SAN FRANCISCO—The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) will honor outstanding leaders in emergency medicine during ACEP22, the world’s largest emergency medicine conference. The annual awards honor exceptional contributions to emergency medicine in policy, advocacy, research, education, diversity and inclusion, and other categories.

John G. Wiegenstein Leadership Award

This is ACEP’s highest award. It is presented for outstanding contributions to the organization and is named after the late John G. Wiegenstein, MD, a founding member and first president of ACEP.

Rebecca B. Parker, MD, FACEP, is a practicing emergency physician at Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona, and chief coding officer for Health Care Financial Services of TeamHealth. Dr. Parker is a past president of ACEP and previously served as chair of the ACEP board, chair of the Coding and Nomenclature Committee and Young Physicians Section. Board certified by ABEM, Dr. Parker received her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School and completed an emergency medicine residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas.

James D. Mills Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Medicine Award

This award is for significant contributions to emergency medicine. The award is named after the late James D. Mills Jr., MD, second president of ACEP.

Richard C. Hunt, MD, FACEP, is senior medical advisor for national healthcare preparedness programs in the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) where he directs the HHS/ASPR Project ECHO COVID-19 Clinical Rounds. He served as director for medical preparedness and response policy on the National Security Council staff from 2013-2015. Dr. Hunt was a distinguished consultant and director of the Division of Injury Response at CDC’s Injury Center. Prior to federal service, he served as professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He has served as chair of the ACEP Trauma Care and Injury Control Committee and was ACEP’s first liaison to the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. He is a past president of the National Association of EMS Physicians, and past vice chair of the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems. He received a Doctor of Medicine degree from East Carolina University School of Medicine in Greenville, North Carolina, and completed an emergency medicine residency at Wright State University School of Medicine.

John A. Rupke Legacy Award

This award is for outstanding lifetime contributions to ACEP. In recognition of longevity and unwavering dedication to the ACEP, the Legacy Award is given in honor of John A. Rupke, MD, one of the initial founding members of ACEP.

Louis J. Ling, MD, FACEP, is retired after serving as senior vice president for hospital-based accreditation at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and professor of emergency medicine at the University of Minnesota. While serving as president of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), he started the journal Academic Emergency Medicine. Dr. Ling led the planning for the Macy Foundation’s landmark Report on the Role of Emergency Medicine in the Future of American Health Care. He chaired the Academic Affairs and GME Committees for ACEP, originating the ACEP Teaching Fellowship and was past president of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM). Dr. Ling earned a medical degree from the University of Minnesota and completed an emergency medicine residency at the University of Chicago.

Colin C. Rorrie, Jr., PhD Award for Excellence in Health Policy

This award is for significant contributions to ACEP’s health policy objectives, or for demonstrating outstanding skills, talent, and commitment as an administrative or political leader. The award is named after Colin C. Rorrie, Jr., PhD, who served as ACEP’s executive director from 1982 to 2003.

Jennifer L. Wiler, MD, MBA, FACEP, is chief quality officer, UCHealth Denver Metro, and co-founder of the UCHealth CARE Innovation Center. She is a professor with tenure and former executive vice chair of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Wiler serves on the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC), an expert panel within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). She has held numerous state and national leadership positions including chair of the American Medical Association (AMA) Women Physicians Congress and ACEP representative to the AMA Relative Value Scale Updates Committee (RUC), a Medicare advisory panel.

Judith E. Tintinalli Award for Outstanding Contribution in Education

This award recognizes an ACEP member who has made a significant contribution to the educational aspects of emergency medicine.

Peter M. DeBlieux, MD, FACEP, is chief experience officer at University Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. Previously, he was the chief medical officer and director of quality and patient safety at University Medical Center. For more than 30 years, Dr. DeBlieux was an attending physician in emergency medicine and the medical intensive care unit of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) Charity Hospital. He was program director for the LSUHSC Charity Hospital emergency medicine residency and director of resident and faculty development. He completed medical school at Louisiana State Health Science Center and an emergency medicine residency at LSUHSC Charity Hospital.

