Congratulations to Michael Repplinger, MD, PhD on receiving the 2020 Distinguished Service Award from the Wisconsin chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (WACEP).
This award recognizes his extraordinary contributions and commitment to patient care and advancing the specialty of emergency medicine.
The 2020 WACEP Distinguished Service Award was presented to Michael Repplinger, MD, PhD, FACEP during WACEP’s virtual Annual Membership Meeting on September 15, 2020. Per the announcement:
“Over the last 10 years, Dr. Michael Repplinger has demonstrated a commitment to improving patient care and promoting the profession of emergency medicine. He was UW’s first resident delegate to the WACEP Board and has continued to serve in various roles in WACEP including President in 2013 and Councilor for the past 3 years. During his tenure on the Board, Dr. Repplinger has substantially contributed to numerous WACEP initiatives, resulting in important changes to Wisconsin’s statutes. Examples include changing the statutory definition of informed consent for medical care, reinstating medical malpractice caps for noneconomic damages, and providing statutory liability protection when conducting body cavity searches.
Outside of political lobbying, Dr. Repplinger has advocated for emergency physicians at the Wisconsin Medical Society and in teaching medical students and residents. He has personally penned and successfully promoted the adoption of resolutions favorable to emergency medicine including a policy supporting the increase of Medicaid reimbursement for EMTALA-related services. Current initiatives led or substantially bolstered by Dr. Repplinger include streamlining and standardizing the medical assessment of patients being admitted with mental health crises, improving the current version of a web-based statewide psychiatric bed locator, and reversing the current Medicaid policy that bars reimbursement for inpatient psychiatric care at freestanding psychiatric hospitals.
Beyond his patient and profession-centered advocacy efforts, Dr. Repplinger is a stellar emergency care researcher, focused on the use of radiation-free imaging in the ED. He has been awarded several federal, foundation, and institutional grants, published nearly 40 peer-reviewed articles, and received numerous research awards. His unique line of research is innovative and practice changing.
For all these reasons and more, WACEP is delighted to announce that Dr. Repplinger is this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.”