I am honored to begin my two-year term as your President of NAEMSP. If you attended our annual meeting in San Diego last month, you know it was a terrific conference, with over 1,800 members in attendance—300 more than last year and an impressive 72% of our membership. Our association is strong and growing.
To José Cabañas—thank you for your leadership over the past two years. Your guidance has driven our growth and advanced NAEMSP’s mission. You have strengthened our connections with organizations that support our patients, EMS clinicians, and EMS agencies. I am grateful for your friendship and mentorship.
My goals for the coming year include:
- Advocating for EMS physicians and our members
- Enhancing support for medical students and residents interested in EMS medicine
- Managing and sustaining our exponential growth
- Addressing future and emerging clinical needs to ensure the highest quality patient care
Our strength as an association is amplified when we collaborate with like-minded EMS organizations. Over the past two years, we have deepened our partnerships with the National Association of EMTs, the American Ambulance Association, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the International Association of Firefighters. Our liaisons to various projects and organizations continue to be instrumental in advancing our mission.
Despite these strong partnerships, the role of EMS physicians is not always universally accepted within healthcare, nor is it consistently recognized by payors. Why can a family physician be reimbursed for a house call, yet an EMS physician—who resuscitates a patient in their living room or provides treatment-in-place—often is not? Our specialty has always been about treating patients where they are. Dr. Ron Stewart, our first president, captured this in his memoir, Treat Them Where They Lie. EMS physicians continue to make house calls—and street calls, bar calls, and nursing home calls—both in person and via telehealth.
Although we have strong allies in ACEP and AAEM, our representation within the broader medical community remains limited. NAEMSP does not currently have a formal position in the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association. This year, I hope to explore a stronger connection with the AMA to ensure greater physician unity in advocating for our specialty.
With the introduction of the When Minutes Count for Emergency Medical Patients bill and ongoing discussions about reimbursement for treatment-in-place, legislative advocacy is more critical than ever. I encourage all of you to join me and our advocacy leaders at the Government Relations Academy and our day on Capitol Hill on May 14-15. Together, we can educate legislators and champion the needs of EMS.
To sustain our specialty’s growth, we must engage medical students and residents. At last month’s annual conference, we introduced the role of Research Ambassadors for medical students, providing them with hands-on experience in supporting research presentations. I also met with eight medical students in a focus group—many are active EMS practitioners, and most have attended Prehospital Care Research Forum workshops or presented research abstracts. These students shared valuable ideas for enhancing the medical student experience within NAEMSP, and I see great opportunities for mentorship as they consider EMS medicine as a career.
In terms of patient care, older adults make up the largest patient population served by most EMS agencies. In Pennsylvania, falls among the elderly are the leading cause of trauma center admissions, and as our nation’s population ages, EMS systems are increasingly overwhelmed with calls for minor falls and lift assists. Geriatric patients also present unique challenges in vital signs, symptom presentation, and treatment approaches. Recognizing this, we established the Geriatric EMS Committee at our recent conference, with Dr. Chris Colwell as its inaugural chair. If you are passionate about improving EMS care for older patients, I encourage you to join this important initiative.
I want to extend my gratitude to the incoming Board of Directors, our Committee Chairs and members, and our liaisons to external organizations—you are the driving force behind NAEMSP’s success. I also want to preemptively thank JerrieLynn and our exceptional NAEMSP staff. I know we have the best team in the association business.
When I joined NAEMSP, I knew I had found my people. I have not missed a single annual meeting in 30 years, and I am truly humbled to serve as your President. I will work with integrity to strengthen our specialty, support our members, and enhance the safety and quality of EMS care.
I hope you will consider contributing to NAEMSP by serving on our committees, engaging in our projects, and advancing our mission. I look forward to seeing you at the Government Relations Academy in May and at our 2026 annual meeting in Tampa!
Douglas Kupas, MD, NRP, FAEMS
NAEMSP President