Emergency Medicine & EMS Professors to Know

When seconds can mean life or death, every patient wants their emergency care providers to have the best possible training to get through the situation. Paramedics and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel deal with these vital split-second decisions every day, becoming the lifeline for millions of people who are suffering from sudden trauma, drug overdoses, or heart attacks.

In order to be perform at a high level as an emergency medical care provider, it is necessary to learn emergency medicine from experienced professors, veterans of the field. These professors have spent decades working to stabilize at-risk patients in myriad environments, and to help save lives on a minute’s notice. They can teach you how to think on your feet, make critical life-or-death decisions, and develop the right approach and techniques to get patients to the ER alive.

Alexander P. Isakov

Alexander P. Isakov

MD, MPH

Emory University - Atlanta , GA

Dr. Isakov is Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine as well as the Director of Prehospital & Disaster Medicine at Emory. In 2015 he received the Georgia EMS Region III Medical Director of the Year Award and the Dr. Zeb L. Burrell Jr., MD, Distinguished Service Award. The Grady EMS Biosafety Transport Team, led by Dr. Isakov, received the Atlanta Business Chronicle Healthcare Hero Award for Allied Health Professionals in recognition of their transport of the first patients with Ebola Virus Disease in the United States. He was recently appointed to the American College of Emergency Physician's (ACEP) Epidemic Expert Panel and was elected to the Board of Directors for the National Association for EMS Physicians (NAEMSP).

John McManus

John McManus

MD, MBA, MCR, FACEP, FAAEM

Georgia Regents University - Augusta , GA

Dr. McManus is one of the most decorated Professors of Emergency Medicine in the US. He is the Past Director for the US Army's EMS Department as well as the Director for Pre-deployment Medicine at the US Army Medical Department Center and School. His research with trauma and combat casualty care has made him an international leader on the subject, and he has presented over 500 lectures and published over 100 papers. He has received many awards for his work including the National Emergency Medicine Teaching Award and the Legion of Merit Award. 

David I. Page

David I. Page

MS, NREMT-P

Inver Hills Community College - St. Paul , MN

Professor Page is a teacher of EMS, which he balances with part-time field paramedic work with Allina Health EMS in St. Paul. He developed the FISDAP National web-based tracking and testing project which is used by more than 800 EMS programs around the world. He is also a member of the Committee on Accreditation of EMS Programs (CAEMSP) as well as on the Australian National Paramedic Curriculum Board. In 2012, he was awarded the National Top 10 Innovator Award from the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS).

Susan B. Promes

Susan B. Promes

PhD

Penn State Hershey - Hershey , PA

Dr. Promes is Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine at Penn State Hershey. Her dedication to curriculum excellence and advanced learning assessment has earned her the Courage to Teach Award (2007) from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). She also serves on the ACGME editorial board for the Journal of Graduate Medical Education

Alexander Garza

Alexander Garza

MD, MPH

Saint Louis University - St. Louis , MO

Dr. Garza is Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Associate Dean of Public Health Practice, and Chair of Environmental & Occupational Health at Saint Louis University. In 2009, Dr. Garza was appointed by President Obama to serve as Chief Medical Officer for the US Department of Homeland Security. He was then appointed to serve on the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, including bioterrorism countermeasure testing for children. He has received numerous awards for his military and civilian EMS work, including the Young Investigator Award from the American Heart Association (AHA). 

S. V. Mahadevan

S. V. Mahadevan

MD

Stanford University - Stanford , CA

Dr. Mahadevan is a professor of Emergency Medicine and the Interim Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Stanford. He also developed the International Emergency Medicine Program at the prestigious college. His work in India and the US has been nationally recognized, earning him both the Excellence Award from the Society of Emergency Medicine in India (SEMI) and the National Faculty Teaching Award from ACEP in 2012 alone. His book, "An Introduction to Clinical Emergency Medicine," won the American Medical Writer's Association 2006 Book Award. 

Brian Clemency

Brian Clemency

DO, MBA, FACEP

State University of New York - Buffalo - Buffalo , NY

Dr. Clemency is a clinical professor and the EMS Fellowship Director at SUNY-Buffalo. He is also very active in the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), and has served on the Standards and Practices Committee (2013), the Fellows and Fellowship Graduate Committee (2010), and the Council of EMS Fellowship Directors (2011). Clemency also worked as a paramedic and firefighter on the distinguished Notre Dame Fire Department. 

