Division of Graduate and Undergraduate Medical Education

The Education Division is second to none. The mission of the Division of Education at Albert Einstein is to prepare residents for the successful practice of Emergency Medicine in whatever environment they choose. It is our goal to ensure that the resident masters both core content of knowledge and necessary clinical skills, as well as to prepare residents to graduate with skills to become leaders in our field.  Our programs are enhanced through a dedicated faculty with a commitment to innovative instruction and opportunities for student and faculty participation in elective and international educational experiences. The Faculty’s dedication and commitment to teaching and learning enables our graduates to secure satisfying professional positions and enjoy rewarding life-long careers.

Each faculty member of the Division is specialty trained in curriculum development, program management, teaching and evaluation methods, mentoring, research and scientific writing skills through the ACEP Teaching Fellowship and the ACEP/Emergency Medicine Foundation Research Skills training program. They are well prepared to run one of the largest and oldest Emergency Medicine Residency Programs in the country.  Our Division is diverse, not only in training but in personality, viewpoint and social background. Each brings a unique set of tools to the issues and complexities of residency training and mentorship.  Dr. McGee served as the Associate Program Director for 8 years before becoming the Program Director in 2001. He is the recent past-President of PA-ACEP and is currently the Chief Academic Officer for the Albert Einstein Network. Dr. Carter trained at Boston Medical Center, Drs. Handy and Salzman trained at Drexel University, and Dr. Kravitz trained at McGill University, and Ms. Kelli O’Donnell has been our Residency Coordinator for over 17 years. Our Division is characterized by expertise, experience, and innovation. Graduates of our program are assured the best possible preparation for a successful career as emergency physicians. 

Division of Emergency Medical Services, Operational Public Health, and Disaster Medicine

The mission of the Division is to prepare physicians, nurses, out-of-hospital emergency care professionals for the challenges they will confront when delivering, researching or planning out-of-hospital emergency medical care in disaster and non-disaster environments and when special operations is required. Hazardous materials, weapons of mass destruction, technical rescue, mass gatherings, fire ground operations, tactical law enforcement situations, major incident management are areas of expertise of the division staff. The division also has the primary responsibility to direct and support all emergency management initiatives within the Albert Einstein Health System, including all-hazards approach to emergency and disaster preparedness. Educational strategies guarantee that all graduating residents have solid knowledge of EMS systems and disaster medicine.

The division’s Center for Special Operations Medicine is recognized by public safety personnel, local, regional and state emergency managers, and hospital-based personnel. The education, research, operations support, publishing and consulting performed by this division provides a unique environment for the training of residents and fellows.  Faculty, residents, and fellows have lectured at national EMS conferences in New Orleans and Las Vegas. They have completed FEMA Urban Search & Rescue Medical Team Training and have participated in live fire-fighting training. Einstein residents also serve as Assistant Medical Directors for Philadelphia area EMS agencies and have the opportunity to receive Advanced Hazardous Materials Life Support certification.

Fellowship in EMS & Disaster Medicine 

The Einstein EMS Fellowship is designed to provide emergency medicine physicians the opportunity to be educated and trained in the administrative, medical oversight and field aspects of EMS systems. The Fellowship provides a wide range of opportunities including ground and air operations, paramedic didactic and clinical instruction, administrative and research experiences, community resource management, disaster planning and training opportunities, dispatch/communication operations and exposure to all models of EMS agencies (volunteer, career, public service, regional and state). Rural, urban, and suburban educational opportunities are provided.

Individuals successfully completing the two-year fellowship obtain sufficient didactic and practical knowledge to work efficiently and competently as a Medical Director of a paramedic base hospital or pre-hospital agency. In addition, they gain graduate level education toward a Master of Science degree in Disaster Management through Philadelphia University with associated research exposure and opportunities for publication. Fellows function as faculty for the Department of Emergency Medicine and have opportunities for resident and medical student education. For additional details, please refer to the section below. For application and additional information, please contact David Jaslow, MD, MPH, Fellowship Director at  jaslowd@einstein.edu.

Five-Year Combined EM/EMS/Disaster Medicine Training Program

The Albert Einstein Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine and its Division of EMS and Disaster Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania announces a five-year combined emergency medicine and EMS/Disaster Medicine training program beginning July 1, 2007. This unique residency-fellowship program will produce clinically astute emergency physicians who aspire to develop the technical, management and leadership skills necessary to become an EMS Medical Director, an EMS educator, and an expert in disaster medicine. A variety of EMS special operations disciplines including technical rescue, hazmat/CBRNE, fire-ground operations, major incident response and mass gathering medicine will be an additional focus of this training. The successful graduate of this program will be well-qualified to function as an EMS Medical Director, work alongside local, state and national emergency managers, integrate the role of  the operational EMS physician into major incident response, and contribute to the body of scientific literature in EMS special operations, emergency management and disaster medicine.

