Presented at Scientific Asembly, Denver, Colo.

Michael L. Carius, M.D.
John G. Wiegenstein Leadership Award

Dr. Carius is chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Norwalk (CT) Hospital and assistant clinical professor of the Department of Emergency Medicine and Traumatology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

He has been committed to ACEP from the start. He joined the College in 1983 and has held every leadership position at the chapter and national levels, including service as ACEP president from 2001 to 2002. After attaining ACEP’s highest national offices, he continues to serve the Connecticut Chapter in critical capacities.

Dr. Carius has served on the boards of the Emergency Medicine Foundation and the foundation of the Emergency Nurses Association and has been an oral board examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine since 1988. In 2007 ABEM selected him as a senior oral case reviewer, and in 2009, elected him to the Board of Directors.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Trinity College, received his medical training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and completed a rotating internship and graduated from the Naval Regional Medical Center in San Diego. After transferring to the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Carius served as a major and became a flight surgeon.

C. James Holliman, M.D.
James D. Mills Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Medicine Award

Dr. Holliman is a professor of military and emergency medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda and adjunct professor of emergency medicine at George Washington University.

He has dedicated his career to strengthening emergency medicine worldwide. He founded and operated the Pennsylvania State Center for International Emergency Medicine and the International Emergency Medicine Fellowship program, which trained faculty from dozens of countries. From 1994 to 2007, he served as associate emergency medicine residency director at The Milton S. Hershey Medical, and used this experience to help develop residency programs around the world.

He became a member of ACEP in 1984 and has served the College in multiple leadership roles at the chapter and national level. In the mid-1990s, he became a key leader in the International Emergency Medicine Section as secretary and newsletter editor. His fascinating articles intrigued members and motivated them to action. In 2008, ACEP honored him with its prestigious “Hero of Emergency Medicine” award, and, in June 2012, the International Federation of Emergency Medicine installed him as its president-elect.

A native of Dugway, Utah, he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Duke University. He earned his medical degree from Washington University and completed his internship and residency in surgery at the University of Utah Medical Center.

David S. Howes, M.D.
Outstanding Contribution in Education Award

Dr. Howes, a professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Chicago, has educated emergency medicine physicians, residents, and students for three decades. A popular ACEP lecturer, he has taught a generation of emergency physicians through more than a thousand hours of ACEP-sponsored activities at the national and state level.

Dr. Howes emphasizes the importance of superb clinical skills and communication between emergency physicians and patients – and between attending physicians and residents. He is the author of more than 100 publications, including original research papers, abstracts, book chapters, monographs, and reviews. His recent textbook on preparing for the emergency medicine oral boards brings his insights to an even broader audience.

His residents and students have honored him as a mentor and teacher. He has also received a host of organizational awards, including ACEP’s National Faculty Teaching Award, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine’s Program Director of the Year Award, and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s Diversity Interest Group Visionary Educator Award. In 2012, the Dean of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine awarded him the first ever honorary title of program director emeritus as the University of Chicago Medical Center’s longest serving residency director.

He holds Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine degrees from the University of Wisconsin and completed his residency training at the University of Rochester.

Ian G. Stiell, M.D.
Outstanding Contribution in Research Award

Dr. Stiell is a professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and distinguished professor and University Health Research Chair at the University of Ottawa. He is also a practicing emergency physician at The Ottawa Hospital and senior scientist at the hospital’s research institute.

Internationally recognized for his research in emergency medicine, he focuses on the development of clinical decision rules and the conduct of clinical trials involving acutely ill and injured patients treated by out-of-hospital services and in emergency departments.

He is best known for the development of the Ottawa Ankle Rules and Canadian C-Spine Rule, and as the principal investigator for the landmark OPALS Studies for out-of-hospital care. Dr. Stiell is the principal investigator for one of three Canadian sites in the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium, which is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Institutes of Health, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the American Hospital Association and National Defence Canada. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academies of Science.

Dr. Stiell received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Western Ontario and completed residencies in family medicine and emergency medicine at McGill University. He also holds a Master of Science degree in epidemiology from the University of Ottawa.

Raymond L. Fowler, M.D.
Outstanding Contribution in EMS Award

Dr. Fowler is a professor of emergency medicine, surgery, health professions, and emergency medical education at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He is also Chief of Operations for the BioTel EMS system serving the Dallas area, co-chief in the section on EMS, disaster medicine and homeland security and a member of the attending emergency medicine faculty at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Fowler has played a central role in the development of EMS medical direction and the recognition of the discipline as a subspecialty. Among many other accomplishments, he served on the initial steering committee to form the National Association of EMS Physicians, later becoming the association’s fourth president, and helped lead the expansion and proliferation of the International Trauma Life Support International program.

A gifted and acclaimed lecturer in all areas of emergency medicine, he is a prolific author of more than 30 textbook chapters on topics in the specialty. He is the senior editor for the current edition of “Emergency Medical Services: Clinical Practice and Systems Oversight,” NAEMSP’s new landmark four-volume textbook that sets the foundation for EMS medical direction as a subspecialty.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine from the University of Georgia and earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. After starting a categorical surgery residency at Eugene Talmadge Memorial Hospital, he began emergency medicine and EMS practice in 1978.

Todd B. Taylor, M.D.
Colin C. Rorrie, Jr., PhD Award for Excellence in Health Policy

Dr. Taylor practiced emergency medicine for 18 years at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix. He left clinical practice in 2006 and remains active in emergency medical education and advocacy related to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), administrative emergency medicine, and medical informatics. For the last five years, Dr. Taylor was a physician executive and medical informaticist with Microsoft’s Health Solutions Group, where he helped develop and market a variety of healthcare-related software.

For more than two decades, he worked weekend nights to accommodate his passion for advocacy—and his commitment has played an integral role in key policy victories. As Arizona ACEP President and Vice President for Public Affairs, he helped the chapter achieve major legislative successes that improved safety for healthcare workers, limited payment denial for emergency care, expanded Arizona Medicaid to include retrospective payment, and elevated the burden of proof in malpractice lawsuits.

He has served on multiple ACEP committees and as speaker of the Council. He continues to share his knowledge of EMTALA, on-call specialty coverage, hospital crowding, medical liability, advocacy, and healthcare informatics with thousands of ACEP members through publications, presentations, e-lists, and the national media. In recognition of his efforts, He has received numerous awards, including ACEP’s 911 Legislative Award and Arizona ACEP’s W. James Bursey Award for Outstanding Leadership.

Dr. Taylor earned a Bachelor of Science degree from David Lipscomb University and a medical degree from Indiana University. He completed residency training at Mount Carmel Mercy Hospital in Detroit.

Lawrence M. Lewis, M.D.
John A. Rupke Legacy Award

Dr. Lewis began his career at St. Louis University Hospital in 1979 after completing an internal medicine residency at the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis. To improve the quality of care in the emergency department, Larry spent the next three years developing a stable group of residency-trained, board-certified emergency physicians.

As the department’s clinical reputation grew, he turned his attention to emergency care citywide. He worked with the director of emergency medical services to establish a medical advisory board, and served as medical director for first-responder courses and the St. Louis Red Cross.

In 1985, newly board certified in emergency medicine, Dr. Lewis became Director of Emergency Medicine at St. Louis University Hospital and developed an emergency medicine rotation for third-year students. In the late 1990s, he created the city’s first sustained allopathic emergency medicine residency at Washington University School of Medicine—Barnes-Jewish Hospital, which graduated its first full class in 2001.

Committed to Missouri ACEP, national ACEP and other emergency medicine organizations, his contributions have been varied and significant, from public policy advances and seminal clinical research to service as a senior examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine. In 2009, the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine invited him to participate in a prestigious planning initiative as chair of the faculty development committee.

He holds an Associate of Arts degree from the University of Florida and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Miami Medical School.

