Medical Services throughout the county. He is the Director of Mass Gathering and Event Medicine, having provided medical direction and oversight for events including NFL, NBA, MLB, Indycar, and USA Triathlon as well as other concerts and competitive sporting events. He is the Assistant Program Director for the ACGME Emergency Medical Services Fellowship Program. He practices clinically in the emergency department at Froedtert Hospital.
Dr. Weston received his baccalaureate degree at Lawrence University, his medical degree and master of public health from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and completed his emergency medicine residency at Hennepin County Medical Center. Dr. Weston is dual board-certified in Emergency Medicine as well as Emergency Medical Services by the American Board of Emergency Medicine after completing his Emergency Medical Services Fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin He previously served as Medical Director for the Kenosha Fire Department. Dr. Weston’s research interests include prehospital care, resuscitation, and public health surveillance.
Kimberly Pruett, MD
Albuquerque Fire Department
Dr. Kimberly Pruett is an assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine at the University of New Mexico and serves as the medical director of Albuquerque Fire Rescue. She finished her residency in emergency medicine at Vanderbilt Medical Center and completed an EMS Fellowship at the University of New Mexico. Prior to her career as a physician, she served in the United States Air Force as an active duty intelligence officer for six years after graduating from the US Air Force Academy.
Brian M. Clemency, DO, MBA
City of Buffalo
Dr. Clemency has been involved in prehospital care for nearly 20 years, beginning his career as a firefighter and emergency medical technician. Dr. Clemency completed both medical school and an MBA in health care administration in 4 years, before coming to Buffalo to continue his medical education. He is double boarded in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. Dr. Clemency has quickly become a local, regional and national leader in prehospital care, education and research. His research focuses on all aspects of prehospital care, with a special interest in confirming or refuting existing paradigms.
Erica Carney, MD
Kansas City Office of the EMS Medical Director
Dr. Erica Carney is a Kansas City, MO native. She attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, and completed the Emergency Medicine Residency at UMKC where she served as one of the Emergency Medicine Chiefs. She found her love for Emergency Medical Services and attended an ACGME accredited EMS Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. Carney currently serves as the EMS Medical Director for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, Region A, the Kansas City Zoo, and UMKC’s EMS Education System. She is also an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Truman Medical Center-Health Sciences District and UMKC.
Her passions include playing ukulele, movies, travel, physical fitness, practical jokes, and Fire EMS. She looks forward to sharing my passions for prehospital and emergency care with everyone!
Jose Cabanas MD, MPH, FACEP, FAEMS<br />
Wake County (Raleigh) Department of EMS
Dr. Jose G. Cabanas is an experienced, board-certified EMS and Emergency Medicine physician executive with proven accomplishments in such areas as strategic planning, physician engagement, and development of effective EMS Systems of Care. Dr. Cabanas currently serves as the Director (county department head) and Medical Director for Wake County EMS System in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a physician executive in this role, he is primarily responsible for providing vision, direction, operation and medical oversight for an urban/suburban EMS system serving a population of 1 million residents with a $50 Million dollar budget. Prior to returning to North Carolina, he served as Deputy Medical Director for Austin/Travis County EMS System in Austin, Texas and the Texas State Department of Public Safety. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Puerto Rico, where he served as Chief Resident. After residency he completed his EMS Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he also completed his Maters in Public Health. Dr. Cabanas currently serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP).
Robert P. Holman, MD
District of Columbia Fire and EMS
Mark E. Escott, MD, MPH, NRP
City of Austin and Travis County
Dr. Escott serves as the EMS System Medial Director for the City of Austin and Travis County, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Division of Emergency Management. He also serves as Interim Medical Director and Health Authority for Austin Public Health. He has academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine at University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School and as a Senior Lecturer in Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. Dr. Escott currently serves as the Immediate Past Chair of the Section of EMS and Prehospital Medicine of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Subspecialty Board Certified in EMS. He has published numerous articles, abstracts, papers, and presentations related to EMS, Disaster Management, and Public Health.
