EMS Fellowship

Welcome Statement:

EMS is an exciting and rapidly growing subspecialty of Emergency Medicine. EMS became the sixth subspecialty of Emergency Medicine on September 23, 2010, when it was approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The EMS Fellowship is ACGME accredited and was one of the initial fellowships to be accredited. We offer broad and varied clinical experience with a strong foundation in clinical care, environmental and situational issues, EMS Systems, medical oversight and administration, special operations, and education and organizational outreach. Our diverse training sites allow an EMS Fellow to focus on any area in which he or she has an interest. I hope that this site will convey our enthusiasm for training the best EMS Physicians, and future EMS Medicine leaders and give you a sense of the opportunities that the fellowship offers.

We are proud of the scholarship and leadership roles that our faculty and alumni hold in EMS nationwide, as well as our current fellows.

For more information about our program, see the overview page,  program details, and fellowship activities. If you have any other questions about our program, I encourage you to contact us emsfellowship@wustl.edu.

To apply for a fellowship position, please visit our How To Apply page.  There, you will find our Application Form.

Learn more about the EMS Fellowship

Bridgette Svancarek, MD, FAEMS

Program Director – EMS Fellowship, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine

Bridgette Svancarek, MD, FAEMS is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Program Director of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. She graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Medicine in 2006 and completed her Emergency Medicine Residency at Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago in 2009. Following residency, she completed the EMS Fellowship at Washington University. She is actively involved in all aspects of EMS education at the local, state, and national levels serving on the Missouri State EMS Education Subcommittee and as a board member for the Committee on Accreditation of EMS Programs (CoAEMSP). Recently, she was appointed Commissioner for the Committee on Allied Health Professions (CAAHEP). In addition, she is actively engaged with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). She also serves as the Medical Director of IHM EMS academy and North/South Technical EMT program. She was awarded her current status of FAEMS (Fellow of the Academy of EMS) by the National Association of EMS Physician (NAEMSP) in its inaugural class in 2016. She holds her board certifications in Emergency Medicine and EMS. She enjoys furthering EMS education, innovations and research for all levels of EMS clinicians.

James Li, MD

Assistant Program Director of Education – EMS Fellowship, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine

James Li, MD is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Assistant Program Director of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed his  Emergency Medicine Residency at University of Cincinnati and served as Chief Resident and a flight physician. He then completed his EMS Fellowship at University of Cincinnati and earned a Certificate in Medical Education. Currently, he is the Medical Director for Saline Valley Fire Protection District and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals EMS. He runs the EMS rotations for Washington University Emergency Medicine Residency and the EMS elective for Washington University School of Medicine. He is the Editor of the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) FOAMed blog and an active member of the NAEMSP Education Committee. He enjoys innovating in medical education, mentoring learners, and caring for patients both in the field and the emergency department.

David Wright, MS, PA-C, NRP, FAEMS

Assistant Program Director of Operations – EMS Fellowship, EMS Physician Assistant

David Wright, MS, PA-C, NRP. is an EMS Physician Assistant and Assistant Program Director of the EMS Fellowship at Washington University in St Louis.  He has an extensive EMS background, having initially worked as a firefighter/EMT, paramedic for a busy urban 911 response service, in-hospital paramedic, and flight paramedic.  After graduating from PA school, he completed the EMS fellowship at Washington University in St Louis.  He currently holds certifications as a Physician Assistant, Nationally Registered (and state licensed) Paramedic, Firefighter I & II, Fire and EMS Instructor, Clinical Simulation Instructor and Hazmat Operations, with additional training in Urban Search and Rescue (US&R)  and Tactical Medicine.  He is a well experienced instructor leading the Washington University EMS American Heart Association/National Association of EMT (AHA/NAEMT) training division, providing Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Basic Life Support (BLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) instruction to local EMS providers, while also providing frequent initial EMS education at the Jefferson Community College Paramedic Program.   He serves as the Assistant Medical Director for Des Peres Public Safety.  David is an active member of the National Association of EMS Physicians, eligible for FAEMS this year, and is currently the Chair of the NAEMSP EMS PA/NP Task Force.  By the end of the year, he also plans to graduate with his Doctoral Degree in Health Professional Education from Logan University in Chesterfield, MO.  His passions include EMS education for all EMS clinicians, clinical simulation and advancing the EMS profession in the new age of multifaceted EMS response.