Award for Outstanding Contribution in Research

The award is presented to an ACEP member who has made a significant contribution to research in emergency medicine.

Deborah Diercks, MD, MSc, FACEP, is professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Diercks oversees the emergency medicine programs at Parkland Memorial Hospital and UT Southwestern Clements University Hospital. Dr. Diercks has published research on early management of acute coronary syndromes, the influence of gender on symptom characteristics, and utilization of cardiac biomarkers. She has held numerous leadership positions within the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and is an associate editor of Circulation and Academic Emergency Medicine. Dr. Diercks attended Tufts University School of Medicine and completed her residency in emergency medicine at the University of Cincinnati.

Kevin Ward, MD, FACEP, founded the Michigan Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care which is now the Max Harry Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation at the University of Michigan where he is also professor of emergency medicine and biomedical engineering. He was the inaugural director of research for the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Emergency Medicine. In collaboration with the U.S. Army and its Joint Special Operations Training Medical Center, Dr. Ward developed and medically directed training programs for special operation combat medics. Dr. Ward is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps, member of the 948th Forward Resuscitation Surgical Team and deployed to Afghanistan. He earned a medical degree from Tulane University and completed a residency in emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Outstanding Contribution in EMS Award

This award is for outstanding contributions of national significance or application in Emergency Medical Services. The award is not limited to ACEP members.

Ronald M. Roth, MD, FACEP, is medical director of the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety, which includes police, fire first responders and EMS. He is a medical command physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Medical Command Center. Dr. Roth is the medical director for the Pittsburgh Marathon and the Allegheny County Emergency Operations Center and a team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has worked at the UPMC Presbyterian Department for over 30 years and has served as medical director of paramedic training, director of the UPMC EMS fellowship, and chief of the EMS division in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Roth served on the committee that developed the ACEP/National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) EMS Subspecialty Certification Review Course. Dr. Roth earned his medical degree and completed an emergency medicine residency at University of Pittsburgh.

Community Emergency Medicine Excellence Award

This award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to advancing emergency care and/or health care in the community where they practice.

Kamara Graham, MD, FACEP, is an emergency physician at Adventist Health Rideout in Marysville, CA. She is the chief of emergency medicine and medical director of the emergency department and Adventist Health Yuba City urgent care. Dr. Graham currently sits on the California ACEP Board of Directors. Dr. Graham received her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine and completed an emergency medicine residency at Central Michigan University.

Council Meritorious Service Award

This award is given for contributions to the growth and maturation of the ACEP Council.

James B. Aiken, MD, FACEP, is an associate professor of emergency medicine and public health at the Louisiana State University emergency medicine residency program and serves as the assistant program director for the combined internal medicine emergency medicine residency program. He has served as chair of the ACEP State Legislative/Regulatory Committee and chapter councilor to the ACEP Council. Dr. Aiken is past president of the Louisiana Chapter of ACEP, past president of the Orleans Parish Medical Society, and a founder of the Medical Association of Southeast Louisiana. He completed medical school and post graduate training at LSU Medical School in New Orleans and Charity Hospital.

Council Champion in Diversity and Inclusion Award

This award celebrates a sustained commitment to the diversity of contributions to emergency medicine and an environment of inclusivity that enhances the work of the ACEP Council.

Ramon W. Johnson, MD, MBA, FACEP, is an emergency physician at Mission Hospital Regional Trauma Center in Mission Viejo, California. He currently serves on the board of California Health and Wellness and is the chief medical officer for Harbor Med Tech. Dr. Johnson is the president-elect of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), past president of ACEP’s California Chapter and served on the national Board of Directors, including a term as past chair of the board. He currently serves on California’s Joint Advisory Committee on Terrorism and completed two terms on the state’s Commission on Emergency Medical Services. Dr. Johnson is a published author and speaker on pediatrics, disaster preparedness, patient safety, and health policy. He received a medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and completed residencies in pediatrics and emergency medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Innovative Change in Practice Management Award

This award is given to an emergency physician who has developed an innovative process, solution, technology, or product to solve a significant problem in the practice of emergency medicine.