Paul J. Adams, DO
City of Miami and Key Biscayne Fire Rescue
E. Stein Bronsky, MD
Colorado Springs Fire Department & El Paso County, CO American Medical Response (AMR)
(Eric) Stein Bronsky, MD began his emergency medical career as an EMT in the early 1990s, working on ski patrol in Utah. He then worked as a paramedic in Israel for Magen David Adom (MDA), the Israeli national ambulance service before returning to the United States to attend medical school at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Dr. Bronsky completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA and continued onto complete EMS fellowship training VCU, under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Ornato. Dr. Bronsky has been in Colorado Springs, CO for 14 years. During his early years in Colorado, he served as the medical director for Memorial Star Transport Service (ground and air) and was the assistant medical director for the Colorado Springs Fire Department. He was also the medical director for, and a co-founder of, the Memorial Health Systems (now University of Colorado Health) adult and pediatric critical care ground transport teams. He currently works as an Emergency Medicine physician for Centura Health hospitals in Colorado Springs, as well as for Vail Health in Vail, CO. He is currently Co-Chief Medical Director for the Colorado Springs Fire Department, CSFD Community Paramedic Program (CARES program), mobile integrated mental health teams (Community Resource Teams – CRT), El Paso County American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance service, and El Paso-Teller County 9811 Authority.
Marc R. Conterato, MD, FACEP, FAEMS
City of Minneapolis Office of the Medical Director
Dr. Marc Conterato graduated from Rush Medical College in Chicago in 1986. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine in 1989 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and then completed a second residency in Emergency Medicine in 1992 at the University of Florida, Jacksonville. During his last year of residency at the University of Florida, Dr. Conterato was a Chief Resident, and also served as a Shuttle Support Physician for NASA at Cape Kennedy. During the same time period, he also served as an independent contractor to the USAF at Patrick Shores AFB in Florida.
Dr. Conterato joined North Memorial Medical Center in July 1992 and became Associate Medical Director at North Medical Ambulance Service in January of 1993. In January 2013 he joined with Dr. John Lyng and Dr. Pat Lilja to form the Office of the Medical Director for NMAS. During this time, he received a Meritorious Service Award from the Minneapolis Fire Department and served as the Medical Director for the Medical Support Team of the Minneapolis Police Emergency Response Unit (2002-2006).
Currently, Dr. Conterato continues his role with NMAS, and has developed and implemented guidelines for the administration of hypothermia in the field for resuscitated cardiac arrest patients. He also developed and acts as medical director for the Resuscitative Hypothermia program at North Memorial Medical Center, which has treated over four hundred and fifty patients since October of 2006. Dr. Conterato currently serves as a Unit Physician for Minnesota Task Force 1, an urban search and rescue unit. Dr. Conterato represents Minneapolis EMS at the Gathering of Eagles Conference, a gathering of metropolitan EMS directors from across the U.S and Britain. He also represents NMAS in the Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium and is the physician director for the MN Mobile ECMO Consortium.
Emily Nichols, MD
New Orleans EMS
Emily M. Nichols, MD has been an adult emergency medicine physician since 2006. She has worked in the cities of New York, Philadelphia, and Baton Rouge in addition to New Orleans.
Dr. Nichols received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Princeton University. Her senior thesis focused on the importance of doctor-patient relationships and their impact on patient health and outcomes. She completed a post baccalaureate premedical program at the University of Pennsylvania prior to attending medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. Dr. Nichols graduated medical school in 2002 and completed her emergency medicine residency in Brooklyn NY at SUNY Downstate Hospital and Kings County Hospital Center. There she served as Chief Resident at one of the largest emergency resident programs in the nation. Dr. Nichols then moved to Philadelphia PA and underwent additional training in pediatric emergency medicine. Dr. Nichols has served as a Clinical Assistant Instructor and been awarded for her commitment to resident education and wellness. She additionally has worked on quality control committees to improve patient care and hospital experiences.
