Chairman’s Statement about the Toxicology Program
 As
Chair of Emergency Medicine (EM), I am ultimately
responsible for oversight and development of the
Toxicology Programs at the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Hospital.
As a result, one of my critical tasks is not only to
support, but also to continually assess those programs.
Our Section of Toxicology, under the leadership of
Section Chief, Dr. Kurt Kleinschmidt, an outstanding
educator and EM clinician, is one of the jewels in the
crown of an exceptional academic medical center
and an extremely-dynamic clinical training ground. The
Section components are impressive and include: an active
fellowship since its inception, an extremely diverse
and high-volume clinical service, and a vast
array of world class educational programs right on the
UT Southwestern campus. In addition, with six
toxicology-boarded or board eligible specialists, soon
to be eight this fall, and one ABAT Board certified
PharmD faculty; we have one of the world’s largest
concentrations of Toxicology clinical specialists and
educators.
In addition to being a consolidated and highly-cohesive
workforce, our tox faculty members are diverse and
multi-tasking. Larissa Velez is the Associate Program
Director of the EM residency. Drs Roth and Rivera
provide medical oversight for the state-sponsored poison
center and its outreach programs for all of north
Texas. Drs. Keyes and Delaney served as editors for
major textbooks in medical toxicology. Dr Keyes is
an editor in texts on terrorism and
all-hazards response. Dr. Kleinschmidt is active in
education principles and teaches Instructional System
Design at the American College of Emergency Physicians’
Teaching Fellowship. Drs Keyes, Gracia, and Rivera have
executed a large grant from the Texas Department of
Health for Bioterrorism training of hospital systems in
Texas. Dr Keyes has contributed to the development of
national, standardized, interoperable and
multi-disciplinary training programs under the auspices
of national professional organizations such as the
American Medical Association. Dr. Keyes has
international EM and toxicology training experience.
Most importantly, all of the toxicology faculty are
excellent educators. Drs Velez, Delaney, and
Kleinschmidt have even been recognized by the EM
residents as being top “faculty of the year”
recipients. Dr. Kleinschmidt received a 2006 award from
the second-year medical school class for being one of
their best teachers.
The adjoining programs in Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics,
Ob-Gyn, and other acclaimed departments boast some of
the nation’s leading faculty and residents.
So while the extremely high volumes of poisoned patients and the
wide breadth of toxicological encounters are the raw
ore; the faculty mentors, both from EM and other
disciplines, are the artisans that refine and shape that
experience for the trainees. In addition, the
toxicology trainees to date have themselves evolved into
highly-respected academicians. I have personally
been impressed by their enthusiasm, their clinical
acumen and their wonderful sense of service. In turn,
our admired and well-supported toxicology programs have
also become an extraordinary resource, not only for
would-be tox trainees, researchers and educators, but
our community at large also benefits tremendously.
Be it support for the mother whose child has ingested an
unknown substance, the city manager who needs
consultation on a potential toxic site, or the state
health officer who needs assistance with a statewide
educational initiative, the tox program has become a
public treasure as well. In addition, as the
research productivity is now rapidly accelerating
and concomitant international presentations multiply,
the program has become a recognized resource well beyond
the boundaries of Texas and even the United States. The
poison center it supports has wonderful leadership,
superb poison specialists, and an outstanding physical
plant.
In summary, the toxicology program is not only a Jewel in the
Crown for UT Southwestern, Parkland
Hospital, and the state of Texas.
Paul E. Pepe, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Surgery, Public Health and Riggs
Family Chair in Emergency Medicine
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• The Toxic Life •
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