Jonathan Rogg, MD, MBA, FACEP, is an associate professor and vice chair of strategy and operations in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School. Prior to working at UTHealth, Dr. Rogg served as instructor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School. He earned a medical degree with research honors from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed an emergency medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He completed a fellowship in Emergency Department Administration at Massachusetts General Hospital and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Disaster Medical Sciences Award

This award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions of national/international impact to the field of disaster medicine.

Roy L. Alson, MD, PhD, FACEP, is professor emeritus of emergency medicine at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the creator of the Office of Pre-hospital and Disaster Medicine at Wake Forest. He was an associate professor at the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at Wake Forest University and is associate professor of military medicine at the Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Alson served as medical director for Forsyth County EMS Medicine and as team commander of the North Carolina –1 National Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT NC-1). He was the medical advisor to the North Carolina State Medical Response System. He has represented ACEP on disaster preparedness initiatives through the Institute of Medicine and National Academies. He is actively involved with the ACEP Disaster Medicine and EMS Committees and Sections and was past chair of the Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee. Dr. Alson is a speaker and published author on disaster response and prehospital trauma care, and currently serves as the editor-in-chief of the International Trauma Life Support program. Dr. Alson received a medical degree from Wake Forest University and completed his residency in emergency medicine at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Honorary Membership Award

This award is for outstanding service to ACEP or to the specialty of emergency medicine.

Brad Gruehn is the chief of government relations for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). He previously served for more than 16 years as the director of congressional affairs for ACEP. During his tenure, Mr. Gruehn was essential to advocacy wins and instrumental in the passage of legislation addressing physician mental health, alternatives to opioids (ALTO), surprise billing, trauma care systems and disaster preparedness, among others. Mr. Gruehn previously held positions with multiple trade associations, the office of U.S. Representative Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), U.S. Senator-Elect Paul Coverdell (R-GA), the Georgia Republican Party, and the Bush/Quayle 1992 presidential campaign. He graduated from Auburn University and has attended courses at the U.S. Naval War College in Washington, D.C.

Margaret Montgomery, RN, MSN, retired from the American College of Emergency Physicians in June 2021 after 21 years of service. Ms. Montgomery was instrumental in ACEPs Emergency Medicine Practice Committee and Public Health and Injury Prevention Committee development of policies, toolkits, point of care tools, journal articles, and resources to support the work of emergency physicians. She served as staff liaison to multiple ACEP task forces and sections, including the Critical Care Medicine Section, Pain Management and Addiction Medicine Section, Medical Director Section, and the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Section and Rural Emergency Care Task Force. She also served as staff liaison for the Facility Guidelines Institute Healthcare Guidelines Revision Committee to address emergency department design-related issues. She graduated from the University of Texas School of Nursing in Ft. Worth and received a Master’s in Psychosocial Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington.

John “Jack” Rozel, MD, MSL, DFAPA, is the medical director of resolve crisis services at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Western Psychiatric Hospital, and an associate professor of psychiatry and adjunct professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Rozel is the immediate past president of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry. Dr. Rozel trains and consults across the country on violence and threat management, staff injury prevention, firearm injury prevention, and crisis and emergency psychiatry. He served as an incident commander for mass shootings and worked extensively in disaster response. Dr. Rozel is board certified in general, child, and forensic psychiatry. He earned a medical degree at Brown University and completed a general psychiatry residency and child and forensic psychiatry fellowships at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC.