Dr. Nichols is board certified in both adult and pediatric emergency medicine and is able to care for persons of all ages during their sickest moments. She has also studied public health; her career interests include public health, disaster response, and provider wellness. Dr. Nichols has worked in community clinics in urban and rural settings in the US, Costa Rica, Belize, Haiti, Brazil, and South Africa. She was an integral part of relief efforts in Port-au-Prince Haiti during the 2010 earthquake, and in 2014 she taught emergency response, first aid, and “train the trainer” courses to responders in Northern Haiti. Dr. Nichols has lectured nationally on the topics of provider wellness and secondary traumatization; she has lectured internationally on the development of 911 systems and emergency medicine in the United States.
Elizabeth A. (Libby) Char, MD
AMR Hawaii, Honolulu Fire, Kauai Fire, Maui Fire, Honolulu Ocean Safety
Dr. Char is an Emergency Physician and graduate of the University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of medicine. After completing residency training in California, she returned to Hawaii to the clinical practice of Emergency Medicine at the Queens Medical Center. She has a wealth of clinical and administrative experience, previously serving as the state of Hawaii EMS district medical director for Oahu. She provided administrative oversight for the City and County of Honolulu EMS system for many years and has expertise in the practice of pre-hospital medicine relating to EMS providers in the state of Hawaii. She maintains current teaching certifications for various EMS, Disaster and homeland security courses in order to share her unique perspective on training and clinical practice issues.
In 2011 Dr. Char was the chairperson of the Health and Medical Planning committee for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, involving 21 heads of economies and approximately 10,000 attendees. She coordinated public and private hospitals, emergency medical responders, and county, state and federal agencies, in providing health and medical support and response for this international event.
Dr Char currently focuses her efforts on developing systems of care, training, protocols and emergency response utilizing best practices in the pre-hospital environment. She provides medical direction for several EMS, Fire, and Ocean Safety agencies across the state of Hawaii and is the current chair of the State of Hawaii EMS Advisory Committee.
W. Scott Gilmore, MD, EMT-P
St. Louis Fire Department
W. Scott Gilmore, MD, EMT-P, FACEP, FAEMS is currently the Medical Director for St. Louis Fire Department and an emergency medicine physician at a busy urban emergency department. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Saint Louis University. He is co-editor of the Washington Manual of Emergency Medicine and has served as a reviewer for numerous textbooks and journal articles.
He has been involved in emergency medical services for over 24 years. He started his career in healthcare as an Emergency Medical Technician-Ambulance in a suburban fire-based system. He continued his training and became an EMT-Intermediate, EMT-Paramedic and EMS Instructor. Prior to becoming the Medical Director of St. Louis Fire Department in 2013, he was the volunteer Assistant Medical Director for 5 years.
John M. Gallagher, MD, FAEMS, FACEP
Wichita/Sedgwick County EMS
Dr Gallagher is an Emergency and EMS Physician and works as the Service Director and Medical Director for Wichita/Sedgwick County EMS. He completed medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia and residency in Emergency Medicine at Geisinger Health system where he also worked as a Flight Physician for LifeFlight Air Ambulance. Before moving to Kansas, he practiced community emergency medicine and rural EMS in southeast Minnesota. Dr Gallagher has special interest in EMS system design, credentialing of EMS providers, and implementation of evidence based national standards at the local level. He has served at the state level as a chapter board member for ACEP and currently at the national level on the ACEP EMS Committee and on the board of directors of the National Association of EMS Physicians. Dr Gallagher is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and EMS Medicine, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor for the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Short Bio:
Dr Gallagher is an Emergency and EMS Physician and works as the Service Director and Medical Director for Wichita/Sedgwick County EMS. He has special interest in EMS system design, credentialing of EMS providers, and implementation of evidence based national standards at the local level, and serves on the board of directors for the National Association of EMS Physicians.
