NAEMSP Awards
The following awards are presented annually at the NAEMSP Annual Meeting in January. Click here to review the criteria and submit a nomination.
- Ronald D. Stewart Award – This annual award is presented to person who has made a lasting, major contribution to the national EMS community.
- Keith Neely Outstanding Contribution to EMS Award- This award is presented to an active or past member of NAEMSP who has provided significant leadership to the association and is named after the late Keith Neely, the first non-physician member to serve on the NAEMSP Board of Directors.
- Friends of EMS Award - The Friends of EMS award is presented to an individual or organization that has been an advocate in furthering NAEMSP’s mission through influencing or implementing national public policy.
2019 Award Winners
NAEMSP® recognized the following individual at our awards luncheon in Austin in January 2019:
Ronald D. Stewart Award
R.J. Frascone, MD, FACEP, FAEMS
Since the early 1990s, Dr. Frascone has focused on improving EMS response to cardiac arrest and has led some of the most innovative work in resuscitation science over the past decade. He served as the site P.I. and 2nd author on the largest pre-hospital RCT comparing survival of patients treated with standard CPR to those treated with AC/DC CPR and an ITD (The ResQTrial).
Despite the many barriers associated with out-of-hospital investigations, he has fostered a culture of research and scientific exploration at his hospital, among his staff, and within his EMS services.
He has been a regional leader in EMS policy issues serving as the Chair of the Minnesota EMS Regulatory Board and was instrumental in creating the Medical Director’s Standing Advisory Committee which advises the state’s regulatory body on all EMS clinical care issues.
The EMS agencies and providers who work with him know him as an approachable advocate for the profession and for the care provided to his patients and has been a visible and constant presence in EMS at the local, state, and national level.
Keith Neely Outstanding Contribution to EMS Award
Hideharu Tanaka
(award accepted by Yuko Nakajima)
Dr. Tanaka spent five years as Chair of NAEMSP’s Asian Relations Committee. Under his leadership, this committee grew so large as to be able to form a stand alone organization: The Asian Association of EMS. He worked with NAEMSP to sponsor almost a dozen Medical Director Overview Courses in several Asian countries and now leads the Pan-Asian Pre-hospital Education and Registry (PAPER) project. Because of his leadership, Dr. Tanaka has introduced principles of effective physician leadership for pre-hospital care as espoused by NAEMSP across all of Asia.
Regretfully, Dr. Tanaka was unable to attend this year’s meeting in-person, but his colleague, Dr. Yuko Nakajima accepted the 2019 Keith Neely Outstanding Contribution to NAEMSP Award on his behalf.
Friends of EMS Award
Ritu Sahni, MD, MPH, FAEMS
Ritu Sahni has spent countless hours on behalf of our membership and our specialty in implementing legislation having a direct impact on our practice of EMS Medicine. Without his representation in Washington, we would never have been able to enjoy the legislative successes seen over the past year.
Presidents Award
Michael Redlener, MD, FAEMS and Scott Bourn, PhD, RN
We all understand the difficulties encountered as we work to assure equitable, reliable delivery of care to each of our patients while respecting the professionalism of our providers. We also know that distance learning via a learning management system is also an essential enhancement for our members. Over the past year, Drs. Redlener and Bourn have shepherded the first year-long Quality Course for our organization while piloting our LMS, to rave revues. The second course is already underway and our patients and providers will continue to benefit from this outstanding work.
John Gallagher, MD
Comedian Carol Burnett once said: “Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.” John Gallagher can no doubt understand the profound truth of this phrase. The words on the page change our practice, enforce our views, and guide us to better care. Please join me in congratulating the outgoing chair of the NAEMSP Standards and Clinical Practice Committee.
2019 Abstract Winners
Best Scientific Presentation
Survival after Intravenous vs. Intraosseous Amiodarone, Lidocaine or Placebo in Out-of-Hospital Ventricular Fibrillation Cardiac Arrest
Mohamud Daya, Brian Leroux, Thomas Rea, Paul Dorian, Joshua Lupton, Tom Aufderheide, David Barbic, James Christenson, Caroline Herdeman, James Menegazzi, Laurie Morrison, Craig Newgard, Gary Vlike, Peter Kudenchuk, Department of Emergency Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University
Best Student/Resident/Fellow Research Presentation
In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, longer on scene times are associated with higher survival rates: “scoop and run” may be deadly
Christopher Berry, Douglas Kupas, Mark Olaf, Anne Knorr, Andrea Berger, Division of EMS, Geisinger Health System
Best EMS Professional Research Presentation
Revisiting the “Scanty Science” of Prehospital Emergency Care
James Menegazzi, Benjamin Glennon, University of Pittsburgh
Best Poster Abstract Presentation
Can A Sub-Perfect Glasgow Coma Scale Motor Score (GCS-M) Replace The CDC Field Triage Guideline (FTG) Physiologic Criteria in Children?
Matthew Harris, Maya Capua, Mark Merlin, Seungjun Ahn, Nate Christopherson, Jose Prince, Children's Hospital of Colorado
Best Cardiac Arrest Presentation
Double Sequential External Defibrillation improves termination of Ventricular Fibrillation and Return of Spontaneous Circulation in shock-refractory Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Sheldon Cheskes, Shelley McLeod, Jim Summers, Laurie Morrison, Alexandra Wudwud, P Richard Verbeek, Rescu Investigators Rescu, Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine
Best Disaster Research Presentation – sponsored by NDLSF163.
Pediatric Mass Casualty Triage Algorithms: A Comparative Study Analyzing Speed, Accuracy, and Inter-rater Reliability
Katherine Staats, Tabitha Cheng, Nicole D'Arcy, Kian Niknam, J. Joelle Donofrio, Stanford University, Department of Emergency Medicine
Best Pediatric Research Presentation
Prehospital Emergency Assessment of Kids (PEAK) Performance
Kathryn Rappaport, Chelsea Zuger, Neil Desai, Michelle Alletag, Ashley Balakas, Sean Caffrey, Jan Leonard, Kelley Roswell, Patrick Mahar, Kathleen Adelgais, University of Colorado School of Medicine
History of Award Winners
President's Award Winners
Michael Redlener -- 2019
Scott Bourn -- 2019
John Gallagher -- 2019
Michael Guttenburg (posthumously) -- 2018
Salvatore Silvestri (posthumously) -- 2018
Hawnwan Phil Moy -- 2017
J. Joelle Donofrio -- 2017
John Lyng -- 2017
Brian Clemency -- 2017
Jose Cabanas --2016
Darren Walter -- 2016
Julie Houle -- 2016
Ronald D. Stewart Award Winners
R.J. Frascone -- 2019
Baxter Larmon -- 2018
Robert A. Swor -- 2017
Drew Dawson -- 2016
Justin Maloney -- 2016
Robert O'Connor, MD -- 2015
Norman M. Dinerman, MD -- 2014
Jeff Clawson, MD -- 2013
William Brown, RN, NREMT-P -- 2012
Debra Perina, MD -- 2011
Daniel Spaite, MD -- 2010
William W. Jermyn, DO -- 2009
Roger White, MD -- 2008
Edward J. Cain, MD -- 2007
Mickey Eisenberg, MD -- 2006
Dan Storer -- 2005
James O. Page, JD -- 2004
Jon Krohmer, MD -- 2003
Michael Copass, MD -- 2002
Leonard Cobb -- 2002
Norm McSwain, MD-- 2001
John Campbell, MD -- 2001
Bob Bailey -- 2000
Eugene Nagel, MD -- 1998
Ricardo Martinez, MD -- 1997
Nicholas Benson, MD -- 1996
John Chew -- 1995
National Association of State EMS Directors -- 1994
Paul Paris, MD -- 1993
Stan Zydlow, MD -- 1992
National EMS Medical Directors Course Faculty -- 1991
Paul Pepe, MD -- 1990
Marvin Birnbaum, MD -- 1989
Senator Alan Cranston -- 1988
Leonard A. Cobb, MD -- 1987
Keith Neely Outstanding Contribution to EMS Award Winners
Hideharu Tanaka -- 2019
Susan McHenry -- 2018
Thomas Judge, MS, EMT-P -- 2017
Alex Isakov, MD -- 2016
Marcus Ong, MD, MPH and Sang Do Shin, MD -- 2015
Michael Levy, MD -- 2014
E. Brooke Lerner, PhD -- 2013
James Menegazzi, PhD -- 2012
Brian Schwartz, MD -- 2011
Robert E. O’Connor, MD, MPH -- 2009
Beth Adams, MA, RN, NREMT-P -- 2008
Julette Saussy, MD -- 2007
David Persse, MD-- 2007
Lawrence Brown, EMT-P -- 2006
Raymond Fowler, MD -- 2005
Richard Hunt, MD -- 2004
Robert A. Swor, DO -- 2002
Keith Neely -- 2001 -- this award was originally called the NAEMSP Outstanding Contribution Award -- the name changed in 2002 honoring Keith after his death.
Friends of EMS Award Winners
Ritu Sahni -- 2019
Robert Wagoner -- 2018
Honorable Richard Hudson, US House of Representatives (NC) -- 2017
Honorable Bill Cassidy, US Senate (LA) -- 2017
NAEMT -- 2016
Bryan McNally, CARES -- 2015
Physio-Control -- 2014
Kevin McGinnis, NASEMSO -- 2013
Richard Hunt, MD -Centers for Disease Control -- 2012
Gary Freeman - ZOLL -- 2011
William Ball - GM OnStar -- 2010
Susan McHenry, MS – NHTSA -- 2009
Dan Kavanaugh, MSW - EMSC -- 2008
Richard H. Carmona, MD -- 2007
The Laerdal Family -- 2005
Jeff Runge -- 2004
Drew Dawson - NHTSA -- 2003
Jeff Michael, PhD - NHTSA -- 2002
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby -- 2001