Paul A. Werfel

Paul A. Werfel

MS, NREMT-P

Stony Brook University - Stony Brook , NY

Professor Werfel is the Director of the Paramedic Program at Stony Brook. He also teaches Clinical Emergency Medicine and Health Science. He is a well-known contributor to journals such as JEMS, Pre-Hospital and Disaster Medicine, and Pre-Hospital Emergency Care. and the National Standard EMT Intermediate/Paramedic Curriculum revision project. In addition, he was one of the founding Board of Directors Members of the National EMS Educator's Association (NEMSE). 

Daniel W. Spaite

Daniel W. Spaite

MD

University of Arizona - Tucson , AZ

Dr. Spaite is Professor, Distinguished Chair of Emergency Medicine, and Director of EMS Research Collaboration at the University of Arizona. In 2015, he was selected to receive the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Research Award from the ACEP. His work, which focuses on survival rates of heart attack sufferers and those with brain injuries outside of the hospital setting, has led to the tripling of the survival rate in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Arizona. He also received the Ronald Stewart Career Award from the NAEMSP in 2010.

Kristi L. Koenig

Kristi L. Koenig

MD, FACEP, FIFEM

University of California, Irvine - Irvine , CA

Dr. Koenig is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health, and Director of Public Health Preparedness, Center for Disaster Medical Sciences, and International EMS & Disaster Medical Sciences Fellowship. She has worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the State of California, and the Government of Taiwan to establish emergency protocol for disasters. She is also an avid publisher, and has authored three definitive reference books, presented over 500 lectures, and was the Co-Editor for the Disaster Medical and Public Health Preparedness Journal: Ebola Edition

Marianne G. Hill

Marianne G. Hill

MD

University of California, Los Angeles - Torrance , CA

Dr. Hill is nationally known for her skill as a researcher and educator in the EMS field. She is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of both EMS and Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowships at UCLA-Torrance. Her peerless work has resulted in numerous awards, including the ACEP National Education in Emergency Medicine Award (2004), the APLS Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics (2005), and the Heroes Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Emergency Medical Services for Children organization (2007). 

Stephen Hayden

Stephen Hayden

MD

University of California, San Diego - La Jolla , CA

Dr. Haydn has both civilian and military experience working with medical emergencies. He was a senior flight surgeon for the Naval Strike Warfare Center as well as the Medical Director for the High Sierra Search and Rescue. He writes items for the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) exam and won the 1999 American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) National Faculty Teaching Award. He is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Gary Vilke

Gary Vilke

MD

University of California, San Diego - La Jolla , CA

Dr. Vilke is Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Director of Custody Services at UCSD. His research, which focuses on tactical medicine like TASERs, neck holds, and pepper spray, has been published in over 180 articles and 50 book chapters. He is very active in the San Diego EMS community as is the Director of Clinical Emergency Medicine Research in the UCSD Health System. 

Irving "Jake" Jacoby

Irving "Jake" Jacoby

MD

University of California, San Diego - La Jolla , CA

Dr. Jacoby is Emeritus Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC San Diego, and holds unique specialty certifications in Infectious Diseases and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. In 1991, he founded the a disaster medical assistance team known as DMAT-San Diego CA-4 and remains its commander to this day. He not only led disaster teams to the 2002 Winter Olympics and 9-11 Attacks in 2001, but he taught emergency decision-making and medical procedures in tandem with the Ghana Ministry of Health and GE. 

Ira Blumen

Ira Blumen

MD

University of Chicago - Chicago , IL

Dr. Blumen, Professor of Medicine at University of Chicago, has over 20 years of experience when it comes to emergency air transportation medical procedures. He has been the co-editor for three versions of the seminal textbook, "Air Medical Physician Handbook," and is the Editor-in-Chief for the current edition. He has also served as the President of the Air Medical Physician Association (AMPA). In addition, he was a featured consultant on the TV show, ER, and the movie Contagion, where he had a speaking role.