Less than 100 words:
Dr Gallagher is the EMS Director and Medical Director for Wichita/Sedgwick County. He completed medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia and residency in Emergency Medicine at Geisinger Health system where he also worked as a Flight Physician for LifeFlight Air Ambulance. After residency, he practiced community emergency medicine and rural EMS in Minnesota. Dr Gallagher has special interest in EMS system design, EMS provider credentialing, and implementation of evidence based national standards at the local level. He serves nationally on the ACEP EMS Committee and is on the board of directors for NAEMSP.
Ronald N. Roth, MD
City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety
Ron Roth began his career in EMS in 1977 when he became an EMT at the Penn State University. He then worked on the University Ambulance during his senior year at Penn State. After completing medical school and an Emergency Medicine residency program at the University of Pittsburgh, he became an attending physician in the Emergency Department first at the Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh and for the past 30 years at the Presbyterian University Hospital. Both hospitals are level one trauma centers. Dr. Roth served as the program director for the EMS fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh from 2006-2019. He now serves as the associate program director. Since 1991, he has served as a medical director for the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety which includes EMS, Fire first response program and police. He is currently the medical director of the Allegheny County Emergency Operations center. Dr. Roth also serves as medical director for the Dicks Sporting Good’s–Pittsburgh Marathon, a team physician for the Pittsburgh Steeler football club and an emergency medical consultant for the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. He is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and became board certified in EMS in the first-year certification became available (2014.)
Michael K. Levy, MD
Anchorage Fire Department
Michael Levy M.D is an EMS physician and emergency medicine physician practicing in Anchorage, Alaska with a specific practice focus on improving community outcomes in life-threatening time-critical emergences. He has practiced emergency medicine for over three decades. As an emergency physician he has provided front-line care in remote and urban environments as well as serving in administrative roles including department chair and president of the hospital medical staff. The majority of Dr Levy’s clinical is now EMS medicine. He is the Medical Director and for the Anchorage Fire Department and for Anchorage Area-wide EMS, a position he has held since 1995. He is the Medical Director for Emergency Programs for the State of Alaska and has the honor to serve as the medical director for a number of other Alaska EMS agencies as well, including being the EMS Medical Director for the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Fairweather LLC, Anchorage Service Patrol among others. He is the President-elect(2019-2021) of the National Association of EMS Physicians, the Alaska PI for the Heart Rescue Project and the president of the Loren Marshall Foundation, a 501(c)3. He is the Chief Medical Advisor for Stryker Emergency Care. He is the Medical Director for Global Medical Response’s International Motorsports Association medical program. Dr Levy is a faculty member of the Seattle Resuscitation Academy and serves as a senior consultant for the Academy. He has served on a variety of national committees and expert panels and is a published author on a number of scientific articles. He has been involved in EMS from from Chicago to the Navajo Nation and has served as the civilian Medical Director for the Alaska Air National Guard Pararescue Squadron. His goal in EMS is to enable providers to improve the outcome of their patients through personal empowerment via education, training and evidence-based practice.
His undergraduate degree was from the CU Boulder and with M.D. from Northwestern University followed by residencies in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine with board certifications in both as well as subspecialty boards in EMS Medicine. He is based in Anchorage, AK where he is Affiliate Associate Professor with the University of Alaska Health Sciences and practices community-based emergency medicine.
Thomas E. Collins
Cleveland Emergency Medical Services
Benjamin J. Lawner, DO
Medical Director for the Baltimore City Fire Department and the Maryland ExpressCare Critical Care Transport; Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Dr. Benjamin Lawner is the Medical Director for the Baltimore City Fire Department and the Maryland ExpressCare Critical Care Transport program. A longstanding paramedic and expert in transport medicine, Ben was the lead editor for the ground-breaking text, Avoiding Common Prehospital Errors and he serves in a multitude of educational roles in his capacity as Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine (EM) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and its EM and EMS-related training programs. Ben’s interest in emergency medicine began at an early age. He considered paramedics Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto as childhood friends and was often spotted at daycare donning a plastic “squad 51” fireman’s hat. After “Emergency!” was cancelled, he inexplicably clung to the TV set for career counseling. Disappointed by the surgeons of, “Trapper John, MD,” Ben turned to Howie Mandel (St Elsewhere’s Dr.Wayne Fiscus) for further inspiration. True to his out-of-hospital roots, Ben completed EMT school in 1994 where he secured his first pair of trauma shears. Until 2001, Ben worked for Alachua County Fire Rescue as a lead paramedic / firefighter. Fortunately for the population of north central Florida, Ben was never detailed to a fire suppression apparatus and remained “stuck on the box (ambulance).” He graduated from Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2005 and completed his EM residency training at the University of Maryland. He served as a Chief Resident and Faculty Development Fellow for the 2008-2009 academic year and completed an EMS fellowship jointly sponsored by UMBC, UMD, and the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS). Ben’s current academic interests include medical education, critical care transport, and resuscitation. In 2018, Ben was the recipient of the Street Medicine Society’s John P. Pryor award. The award is given to an EMS physician for their exemplary service to the field of emergency medical services.
Dustin Calhoun, MD
Cincinnati Fire Department
Dustin Calhoun is an Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati and works as an emergency and EMS physician at UC Medical Center and West Chester Hospital. He attended medical school at the Medical College of Georgia, emergency medicine residency in Charlotte, NC and completed an EMS fellowship at UC. He is the Medical Director for the Cincinnati Fire Department as well as Bethel-Tate Fire Department, Springdale Fire Department, Washington Township Fire Rescue, Oxford Fire Department, Fairfield Township Fire Department, West Chester Fire Department, Cincinnati/NKY International Airport Fire Department, Cincinnati Police SWAT team, the Hamilton County Police Association SWAT Team, and the Butler Tech Paramedic Academy. He is also active as a flight physician with Air Care and Mobile Care and the Medical Director for emergency management for the Medical Center.
Ralph J. Frascone, MD, FACEP, FAEMS
St. Paul Fire Department
Dr. Frascone is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University Of Minnesota School Of Medicine. He is boarded in both Emergency Medicine and EMS. His research interests revolve around resuscitation including, CPR, airway management and vascular access. He is the medical director of 28 agencies including the St. Paul Fire Department and Life Link III which operates 10 helicopters in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Christian C. Zuver MD, FACEP, FAEMS
Orlando Fire Department
Dr. Christian Zuver is the Medical Director for the Orange County Emergency Medical Services System and the Program Director of the Orange County EMS/Orlando Health EMS Fellowship in Orlando, Florida. He holds appointments as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.
Dr. Zuver completed his emergency medicine residency training at Orlando Regional Medical Center and his EMS fellowship with the Orange County Emergency Medical Services System. He is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services.
Kenneth A. Scheppke, MD
West Palm Beach & Palm BeachCounty Fire Rescue. Florida State EMS Medical Director
Kenneth A Scheppke, MD is a dual board-certified specialist in the fields of emergency medicine and the subspecialty of EMS. He serves as the State EMS Medical Director for the Florida Department of Health as well as Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director for seven fire-rescue agencies across Palm Beach and Martin Counties. He also serves as the Associate Medical Director for the Broward Sheriff’s Office and additionally as Medical Director for one of the largest multistate public access to defibrillation programs in the country.
Dr. Scheppke is a respected member of the Metropolitan EMS Medical Directors Coalition comprised of the jurisdictional EMS medical directors for the 50 or so largest cities in the United States, several federal agencies and leading medical director counterpart cities across the globe.
Academically, Dr. Scheppke is a productive scientific investigator and educator in the fields of stroke care, cardiac arrest, prehospital use of ketamine, spinal motion restriction and successful approaches to address the opioid epidemic. Over the past several years, he has presented numerous scientific research papers at major medical conferences, both nationally and globally, and his work is routinely cited by others worldwide. Accordingly, he is continually solicited to be a featured speaker at many national conferences, and he has won nationwide recognition for his contributions to EMS such as the 2017 EMS Innovator of the Year award from the Journal of Emergency Medical Services.
In addition to his medical expertise, Dr. Scheppke is an instrument-rated private pilot and volunteers his skills as a pilot to fly animals at risk for euthanasia to safe foster homes and non-kill shelters to await adoption. He also volunteers to fly in times of natural disasters, such as hurricanes Irma, Michael and Dorian, delivering necessary relief supplies when ground transportation is not available.
Scott T. Youngquist, MD, MS, FACEP, FAEMS
Salt Lake City Fire Department
Scott Youngquist is Chief Medical Officer for the Salt Lake City Fire Department, 911 dispatch, and the Salt Lake International Airport. He is a board member of the Take Heart America Foundation.
Dr. Youngquist is Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah, School of Medicine. He is author of over 60 peer-reviewed publications. His research focus is on the prehospital treatment of cardiac arrest. Along with Drs. Joe Tonna and Stephen McKellar, he initiated the University of Utah’s ED ECMO program for cardiac arrest victims in 2015.
James J. Augustine, MD, FACEP
"Eagles Librarian"
James J Augustine is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Jim began his career in EMS when he was in medical school in Dayton. He became a firefighter and EMT in 1982 then began his service as a Fire EMS medical director in the Dayton area in 1987. After serving as the president of the regional Fire EMS council, he became the first Chair of the Ohio EMS Board. He moved to Atlanta in 2001, and served as Medical Director for Atlanta Fire Rescue, including the Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport Fire Rescue division. He later served as Assistant Fire Chief and Medical Director for the District of Columbia Fire EMS Department.
Dr. Augustine currently serves a Medical Director role with Fire Rescue agencies in Atlanta, Georgia, in Naples, Florida, and in Dayton, Ohio.
Chuck Burnell, MD
Acadian Ambulance
Chuck Burnell, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Acadian Companies
Based in Lafayette, LA. Oversee medical direction for ground EMS in LA, MS, TN and TX as well as helicopter EMS programs for AR, LA and TX. Also oversee industrial EMS and HSE programs throughout the Gulf of Mexico and land-based industrial sites across the US.
Ed Racht, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Global Medical Response (GMR)
Dr. Ed Racht has been involved in Emergency Medical Services and healthcare systems for more than 30 years. He currently serves as Chair of the Texas EMS, Trauma and Acute Care Foundation, an organization that provides advocacy, strategic planning and healthcare system credentialing in the State of Texas.
Dr. Racht has been Chief Medical Officer for American Medical Response (AMR) since 2010. Prior to this role, he served as the Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs for Piedmont Newnan Hospital in metro Atlanta. Dr. Racht was the first full-time Medical Director for the Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services System, where he spent 13 years. The System was nationally recognized in the Institute of Medicine’s Report on the state of emergency care for its collaborative approach to challenging healthcare integration issues.
Dr. Racht received his undergraduate and medical degree from Emory University in Atlanta and completed his residency at the Medical College of Virginia.
Dr. Racht is the recipient of numerous awards including being named EMS Medical Director of the Year for the State of Texas, the American Heart Association’s Paul Ledbetter MD Physician Volunteer of the Year Award and was named a “Hero of Emergency Medicine” in 2008 by the American College of Emergency Physicians. In 2015, he was the first recipient of the Joseph P. Ornato Excellence in Clinical Leadership Award, and in 2011 received the Slovis Award for Educational Excellence by the U.S. Metropolitan Municipalities Medical Director Consortium. He is also the third Inductee in the Texas EMS, Trauma and Acute Care Foundation Hall of Fame.
Global Metropolitan Municipalities EMS Medical Directors
Dr. Fenella Wrigley
London Ambulance Service
Fenella trained as a doctor at St George’s Hospital Medical School in London and has trained and worked exclusively in London, initially in paediatrics before specialising in Emergency Medicine including six months on London’s Air Ambulance.
For the past 9 years Fenella has held senior management roles within the NHS, working for both the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) and Barts Health NHS Trust where she is an Emergency Medicine Consultant on the Royal London site. Having joined LAS in 2008 Fenella was appointed Executive Medical Director in March 2016.
Dr. Fionna Moore
South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb)
With more than 40 years’ experience in the NHS, Dr Fionna Moore is currently Medical Director for South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, (SECAmb).
She previously served as Interim Chief Executive for SECAmb before returning to her substantive role.
Fionna has a wealth of experience in emergency care and the ambulance sector having spent many years with London Ambulance Service as Medical Director and latterly, as Chief Executive. She has also been an A&E consultant for 30 years.
As SECAmb Medical Director, Fionna is the Trust’s Caldicott Guardian and Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer.
Stefan Poloczek, MD, MPH
City of Berlin, Germany
B. Craig Ellis, MD
New Zealand National EMS System
Dr Craig Ellis is a Specialist Prehospital and Emergency Physician based in Hawke’s Bay New Zealand. He splits his time between working as Deputy Medical Director for St John New Zealand, who deliver the Emergency Ambulance Service for (almost) all of New Zealand and as a Senior Staff Specialist in the Emergency Department of the Hawkes Bay Regional Hospital. He is regularly involved in primary emergency responses by both road and rotary wing. His interests are in anaphylaxis, clinical risk mitigation, prehospital critical care and austere/remote medical practice.
Dr. Paul Bailey
St. John Ambulance Western Australia, Ltd.
Prof Paul Bailey is a Perth based Emergency Physician and Medical Director of St John Western Australia. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Western Australia; is a Fellow of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine; and has a Biochemistry / Physiology PhD from the University of Western Australia. He is an active researcher in the fields of cardiac arrest, trauma, and prehospital systems. He has previously worked in a variety of metropolitan, and large and small rural and regional Emergency Departments as well as the austere environments of expedition medicine and international and domestic aeromedical evacuation. He has 16 years experience in mining, oil and gas, providing clinical advice to on site paramedics.
Shaheem De Vries, MD
Medical Director : Emergency Medical Services, Western Cape Government Health, South Africa
Dr Shaheem de Vries is a medical doctor with nearly 18-years of experience in prehospital Emergency Care. As both the Chief Executive Officer (2013 – current) and the medical director of the Western Cape Government Health Emergency Medical Services, Dr De Vries provides oversight and governance of all ambulance, rescue, aeromedical and patient transport services for Western Cape Government Health, South Africa. This service covers 130 000 square kilometres with a fleet of 260 ambulances staffed by 2000 personnel, all executing over 500 000 missions per annum.
Dr De Vries is a charter member of the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM) and served as its Chief Executive Officer between 2016 – 2019. He also serves as the core member of the OHEC working group which focuses on strengthening out of hospital emergency care systems across the African continent. This has also seen him serve as one of the global EMS experts to the WHO Emergency Care systems working group.
Dr De Vries holds a MBChB from the University of Cape Town, a Diploma in Primary Emergency Care from the College of Medicine South Africa, a Master’s in Emergency Medicine and an executive MBA from the University of Cape Town. His MBA thesis explored post-heroic leadership within the Emergency Medical Services, a topic he hopes to pursue towards a PHD.
Pierre A. Carli, MD
EMS System of Paris
Lionel Lamhaut MD, PhD
EMS System of Paris
Dr. Stephen Bernard
Medical Director for Melbourne, Australia