Meet Our Core Faculty

FULL TIME FACULTY

Michael Epter, DO

Residency Program Director
Vice Chair for Education

Residency: Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center
Started as Faculty: 2013
Academic Interests: Resident Education, Physician Wellness, Neurology

Jeffrey Stowell, MD

Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine – University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine – Creighton University School of Medicine

Medical school: University of Arizona
Residency: The University of Texas at Houston
Fellowship: Denver Health Ultrasound Fellowship
Started as Faculty: 2015
Academic Interests: Ultrasound, Critical Care and Resuscitation, Resident Education

Amrita Vempati, MD

Associate Program Director

Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Residency: St. John Hospital and Medical Center
Started as faculty: 2018
Academic Interests: Medical education, Simulation

Aneesh Narang, MD

Attending Physician
Associate Residency Program Director for Banner-Affiliated Hospitals

Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Residency: Boston University Medical Center
Academic Interests: Simulation, student education, residency curriculum development, difficult airway management

Geoff Comp, DO, FAWM

Attending Physician
Associate Residency Program Director

Medical school: Kansas City University Medical College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Doctors Hospital/Ohio Health
Started as Faculty: 2019
Academic Interests: Wilderness Medicine

Patricia Bayless, MD, FACEP

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Residency: Texas Tech University/El Paso
Started as Faculty: 1986
Academic Interests: Biomedical Ethics, Medical Practice Management, Medical Informatics
Personal Statement: Simple things are simple and don’t assume

David Bell, MD, PhD

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Residency: Maricopa Medical Center
Academic Interests: Board preparation, medical ethics
Personal Statement: What ideal, immutable Platonic cloud could equal the beauty and perfection of any ordinary everyday cloud floating over, say, Tuba City, Arizona, on a hot day in June?

Paul Blackburn, DO, FACOEP, FACEP

Attending Physician
Former Residency Program Director
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Residency: Internship Tulsa Regional Medical Center 1983-1984
Emergency Medicine: Michigan State University/Lansing 1989-1992
Started as Faculty: 1992
Academic Interests: Ophthalmology, Medical Education

Levi Filler, DO

Attending Physician
Associate Director, Emergency Ultrasound Division
Clinical Assistant professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Clinical Assistant professor, Creighton University

Medical School: Midwestern University, Arizona
Residency: Maricopa Medical Center
Started as Faculty: 2018
Fellowship: Emergency Ultrasound, Valleywise Health
Academic interests: Emergency Ultrasound, curriculum development

Kara Iskyan Geren, MD, MPH

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Residency: Allegheny General Hospital Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine
Started as Faculty: 2010
Academic Interests: Advocacy, Public Health

Bruce Horwood, MD

Attending Physician
Prehospital Medical Director
Associate Trauma Director

Residency: Maricopa Medical Center
Started as Faculty: 1993
Academic Interests: EMS, Trauma, Airway Management

Carl Mitchell, MD

Attending Physician
Director, Emergency Ultrasound Division
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Residency: Kern Medical Center
Started as Faculty: 2014
Fellowship: Emergency Ultrasound, Maricopa Medical Center
Academic Interests: Emergency Ultrasound, Regional Anesthesia, Medical Informatics, Medical Education
Personal Statement: If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

Jack Palmer, MD

Attending Physician

Medical School: Suny Upstate Medical University
Residency: University of Cincinnati Emergency Medicine (2013)
Started as Faculty: 2020
Academic Interests: Teaching/education, Leadership, Operations/ Administration

Paul Pugsley, MD

Attending Physician
Clinical Instructor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Medical School: Albany Medical College
Residency: Maricopa Medical Center
Started as Faculty: 2019
Fellowship: Valleywise Health-Mayo Clinic Admin Fellowship
Academic Interests: Emergency Department and Hospital Operations, Quality Improvement, Healthcare Economics, Stroke Management, Arrhythmia Management

Shirley Shao, MD

Attending Physician

Medical School: SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY
Residency: University of Pittsburgh
Started as Faculty: 2020
Fellowship: Toxicology, University of Pittsburgh
Academic Interests: Emergency Department and Hospital Operations, Quality Improvement, Healthcare Economics, Stroke Management, Arrhythmia Management

Dan Quan, DO, FAAEM

Director of Research
Director, Medical Toxicology Consultation Service
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Attending Physician

Residency: Provident Hospital of Cook County, Chicago
Fellowship: Medical Toxicology, Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ
Started as Faculty: 2008
Academic Interests: Toxicology

Thomas Whiting, DO

Clerkship Director
Attending Physician

Residency: Creighton/Maricopa Emergency Medicine
Fellowship: Ultrasound, Creighton/Maricopa Emergency Medicine
Started as Faculty: 2020
Academic Interests: Ultrasound, Medical Education

PART TIME FACULTY

Murtaza Akhter, MD

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Medical school: Northwestern University Feinberg SOM
Residency: Grady, Emory University School of Medicine
Fellowship: Neurologic Emergencies, MGH/Harvard
Started as faculty: 2015
Academic Interests: Neurologic Emergencies and Research