Todd Thomas, CPC, CCS-P, is president of ERcoder, Inc. After entering the medical field as a medic for the Army National Guard and worked as an EMT until an ambulance accident prompted his transition to a career in emergency physician coding. He was a founding board member of the Oklahoma Chapter of the AAPC and is a past president of the Oklahoma City AAPC. He has been ACEP Reimbursement and Coding Conference faculty for more than two decades and serves on the ACEP Coding and Nomenclature Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the ED Coding Alert editorial advisory board and is a prolific writer on emergency department-related topics. He has previously been recognized for his contributions to ACEP as the 2010 Speaker of the Year and the 2015 Over the Top Award.

Diane K. Bollman Chapter Advocate Award

This award is presented to an ACEP chapter executive or chapter staff member who has made a significant contribution to advancing emergency care and their ACEP chapter. The award is named after Diane K. Bollman, who served as the executive director of the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians for 25 years and was an honorary member of ACEP.

Sue Barnhart is the recently retired executive assistant for the Indiana chapter of ACEP (INACEP). She was responsible for the planning and execution of annual conferences, resident forums, and other chapter events. She also created and edited EMPulse, the chapter newsletter, among many other duties. Ms. Barnhart graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English, Art and Interior Design and has a well-known affinity for animals, which translated to what she deemed her most valuable skill on the job at INACEP, “herding cats.”

Colleen Kochanek, JD, is the executive director for the North Carolina College of Emergency Physicians. Her law practice includes legislative services and consulting at the North Carolina General Assembly. Ms. Kochanek has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Psychology from Indiana University in Bloomington and a Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Policy Pioneer Award

This award recognizes early and mid-career members who have made outstanding contributions to ACEP health policy and advocacy initiatives.

Zachary J. Jarou, MD, MBA, FACEP, is an emergency physician with Independent Emergency Physicians in Detroit, Michigan, working clinically at Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and Ascension Providence Southfield where he serves as a core residency faculty member and research director. Dr. Jarou is a past president of the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA), currently serves on the board of the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians (MCEP) and has served on numerous ACEP committees and task forces. He is a former recipient of the ACEP Council Horizon Award and was named as one of EMRA’s 40 Under 40. He received a medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, completed an emergency medicine residency at Denver Health and attended the University of Chicago Booth School of Business while completing an administrative fellowship at UChicago Medicine.

Pamela P. Bensen Trailblazer Award

This award is presented to a current ACEP member for groundbreaking contributions to the growth of ACEP and emergency medicine. The award is named after Pamela P. Bensen, MD, a charter member of ACEP and the first woman resident in emergency medicine.

Michael Lee Callaham, MD, FACEP, joined the editorial board of Annals of Emergency Medicine in 1982 and served as editor in chief of Annals from 2002-2022 until his recent retirement. Dr. Callaham is a past president of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and was a peer reviewer for many medical journals. He helped create a peer reviewer training module for Annals reviewers; served on the Peer Review Congress and the Research Committee Council on Publication Ethics, UK, among other committees. In 2007, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine). That year, he was also named the first chair of the then new Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Callaham received his medical degree from UCSF and completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Southern California.

Spokesperson of the Year

This award honors excellence in communication by emergency physicians who go above and beyond to promote ACEP’s key messages, advocate for the specialty and educate the public.

Jennifer Casaletto, MD, FACEP, is the president of the North Carolina College of Emergency Physicians, an adjunct faculty physician at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a practicing emergency physician at University of North Carolina Rockingham Health Care and CirrusMD. She is the current chair of ACEP's Educational Meetings Subcommittee and serves as an oral board examiner and item writer for the American Board of Emergency Medicine. She is past-chair of ACEP’s Academic Affairs Committee and Young Physicians Section, past-president of the Arizona College of Emergency Physicians, and past-chairwoman of the Arizona Governor’s Domestic Violence Council’s Health Cares About Family Violence Subcommittee via an appointment to Arizona’s Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts. Dr. Casaletto earned a medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed an emergency medicine residency at Carolinas Medical Center.