Residents and Fellows

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Emergency Medicine Residents and Fellows

The Department of Emergency Medicine has a robust faculty presence, a fully-accredited residency program, and an active research program. Our faculty has varied research interests including critical care, sepsis, ultrasound, EMS, wilderness medicine and sports medicine. Regardless of interest, there is sure to be faculty support for any subspecialty of Emergency Medicine.

Our facility holds a unique position as the only academic medical center in the state. We are also the only Level 1 Trauma Center within in our state, guaranteeing an impressive variety of pathology and acuity for our residents. In conjunction with staff who is passionate about education, our training offers valuable investment in career readiness and development.

Residents have the opportunity to attend national conferences where submissions may be shaped and finessed by faculty.

Fellowships are available in multiple Emergency Medicine-related areas.

More about our Residency Program

The Emergency Medicine residency program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center was founded in 1986, with departmental status since 1994. We are a PGY 1-3 program. Over 200 emergency physicians have graduated our program and currently practice in a wide range of settings. Many of our graduates stay in Mississippi or other southeastern states; however, we have graduates practicing all across the country, and several internationally. Approximately 25 percent of our graduates pursue careers in academic medicine.

The goal of residency training in emergency medicine is to produce true emergency medicine specialists, with both the knowledge and clinical experience to respond to each and every medical emergency in any arena. Education, at the bedside and in the conference room, forms the keystone of our approach to residency training at UMMC. Finally, all residents should be well trained in teaching and research, and we ensure this happens. With several million dollars in research grants and an active research fellowship, we are particularly proud of the exceptional research produced in our department. Residents and students play an active role in keeping our department in the top tier of research departments across the country.

The first-year resident's primary role is patient care. Assessment, diagnostic and management skills are refined, and procedural skills are stressed through a program of intensive training. In the second year, the resident has the added responsibility of managing an area of the department, and further develops skills in resuscitation of critical patients. In the senior year, the resident assumes responsibility for the department in its entirety and directs both medical and trauma resuscitations.

Program Leaders

A note from our Program Director

Welcome to the Emergency Medicine residency program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center! My name is Jonah Gunalda and I am privileged to lead this program.Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the training opportunities we offer.

We are an established residency program, dating back to 1986. As the state’s only level 1 trauma center and Children’s Hospital, we are unopposed in our ability to offer a premier training experience to one of the sickest patient populations in the country. Over the years, we have adapted our training to meet the needs of our patients and our emergency medicine residents. I will take a moment here to highlight some of our program values and the unique training we offer at UMMC.

First, we value clinical excellence above all. Our mission is to develop emergency physicians who can autonomously provide safe, evidence-based, and quality care to patients. To that end we have aligned our educational programming to ensure our graduates receive nothing less than the best training in order to provide the best care. We believe in graded responsibility within the clinical arena, allowing our residents to assume ownership of their patients and the department as they grow and develop. All areas of our emergency department are staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians who supervise residents.

Second, we value teamwork and community. Mississippi is known as the “Hospitality State,” and we take pride in creating and maintaining a family feel within our program. We truly care for our own and understand that emergency medicine is a team sport. Collegiality, camaraderie, and mutual respect allow us to apply our individual skills and attributes to meet the needs of our varied patient population. We strive to celebrate and leverage our residents’ and faculty’s differences, understanding that everyone brings something unique to the table. As a team, we align ourselves as individuals under a common mission to serve our community.

Third, we value innovation and advancement of knowledge and delivery of care. Medicine and education are not stagnant. From the classroom to the bedside, we want to provide the highest level of training and care we can based on the best quality evidence available. Our faculty are dedicated and passionate about training the best with the best. We also strive to investigate new advances in medicine, and our residents have the opportunity to present their scholarly work at national conferences.

At UMMC our residents rotate in our surgical, pediatric, neuroscience, and medical intensive care units. Our interns begin their training with a month in our Orientation Program in Emergency Medicine (OPEM). All residents work integrated pediatric ED shifts and community ED shifts. Residents attend quarterly procedure labs and have the opportunity to serve on our various committees. We offer a variety of fellowships including EMS, Pediatric EM, Ultrasound, Critical Care, Sports Medicine, and Research. 

These are just some of the highlights of our values and what makes us unique. Thank you again for taking the time to learn more about us. Please contact us for more information or to schedule a visit.

Jonah Gunalda, MD
Program Director

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