Personal Interests: Conan O’Brien, Basketball, Theatre/Plays, Eating Outdoors, and Cutie Pies

Thomas L. Bostwick, MD, FACEP, AMO, CAPT, USPHS (retired)

Attending Physician
Director, Advanced Practice Provider Program
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Residency:  Maricopa Medical Center
Started as Faculty: 1997
Academic Interests:  Aviation/Ship Medicine, MIlitary Medicine, Orthopedics, Clinical Education, EMS
Personal Statement:  “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unaware”

Daniel Brooks, MD

Attending Physician
Medical Director, Banner University Medical Center – Phoenix, Poison Center

Residency: University of Pittsburgh
Fellowship: Medical Toxicology, Banner University Medical Center – Phoenix

Patrick Connell, MD, FACEP

Attending Physician

Medical school: University of Arizona College of Medicine (1974)
Residency: University of Arizona Health Sciences Center
Academic interests: global medicine, HIV, parasitic diseases
Hobbies: fly small planes, classical piano
Dr. Connell works in Central America 8 months per year doing emergency medicine, teaching, & working to build a new hospital.

Chris Crowe, MD

Attending Physician

Medical school: University of Arizona College of Medicine
Residency: Maricopa Medical Center class of 2014
Academic interests: CPR quality, Resuscitation

Tim Davie, MD

Attending Physician

Medical School: UCSD
Residency: Maricopa Medical Center, class of 2015
Started as faculty: 2015
Academic interests: Cognitive heuristics, risk management, efficiency

Jason Grimsman, DO

Attending Physician

Medical school: Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ
Residency: Emergency Medicine, Baystate Medical Center/Tufts University School of Medicine
Fellowship: Emergency Ultrasound, Maricopa Medical Center
Started as Faculty: 2014
Academic Interests: Ultrasounding all of the things, teaching the next generation of EM docs to be better than me
Personal Interests: Saving the world from itself through medicine, sarcasm, and a bit of luck

Serge Hougeir, MD, MPH, FAAEM

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Medical School: University of Arizona college of medicine Tucson
Residency: Jefferson University Hospital Emergency Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Started as faculty: 2018
Academic interests: Global Emergency Medicine, Resident and Medical School Education, public health, health policy, Critical Care,
Personal interests: Spending time with wife and family, soccer, languages

Kenneth C. Jackimczyk, MD, FACEP

Attending Physician
Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Former Residency Program Director

Residency: Denver Colorado
Started as Faculty: 1983
Academic Interests: EMS, Trauma, Faculty Development
Personal statement: The path to clinical excellence is a journey not a sprint. Read everyday about the patients you see.

Frank LoVecchio, DO, FACEP

Attending Physician
Associate Medical Director, Samaritan Regional Poison Control Center
Professor, Research Scholar Track, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Residency: Mount Sinai School of Medicine Integrated Program in Emergency Medicine
Fellowship: Medical Toxicology and Medical Forensics
Started as Faculty: 1996
Academic Interests: Infectious Disease, Toxicology, Outcomes Research
Personal Statement: Have fun and learn

Pedro Roque, MD

Attending Physician

Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Residency: Maricopa Medical Center (2014
Academic interests: Quality improvement, ultrasound

Tim Ryan, DO

Attending Physician
Full-time clinical faculty at Abrazo Central (formerly Phoenix Baptist Hospital); former Chief of Staff

Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
Residency: Mercy St. Vincent ED Residency, Toledo, OH
Started as faculty: 2014
Academic interests: Sepsis, stroke care, and resident education post residency.
Personal interests: Notre Dame football, fishing, traveling, golf, and spending time with family.

Jesse Shriki, DO

Attending Physician

Residency: Maricopa Medical Center
Academic interests: Ultrasound, toxicology, pediatrics, medical literature & statistics

Alexander Toledo, DO, PharmD, FAAEM, FAAP

Attending Physician
Chief, Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Child Health
Medical Director, Pediatric Emergency Department, Arizona Children’s Center at Maricopa Medical Center
Assistant Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Child Health

Residency: Morristown Memorial Hospital, Mount Sinai College of Medicine, Morristown NJ
Fellowship: Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston TX
Started as Faculty: 2014
Academic Interests: Pediatric Emergentology, Pediatric Pharmacology, Forensic Pharmacokinetics

ALUMNI FACULTY

Thomas Striegel, DO

Attending Physician

Medical School: Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Maricopa Medical Center
Fellowship: Palliative Medicine fellowship with Banner University Medial Center/Carl T Hayden VA Medical Center
Academic interests: Palliative Medicine in the Emergency Setting, Communication, Healthcare Administration

Stephan Stapczynski, MD, FACEP

Attending Physician
Professor, Clinical Scholar Track, University of Arizona – Phoenix
Chair Emeritus

Residency: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Started as Faculty: 2004
Academic Interests: Cardiac Emergencies, Research Methodology
Personal Statement: The Emergency Medicine Department at Maricopa is based in a public teaching hospital with a strong academic mission – to train the best.

