“So there we were in a hotel bar in Dallas in the spring of 1974, just sitting around and talking. There was a guy named Bill Walker from Cincinnati, a guy named Jeff Sullivan from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and a couple of others. I told them about my idea to form an organization for residents. They all liked the idea, and that afternoon EMRA was born.”
— Joseph F. Waeckerle, MD, EMRA Founder
Half a century ago, our association was founded with a vision of service to, and representation of, emergency medicine residents. EMRA has kept that charge at the core of its mission. From our inception we have prioritized hearing from our members through the EMRA Representative Council, which has produced an extensive policy compendium guiding the beliefs of our organization.
Blake Denley, MD
EMRA President
As we stand at this significant milestone, I’m excited to spend 2024 reflecting on our journey, honoring our achievements, and looking forward to a future filled with even greater accomplishments. What we now label as our 3 pillars — education, leadership, and advocacy — have been part of our DNA since day one.
Education is the core of residency and the cornerstone of excellent patient care. Over the past five decades, EMRA has been at the forefront of providing industry-leading, evidence-based educational resources used by thousands of physicians daily. And every step of the way, residents have been involved in the planning and creation of these resources. Our commitment to education has not only helped shape the careers of individual physicians but has also impacted the practice of emergency medicine as a whole.
Leadership is foundational to providing the gold-standard, physician-led care that EMRA believes every patient deserves. EMRA has consistently fostered leadership skills among its members, preparing them to be not just exceptional clinicians but also influential leaders in their communities and the broader medical field. Our leadership programs have nurtured the growth of young physicians, many of whom have gone on to hold key positions within health care institutions, shaping policies and driving innovations that have a lasting impact on patient care and emergency medicine practice.
Advocacy is where our passion for emergency medicine meets our commitment to society and one another. EMRA has been a powerful voice advocating for policies and reforms that ensure the best possible care for patients and optimal working conditions for emergency medicine professionals. With an invitation to send an EMRA representative to the Liaison Residency Endorsement Committee for Emergency Medicine (precursor to the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Emergency Medicine, now the Review Committee for Emergency Medicine), EMRA helped shape emergency medicine residency standards from the beginning. It was also an EMRA representative who in 1978 introduced a resolution to the AMA Resident Physician Section (now the Resident & Fellow Section) that supported recognizing emergency medicine as a specialty. We have championed the causes that matter most to our members, shaping not just emergency medicine training, but also the specialty itself.
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we honor these pillars by recommitting ourselves to the values they represent. We will continue to advance our knowledge, lead with integrity, and advocate fiercely for the betterment of our members and the future of our specialty. The journey ahead is filled with opportunities and challenges alike, but together, we are poised to meet them with the same spirit of excellence that has defined EMRA for the past 50 years.
