Dr. Ed Dickinson Steps Down as JEMS Medical Director

A smiling Dr. Ed Dickinson in turnout gear.
Photo provided by the author.

Like many firefighter-EMTs of the late 1970s I grew up with two magazines in the firehouse: Firehouse and JEMS. I read every page of those crinkled editions that lay around on desks, tables, (and yes, in the bathrooms) of my stations.

As my EMS career advance through AEMT and eventually paramedic, JEMS became more than idle reading for me, it was the core of my “EMS literature” in the 1980s. 

A decade later, as a new medical school graduate and an emergency medicine intern, I was thrilled when JEMS accepted my first article for publication: “Gynecological Emergencies” that was published in 1990. I was now part of the JEMS team! No longer a passive reader, but a part of a bigger than life organization working with giants like Jim Page, writing articles, and speaking at annual EMS Today conferences across the country.

In 1999, AJ Heightman asked me to become the medical editor of JEMS; an offer and an honor I could not refuse. As a young academic emergency medicine physician, active prehospital physician and with an English degree that gave me a passion for writing I embarked on a wonderful and fulfilling professional adventure. Over the ensuring years additional opportunities came along as part of the JEMS team, especially being the annual educator at the JEMS Games which AJ had created.

Now, thirty-three years after writing my first article for JEMS and after twenty-four years as the medical editor, having ridden a wonderful wave of personal and professional growth, it’s time for me to leave the JEMS team. It’s time for a new generation of EMS physicians to step in and take JEMS into the future.

Take care and, as always, be safe.

Ed Dickinson, MD, NRP, FACEP, FAEMS

Past Articles Authored by Dr. Dickinson

A Review of Chemical Warfare Agents and Treatment Options

Point-of-Care Hemorrhage Control

Swollen Tongue Necessitates Nasotrachael Intubation

Wilderness EMS Has Special Considerations

Seat Belt Sign on the Neck Is a Serious Finding

Let ’em Loose?: An objective method to help decide if a medic is ready for the street

No-Bid Ambulance Contract Riles Henry County (KY)

Henry County officials have approved a transition to a private EMS provider, leaving some residents and emergency responders with concerns.
Paramedics with man on stretcher in ambulance, showing low angle view.

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