A six-month educational curriculum and a Master of Science degree in Disaster Medicine and Management through Philadelphia University is interwoven into the PGY 2-4 years of the training program. During the PGY-5 year, the fellow functions as an attending physician and spends the entire year focused on applying his/her newly acquired knowledge to improve local, regional and state EMS and disaster medical operations and the performance of regional EMS systems. Throughout the training program, the resident/fellow functions as an Assistant Medical Director for suburban fire and EMS agencies under the supervision of Department faculty. Education includes graded responsibility for emergency scene response (including emergency vehicle driving), participation in fire-rescue/EMS training courses and disaster drills (both as student and instructor), medical oversight of mass gathering events and membership in regional, state and federal disaster response teams. Ample opportunity is available for conference attendance, completion of national WMD and fire/EMS courses and site visits to other EMS systems, including a developing relationship in the US Virgin Islands. A formal research requirement is mandatory and it is expected that the resident/fellow will publish in both peer-reviewed emergency medicine and EMS/Disaster trade journals.

The strength of this fellowship program is derived from the quality of the faculty and staff within the Division of EMS and Disaster Medicine and its Center for Special Operations Training. This cadre currently includes four emergency medicine physicians, two of whom have an operational EMS background and two of whom are fellows, and four full-time paramedics, one of whom is a Ph.D candidate. Division personnel teach annually at state and national conferences, participate in field operations and/or have affiliations with more than 10 regional fire/rescue/EMS agencies and specialty teams, and deliver special operations training courses throughout the United States. Dr. David Jaslow, the Division Chief, is the Medical Director for the Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, Medical Editor for EMS Magazine and a professor in the Master’s degree which is integrated into this program. He is known statewide for his support of Pennsylvania emergency services, many of which are strategic partners in this endeavor.

The successful applicant to this unique and challenging training program will be highly motivated, have a background in EMS, and meet performance criteria during the PGY-1 year. For more information, contact David Jaslow, MD, MPH, Fellowship Director, at jaslowd@einstein.edu.

Division of Medical Toxicology and Critical Care

The Division of Medical Toxicology is the largest faculty of full time residency trained emergency medicine physicians with specialty fellowship training in the city of Philadelphia. Members of the division exemplify diversity in their training and practice interests. Each have published extensively in the emergency medicine and toxicology literature and are nationally recognized speakers and lecturers. The Toxicology division has an active research program and now offers both inpatient and outpatient toxicology consultation services with an emphasis on bedside teaching of the care and management of poisoned patients. Emergency medicine residents spend one month during the PGY-3 year rotating on the toxicology service, receiving daily lectures and participating in the activities of the Regional Poison Control Center in Philadelphia.

Fellowship in Toxicology

A 2 year- Medical Toxicology Fellowship is currently in development and is scheduled to accept its first applications in the 2007-2008 academic year.

Division of Clinical and Biomedical Research

Our objective is to support faculty and resident research and promote excellence in research to further the field of Emergency Medicine. The division involves an established research office which supports faculty initiated, grant supported, and pharmaceutical funded research studies. The mission of the clinical research office is to support investigators to conduct clinical research by offering the best suitable environment to perform clinical trials including an annual ED census of over 75,000 patients, full time dedicated research and medically trained personnel, and dedicated space to assure the best quality research. The research infrastructure that has grown rapidly over the last several of years, and the research staff is composed of physicians who screen and enroll patients 24 hours a day and directly coordinate the projects. 

To view our extensive list of published manuscripts, scientific assembly presentations and ongoing projects, visit Research.

Fellowship in Clinical Research    

The Department of Emergency Medicine endorses the concept of formal research training to promote the development of career researchers to further the specialty of Emergency Medicine. The goal of our two-year fellowship is to acquire the necessary skills to perform quality research as well as to develop the ability to teach others research methodology. Graduating Fellows should be able to utilize analytical skills to mentor the research efforts and presentations of their colleagues. Fellows apply their knowledge in representing the department’s research efforts in the broader national research context. For more information, contact Dr. Gerald O’Malley, Fellowship Director at omalleyg@einstein.edu.

Division of Medical Informatics

Medical Informatics, the study of improving clinical medicine through the implementation of computers and software, is intimately involved in all aspect of emergency medicine such as EMS, Research, Administrative and Medical Education. Over the past 5 years our department has evolved into a highly sophisticated, nearly paperless environment via such innovations as a web-based passive tracking system, rapid computerized access to old medical records and PACS digital radiography systems.  We are also near implementation of an Electronic Medical Record for the emergency department which will include both physician and nurse charting, physician order entry, as well as integrating all of our other electronic systems into one interface.  For all three emergency departments within the Einstein system, all mission critical support documentation, schedules, and data collection for research protocols and administration, are now available online for rapid retrieval 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and was developed by Albert Villarin, MD FACEP.

Future goals for the division include developing an emergency medicine resident curriculum for medical informatics, and obtaining grant funding for voice activation data retrieval and implementation of kiosk technology for patient triage and data collection.