Chair's Welcome
Dr. Robert Shesser
Professor & Chairman
Emergency Medicine
Welcome to the new website for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the George Washington University! We are the seventh academic Department of Emergency Medicine in the United States. The Department and its faculty and staff have been working since 1979 to expand the definition and scope of activity of Emergency Medicine practice, teaching, and research. We have developed an extensive series of educational and consulting activities described in this site that literally span the globe.
Our core research focus is the intersection of Emergency Medicine and Public Health recognizing that emergency care delivery systems provide care to populations while each physician within the system advocates for the individual patient being treated.
Our clinical activities in the Hospital Emergency Department provide a window into the community as we treat patients with conditions that reflect the burdens of illness and injury within our society. The ED is a true safety net to assist patients with both limited access to care as well as those patients who experience difficulty in navigating an increasing complex delivery system. Increases in population mobility and the advent of new, time-dependent therapies have lead to increases in our patient volume.
Departmental research focuses on International Emergency Medicine, Injury Prevention, Emergency Preparedness and Toxicology, and Health Policy. In addition, we have an active clinical research program and student programs extending from undergraduate to continuing education for a wide group of health professionals.
We look forward to growth and development of all the programs described in this site and hope that we can continue to make contributions to societal well being through direct clinical care, teaching, research, and consulting.
Sincerely,
Robert Shesser, MD
Professor & Chair