Washington, DC - The sixteenth annual conference of the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF) was held February 27-March 1, 2009 in Washington, DC. Over 800 representatives of campus EMS organizations from 91 schools across the U.S. and Canada attended the conference, hosted in conjunction with Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service (GERMS) and The George Washington University Emergency Medical Response Group (EMeRG).

NCEMSF is a non-profit professional organization committed to scholarship, research and consultancy activities and to creating a safer, healthier environment on college and university campuses. Comprised of over 250 college campus based emergency medical service (EMS) agencies trained to respond within minutes and provide care tailored specifically to campus emergencies, NCEMSF's purpose is to support, promote, and advocate EMS on college and university campuses nationwide. The annual conference provides a forum for communication and creates an environment where ideas can be exchanged and problems can be solved.

"This year marked the Foundation's 16th Anniversary and was the largest gathering of collegiate EMS providers to date in terms of the number of attendees and the number of schools represented," said Dr. Scott Savett, NCEMSF Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. "Despite an impending winter storm, a record number of Collegiate EMS organizations from across the country were able to come together and share information on how to implement or improve campus EMS at their school. Being able to ask a large group of people very specific questions about campus EMS operations is a terrific opportunity."

"In addition to providing for the acquisition of medical knowledge, campus based EMS allows student participants to develop certain life skills including leadership, communication, and decision making while simultaneously positively impacting other people's lives," said Dr. George Koenig, NCEMSF President. "What is most impressive about campus based EMS is that much of this service is provided primarily by students attending those colleges and universities. It is students helping fellow students." The weekend also saw the engagement of two campus EMS volunteers from SUNY Oswego - congratulations!

This year's conference seminars included over 60 lectures packed into two days ranging from the treatment and management of various traumatic and medical emergencies to EMS research to leadership and strategic planning for the collegiate EMS agency. Other lectures discussed toxicology, EMS and public health as well as disaster preparedness. A series of roundtable discussions took place in which leaders and advisors from various university squads reviewed common problems facing their squads and challenged themselves to find feasible solutions. The conference also featured several skills labs focusing on airway management and enhancing communication skills.

The morning keynote lecture, sponsored by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, "Collegiate EMS: Stepping Stone or the Right step?," was delivered by Douglas M. Wolfberg, Esq, partner in the EMS law firm Page, Wolfberg, and Wirth, LLC, as well as a former Penn State University Ambulance Service squad member. John Chovanes, DO, MAJ, USAR, attending trauma surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, delivered the Shore Emergency Educators sponsored afternoon keynote address "Blast, CaSH, and UXO: Trauma Surgery in Iraq." The lecture was formally dedicated as the Major John P. Pryor, MD Memorial Lecture with a moving ceremony that included the presentation of colors by members of Norwich University. Dr. Pryor, a great friend and mentor to NCEMSF, was killed by enemy fire in Iraq on Christmas day.

The Richard W. Vomacka Student Speaker Competition afforded pre-selected conference attendees the opportunity to deliver a 50-minute presentation on a collegiate EMS topic of their choosing. Vincent Storie of Brandeis University won the competition with a seminar entitled "Acute Alcohol Intoxication."

Several individuals and campus EMS organizations were recognized at the conference with annual awards for service. They include:

• Collegiate EMS Week Award - Ryerson University
• Collegiate EMS Banner of the Year - Clark University
• Collegiate EMS Video of the Year - Montclair State University
• Collegiate EMS Web Site of the Year - University of Pennsylvania
• Dr. George J. Koenig Jr. Service Award - Lt. John F. Washington (University of Pennsylvania)
• Collegiate EMS Advisor of the Year - Ronald Roth, MD, FACEP (University of Pittsburgh)
• Collegiate EMS Provider of the Year - Kevin Smith (University of Pennsylvania)
• Collegiate EMS Organization of the Year - Columbia University

Seven schools were recognized for the outstanding quality of their EMS organizations with the NCEMSF "Striving for Excellence in Campus EMS" award:

• Columbia University EMS
• Cornell University EMS
• Muhlenberg College EMS
• Rice University EMS
• University of Dayton Rescue Squad
• University of Delaware Emergency Care Unit
• University of Rhode Island

Sixteen universities also received special recognition in honor of their milestone anniversaries ranging from 10 years of service to 40 years of service to their respective campuses. Jack Lynn was also honored for his 35 years of service as advisor to the University of Delaware's Emergency Care Unit - he will be retiring at the end of this academic year.

University of Delaware Emergency Care Unit placed first in the annual Collegiate EMS skills competition (sponsored by Physio-Contol) in which a team's clinical, leadership and creativity skills were tested. SUNY Geneseo First Response finished second, and Cornell University rounded out the top three at third. The scenarios replicated medical, trauma and rescue situations with an emphasis on the college environment. Duke University won the Advanced Life Support (ALS) competition.

For more information about NCEMSF or the 2009 Conference, including a copy of the complete program, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.ncemsf.org. The 2010 NCEMSF conference is scheduled for February 26-28, 2010, at a location to be determined (RFP available online thru April 15).