Prehospital & Disaster Medicine
Frontline EMS, Disaster Response & Systems-Based Care
Integrating EMS operations field training and disaster medicine
The Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Section at UTHealth Houston Emergency Medicine focuses on the delivery of high-quality out-of-hospital care, disaster preparedness, and large-scale emergency response.
Our faculty provide leadership across EMS systems, operational medical direction, and disaster medicine initiatives while advancing education, research, and community engagement in prehospital care.
Section Overview
Faculty within the section are actively engaged in all aspects of emergency medical services and disaster medicine, spanning operational oversight, education, and system development. The team works closely with regional EMS agencies, fire departments, and public safety partners to support high-quality prehospital care across the Greater Houston area.
In addition to routine EMS operations, the section plays a key role in disaster preparedness and response, supporting coordinated medical efforts during large-scale emergencies and complex system activations.
EMS & Field-Based Training
The EMS Fellowship and associated educational programs provide immersive, hands-on experience in prehospital medicine and system leadership.
Fellows and learners participate in:
- Field response and EMS ride-alongs
- Disaster preparedness and response training
- Operational medical direction experiences
- Quality improvement and system evaluation projects
- Air medical, tactical, and event medicine exposure
These experiences offer direct insight into the structure and function of out-of-hospital care systems, with emphasis on real-time decision-making in dynamic environments.
Medical Direction & System Leadership
Section faculty provide medical oversight for a wide range of EMS agencies and prehospital systems. This includes collaboration with urban and regional EMS providers to support evidence-based protocols, clinical education, and system performance improvement.
Faculty expertise spans:
- EMS medical direction
- Disaster and emergency preparedness
- Tactical and law enforcement medicine
- Aeromedical and transport medicine
- Event and mass gathering medical operations
- Prehospital quality improvement and research
Through these roles, the section supports both daily EMS operations and regional emergency response readiness.
Education Across the Continuum
Prehospital medicine education is integrated throughout the residency and medical student experience.
Learners participate in:
- Structured EMS rotations
- Field-based experiential learning
- Disaster and mass casualty simulation exercises
- Didactic teaching and case-based discussions
- Interprofessional training exercises
Residents gain exposure to EMS system operations and prehospital decision-making, while medical students engage through elective experiences and simulation-based learning that introduce foundational concepts in out-of-hospital care.
Disaster Medicine & Mass Gathering Operations
The section plays an active role in disaster preparedness and response planning, as well as medical coverage for large-scale public events.
Faculty and fellows contribute to planning and operational support for mass gatherings such as major sporting events, endurance races, and community-wide events. These experiences provide valuable exposure to incident command structures, resource coordination, and real-time emergency response in high-volume environments.