Bernadette Carr
Honorary Membership Award

Ms.Carr has served as the executive director of ACEP’s Government Services Chapter (GSACEP) since 1997. During her tenure, chapter membership has more than doubled, despite the unique challenges of a chapter whose members transition in and out of military service from locations all over the world. Since Operation Enduring Freedom, Bernie has kept the Government Services Chapter on track, bolstered the chapter’s finances, cultivated its leaders, and strengthened its programs. She has also been active in national ACEP initiatives, including service on task forces, and the Membership, National/Chapter Relations, and Public Relations Committees.

In the past few years, she has been instrumental in bringing Veterans Administration emergency physicians into participation in GSACEP’s annual CME conference and other chapter efforts. This collaboration has promoted the transition of care and strengthened advocacy for wounded warriors.

Before joining Government Services ACEP, Ms. Carr had a successful career as a magazine editor and writer in the women’s service field, focusing on nutrition, diet, and exercise in women’s health. She also taught at the university level and produced a successful health-related radio program.

Edward R. Gaines III, J.D., CCP
Honorary Membership Award

A nationally recognized expert on hospital-based physician coding and compliance, Mr. Gaines is chief compliance officer for Medical Management Professionals, Inc. (MMP). He is responsible for coding quality assurance and training, and oversees claims auditing for radiology, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, and pathology. Based out of MMP’s offices in Greensboro, NC, Mr. Gainesis actively involved in legal, coding, and compliance issues regarding Medicare Part B billing with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid intermediaries, and commercial payers.

He is co-founder, past chairman, and board member of the Emergency Department Practice Management Association (EDPMA). He chaired EDPMA’s Provider Enrollment Task Force for more than 10 years and is the recipient of the EDPMA Founders Award. Mr. Gaines serves on the faculty for ACEP’s Reimbursement & Coding Conference and presents frequently at chapter conferences nationwide. He is the recipient of North Carolina ACEP’s Outstanding Emergency Medicine Advocate Award and ACEP’s Outstanding Speaker of the Year Award.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Alma College and a Juris Doctorate degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. After a judicial clerkship at the North Carolina Court of Appeals, he entered private law practice specializing in litigation. Ed is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, North Carolina Bar Association’s Health Law Section, and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court.

E. Nicholas Kestner III
Honorary Membership Award

Mr. Kestner has served as Executive Director of Indiana ACEP for more than 33 years. He joined the chapter in 1979 from Indiana University, where he was the alumni association director for Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

During his tenure, Indiana ACEP has doubled to more than 540 members. Together, he and the Board of Directors have formed a political action committee, hired a lobbyist, presented successful educational conferences and held forums to help graduating emergency medicine residents find in-state positions. In addition to his chapter leadership, he has served on ACEP’s State Legislative/Regulatory Committee, Academic Affairs Committee, Public Health & Injury Prevention Committee, and National/Chapter Relations Committee.

At the start of his career at the Indiana Chapter, he launched a bicycle business that grew to five separate stores before his retirement in 2005. Committed to his community and college, Nick has dedicated many hours of service. Among other roles, he is currently chairman of the Indiana Senior Olympic Games Steering Committee, president of the building corporation for Carmel’s new central park and community center, and a member of IU’s President’s Circle.

Mr. Kestner holds a Bachelor’s degree in science and Master’s in business.

James D. Thompson, M.D.
Council Meritorious Service Award

Dr. Thompson practiced emergency medicine with Emergency Service Physicians (now Ergentus) in Denver for 35 years. As medical director from 1994 to 2011, he hired most of the private two-hospital group’s partners and was active on the boards and committees of both hospitals and their parent system, Exempla Healthcare. Now semi-retired, he serves as an advisor to the Ergentus Executive Committee and delivers urgent care in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

Throughout his career, Dr. Thompson has been an active and dedicated member of ACEP with a special emphasis on service to the Council. The members of Colorado ACEP elected him as an alternate Councillor in 1997 and selected him to represent them as councillor or alternate councillor each year for more than a decade. He served on the chapter’s Board of Directors and held its highest offices, including president.

At the national level, he has served on multiple ACEP and Council committees. He was Chair of the Finance Committee for three years and is currently a member of the Reimbursement Committee.

Dr. Thompson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and received his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina, where he graduated with honors.