Effective July 1, 2024, Dr. Megan Gussick stepped into the role of Chief of the Division of Prehospital Medicine at the BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Gussick has worked in the prehospital setting in the Madison area for over 15 years, and through this experience, she believes that EMS serves as the critical link to the local healthcare system through the emergency department. Dr. Gussick also leads medical direction for the City of Madison Fire Department emergency medical services and Tactical EMS team. She is committed to the education of medical students and emergency medicine residents at the University of Wisconsin, with a particular passion for the structure, function and impact of EMS providers and prehospital medicine.
The Division of Prehospital Medicine connects the educational mission of the University of Wisconsin to the prehospital arena. The division is comprised of nearly 30 physicians, several dual-boarded in Emergency Medical Services, whose areas of focus include retrieval and critical care transport, primary EMS medical direction, and prehospital education. Prehospital services are provided locally in Dane County and throughout the state and surrounding border regions of Minnesota, Iowa, and northern Illinois.
The division is also responsible for developing and implementing exceptional undergraduate and graduate education programs and continuing medical education. These include an ACGME-accredited EMS fellowship, retrieval and critical care transport fellowship, emergency medicine residency prehospital track, medical student elective rotation, and paramedic and continuing education for a range of providers working in out-of-hospital settings.
In a memo to department personnel, Professor and Chair Dr. Manish Shah noted that “Dr. Gussick is a true Badger, having completed college, medical school, residency, and EMS fellowship [at the University of Wisconsin]. Since fellowship, she has practiced clinically in the emergency department and with UW Health Med Flight. During this time, she has also served as the EMS Medical Director for Madison Fire Department, leading the team as they have expanded their capabilities, services, and training. This depth of expertise and experience, as well as her connection to the community, will serve her well in this new role.”