EMS/Disaster Medicine (Fellowship)

Program Overview

Our ACGME approved EMS/Disaster Medicine Fellowship began in July 2012. We have recruited Dr. Mark Merlin to be the fellowship director. Dr. Merlin created New Jersey’s first two EMS fellowship programs as well as physician response in the state (MD-1).

Dr. Merlin is an NIH investigator with over 1.4 million of federal grant dollars and over 50 publications. Every fellow trained under Dr. Merlin has published at least two manuscripts. As the Chair of the MICU Advisory Board and Medical Director of the State EMS/Disaster Preparedness Task Force, Dr. Merlin continues to create policy and provide oversight of New Jersey’s ALS/disaster community. To date, every fellow who has trained under Dr. Merlin has obtained a national position with EMS.

This unique fellowship aligns with several state organizations and EMS systems to provide EMS leadership training that is truly outstanding. As part of a coordinated effort, the EMS fellow will support EMS operations for 30 regional ALS units covering 4 million people and more than 240,000 911 requests, as well as for both state and private helicopter systems. The fellow is supplied an official vehicle for the year and responds to entrapments/mass casualty incidents in the field.

Our fellowship is distinctive because it encompasses all aspects of prehospital care including county based systems, private interfacility transports, state police & private airmedical transports, two tiered systems, on-scene medical direction, statewide disaster preparedness systems, mass gathering medicine, tactical EMS, EMS research and clinical teaching shifts mentoring emergency medicine residents. Additionally two tracks are available, one leading to a Masters Degree in Public Health.

The fellowship is organized into monthly rotations with ample time allocated to perform research, respond to prehospital incidents and study independently to become an effective EMS leader. For more information about this exciting opportunity contact Dr. Mark Merlin at Mark.Merlin@rwjbh.org or EMS Fellowship Administrative Coordinator Kimberly DeHaarte at 973-926-6671.