U. appoints first Emergency Medicine chief

In conjunction with the increased emphasis on emergency medicine nationwide, William Baxt was recently named the first chairman of the new Department of Emergency Medicine at the University Medical Center. Baxt's appointment, effective July 1, comes on the first anniversary of Emergency Medicine's promotion to full department status in the Medical School. Baxt, currently a professor of Clinical Medicine and Surgery at the University of California at San Diego Medical Center and director of UCSD's Trauma Center, will handle both the major clinical and administrative tasks in the department. The Department of Emergency Medicine consists of both academic and hospital units, according to Stephanie Abbuhl, acting chairperson of the department. The academic division includes courses in the Medical School and research components, Abbuhl said. Doctors in the Emergency Medicine Department run the Emergency Room of the Medical Center, which is responsible for 32 percent of the hospital's admissions. It also operates the Travel and Immunization Clinic and Fast Track, a special ward of the Emergency Room in which personnel treat patients needing immediate care. Given its status as a full department, Emergency Medicine is currently attempting to set up a residency program. "We don't have a residency program yet," Abbuhl said. "However, we hopefully will apply for a program this fall and could see our first residents in 1996." While emergency rooms have been located in hospitals for decades, the medical discipline of emergency medicine is relatively new. "It has been around for 20 years or so, beginning in the early 70s," Abbuhl said. "We are one of the specialties in medicine." "This [department status] is a great recognition of the unique practice of EM," said Susan Canning, administrator of the department. "It recognizes the contribution of EM." Baxt will bring many years of emergency medical experience to the Medical Center. He was a flight physician and medical director for the Life Flight Aeromedical Program at the UCSD Medical Center. He also was an Emergency Medical Technician instructor for the San Diego Police Department. Baxt's appointment has drawn widespread praise at the University. "There was a national search for a nationally known leader in emergency medicine," Abbuhl said. "Baxt was that leader." "Everyone here is real excited about Baxt coming," said Harriet Levy, spokesperson for the Medical Center.