Stacy N. Weisberg

Stacy N. Weisberg

MD, MPH

University of Massachusetts - Worcester , MA

Dr. Weisberg is Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Director of the Fellowship in Emergency Medical Services, and Associate Director of EMS and Lifeflight at UMass. Her quick thinking and emergency strategies earned her the 2013 UMass Paul J. Gramling Physician of the Year Award. She has published several papers regarding prehospital treatments that result in emergency care. She also is an invited lecturer on medicine in disaster scenarios.

Jeremy T. Cushman

Jeremy T. Cushman

MD, MS

University of Rochester - Rochester , NY

Dr. Cushman is Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Chief of Prehospital Medicine at the University of Rochester. He is a certified Paramedic and Medical Director of several fire and rescue agencies. He has received numerous commendations for his volunteer work, in addition to the Award for Excellence in Emergency Medicine (2001) from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and several National Poster Presentation Awards.

Manish N. Shah

Manish N. Shah

MD, MPH

University of Rochester - Rochester , NY

Dr. Shaw is Professor and Associate Chair for the Department of Emergency Medicine at URMC. He has won numerous awards for his expertise in the field, including the Outstanding Peer Reviewer from the Academic Emergency Medicine Journal (2004, 2006) and the Young Investigator Award from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) in 2006. His work with geriatric emergency medicine is nationally recognized.

Raymond Fowler

Raymond Fowler

MD

University of Texas Southwestern - Dallas , TX

Dr. Fowler has been practicing emergency medicine for over 37 years, as a medical director, manager, and EMS physician. He currently works in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UT Southwestern, where he is Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medical Services, Health Professions, and Emergency Medical Education, as well as Chief of the Division of Emergency Medical Services. Fowler co-founded the National EMS Medical Director's Course and the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP). He is also a Past President of the Georgia College of Emergency Physicians. 

Kathy Rinnert

Kathy Rinnert

MD

University of Texas Southwestern - Dallas , TX

Dr. Rinnert is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and another member of the illustrious EMS team at UT Southwestern. She teaches Emergency Medicine with a focus on medical standards and accreditation, disaster response, and emergency management techniques. She is nationally recognized for co-authoring the EMS Core Content and Curriculum that is used by every college that offers an EMS program. She is also on the ABEM as a member of the EMS Exam Committee (EEC).

Corey Slovis

Corey Slovis

MD, FACP, FACEP, FAAEM

Vanderbilt University - Nashville , TN

Dr. Slovis is a professor and the Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt. He was recently recognized for his engaging, hands-on teaching style by receiving the Excellence in Education Award (2009) from the US Metropolitan Municipalities EMS Medical Directors Consortium (which supervise patients in almost all large cities in the US, Canada, and England as well as the Secret Service and FBI). He is also the namesake for the elite Corey M. Slovis Bedside Teaching Award. 

David K. Tan

David K. Tan

MD

Washington University - St. Louis , MO

Dr. Tan is a professor of Emergency Medicine as well as the Chief of the EMS Section at Washington University. He specializes in acute stroke management, law enforcement special operations medical support, and EMT training. In addition to being named the Physician of the Year by the Missouri EMS Association (2011), he is the Chair of the Operational EMS Committee of the National Association of EMS Physicians.

Methodology

Each of the members on this list has been chosen through careful research based on the following criteria:

  • Active Teaching. All of these professors are actively teaching or mentoring students at an accredited college.

  • Publication. Many of these professors have been published in online or print professional journals.

  • Thought Leadership. Professors on this list have been chosen due to their leadership in the Emergency Medicine and EMS education communities based on speaking engagements, public leadership, or social media following.

  • Extracurricular Involvement. Each of these individuals are involved in both teaching and outside professional engagements, such as professional communities, educational organizations, or industry advocacy and activism groups.

Barry Franklin
Barry Franklin Co-Founder

Before co-founding Sechel Ventures Partners LLC, Barry Franklin was a VP at a Silicon Valley software company. He is an investor and advisor for DataSimply and Impellia. Barry believes that education and lifelong learning are paramount. Barry met his wife at Carnegie Mellon University and they have two beautiful daughters. He also volunteers for various committees at his kids’ high school.