Richard A. Seligson, MD

Attending Physician Emeritus

Residency: Maricopa Medical Center
Grandfathered in to board certification Maricopa Medical Center
Started as Faculty: 1974
Retired: June 2017, after 43 years of practice at Maricopa Medical Center
Academic Interests: QI, PI, PR, ED Radiology and Cardiology
Personal Statement: The patient encounter, history and physical remain the essence of diagnosis, and should never be deemphasized in the teaching of medicine.

Thomas Kelly (“TK”), MD

Attending Physician
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Residency: Maricopa Medical Center
Academic Interests: Resident education, emergency medical services, altitude medicine

Meet Our Core Faculty

FULL TIME FACULTY

Michael Epter, DO

Residency Program Director Vice Chair for Education

Jeffrey Stowell, MD

Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine – University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine – Creighton University School of Medicine

Amrita Vempati, MD

Associate Program Director

Aneesh Narang, MD

Attending Physician ​Associate Residency Program Director for Banner-Affiliated Hospitals

Geoff Comp, DO, FAWM

Attending Physician ​Associate Residency Program Director

Patricia Bayless, MD, FACEP

Attending Physician Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

David Bell, MD, PhD

Attending Physician Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Paul Blackburn, DO, FACOEP, FACEP

Attending Physician Former Residency Program Director Clinical Associate Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Levi Filler, DO

Attending Physician ​Associate Director, Emergency Ultrasound Division Clinical Assistant professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Clinical Assistant professor, Creighton University

Kara Iskyan Geren, MD, MPH

Attending Physician Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Bruce Horwood, MD

Attending Physician ​Prehospital Medical Director Associate Trauma Director

Carl Mitchell, MD

Attending Physician ​Director, Emergency Ultrasound Division Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Jack Palmer, MD

Attending Physician

Paul Pugsley, MD

Attending Physician Clinical Instructor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Shirley Shao, MD

Attending Physician

Dan Quan, DO, FAAEM

Director of Research Director, Medical Toxicology Consultation Service Clinical Associate Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix ​Attending Physician

Thomas Whiting, DO

Clerkship Director ​Attending Physician

PART TIME FACULTY

Murtaza Akhter, MD

Attending Physician Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Thomas L. Bostwick, MD, FACEP, AMO, CAPT, USPHS (retired)

Attending Physician ​Director, Advanced Practice Provider Program Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Daniel Brooks, MD

Attending Physician ​Medical Director, Banner University Medical Center – Phoenix, Poison Center

Patrick Connell, MD, FACEP

Attending Physician

Chris Crowe, MD

Attending Physician

Tim Davie, MD

Attending Physician

Jason Grimsman, DO

Attending Physician

Serge Hougeir, MD, MPH, FAAEM

Attending Physician Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Kenneth C. Jackimczyk, MD, FACEP

Attending Physician Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Former Residency Program Director

Frank LoVecchio, DO, FACEP

Attending Physician ​Associate Medical Director, Samaritan Regional Poison Control Center Professor, Research Scholar Track, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Pedro Roque, MD

Attending Physician

Tim Ryan, DO

Attending Physician Full-time clinical faculty at Abrazo Central (formerly Phoenix Baptist Hospital); former Chief of Staff

Jesse Shriki, DO

Attending Physician

Alexander Toledo, DO, PharmD, FAAEM, FAAP

Attending Physician Chief, Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Child Health Medical Director, Pediatric Emergency Department, Arizona Children’s Center at Maricopa Medical Center Assistant Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Child Health

ALUMNI FACULTY

Thomas Striegel, DO

Attending Physician

Stephan Stapczynski, MD, FACEP

Attending Physician Professor, Clinical Scholar Track, University of Arizona – Phoenix Chair Emeritus

Richard A. Seligson, MD

Attending Physician Emeritus

Thomas Kelly (“TK”), MD

Attending Physician Clinical Associate Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Residency Program Director
Vice Chair for Education

Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine – University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine – Creighton University School of Medicine

Attending Physician
Associate Residency Program Director for Banner-Affiliated Hospitals

Attending Physician
Associate Residency Program Director

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attending Physician
Former Residency Program Director
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attending Physician
Associate Director, Emergency Ultrasound Division
Clinical Assistant professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Clinical Assistant professor, Creighton University

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attending Physician
Prehospital Medical Director
Associate Trauma Director

Attending Physician
Director, Emergency Ultrasound Division
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attending Physician
Clinical Instructor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Director of Research
Director, Medical Toxicology Consultation Service
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Attending Physician

Clerkship Director
Attending Physician

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attending Physician
Director, Advanced Practice Provider Program
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attending Physician
Medical Director, Banner University Medical Center – Phoenix, Poison Center

Attending Physician
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attending Physician
Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Former Residency Program Director

Attending Physician
Associate Medical Director, Samaritan Regional Poison Control Center
Professor, Research Scholar Track, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

Attending Physician
Full-time clinical faculty at Abrazo Central (formerly Phoenix Baptist Hospital); former Chief of Staff

Attending Physician
Chief, Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Child Health
Medical Director, Pediatric Emergency Department, Arizona Children’s Center at Maricopa Medical Center
Assistant Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Child Health

Attending Physician
Professor, Clinical Scholar Track, University of Arizona – Phoenix
Chair Emeritus

Attending Physician
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix