Academic emergency medicine at The University of Arizona began on September 1, 1980 with the creation of the Section of Emergency Medicine within the Department of Surgery. On July 1, 1982, the Emergency Medicine Residency Program started with six residents per year. Currently, the program has expanded to sixteen residents per year plus two residents per year in the Combine EM/Peds residency. UAMC - University Campus ED now sees more than 70,000 patient visits per year as a Level One trauma center. The UAMC - South Campus ED is now in a brand new facility and cares for more than 40,000 patients this year.
The faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine are some of the most outstanding academicians in the country. We presently have (7) tenured full professors, (3) professors NT, (7) associate professors, (24) assistant professor, (7) clinical assistant professors, and (6) clinical instructors of emergency medicine. Our outstanding faculty has served as presidents of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD), and the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Most major textbooks and peer review journals in the field of emergency medicine have authors or editors from our faculty. We have three residency programs and five fellowship programs. In addition, we have a thriving medical student curriculum that is engaged at every level of medical student education. This dynamic program is supported by its Core Medical Student Teaching Faculty, members of an innovative faculty development program designed specifically for those interested in education at the medical student level. We also are very proud of our two-year Clinician Scientist program that is producing superb academic faculty.
The Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center (AEMRC), founded in October 1990, is the research and training base of the program. Within the AEMRC, programs such as the Advanced HAZMAT Life Support (AHLS) program, and clinical and epidemiologic research, all take place. Over the years, the Department of Emergency Medicine and AEMRC has secured millions of dollars of extramural funding to advance the field of emergency medicine.
Samuel M. Keim, MD, MS
Professor and Chair
Department of Emergency Medicine