Guardian of Emergency Medicine Award

The Guardian award recognize physicians, nurses, legislators, other organizations, or individuals who have gone above and beyond the norm to protect the safety net of emergency medicine, improve the quality of patient care delivery, and work to support the efforts of WA ACEP.

2023 Guardian Award Recipient: Tom Rea, MD, MPH

Dr. Rea is involved in clinical care, teaching, administrative leadership, and research at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center. He provides clinical care at Hobson Place, one of the clinics of the Pioneer Square Program and attends the inpatient medicine teaching service. He participates with a range of teaching activities, often directed toward improving resuscitation or other aspects of prehospital emergency care through collaboration with UW-Harborview Paramedic Training Program

or the non-profit Resuscitation Academy or Global Resuscitation Alliance.  He is privileged to work with fellow faculty as the section head for Harborview General Internal Medicine. Dr. Rea also serves as Medical Director for the Division of Emergency Medical Services – Seattle & King County where he coordinates with the region’s fire departments, hospitals, public health, and other emergency medical service agencies to oversee and direct prehospital emergency medical care in King County, WA.

Dr. Rea is trained in clinical medicine and epidemiology. He has a career research interest in improving critical care and outcomes for emergency conditions through rigorous evaluation. Dr. Rea works collaboratively across a multidisciplinary group to undertake evaluation of incidence, care, and outcome of medical emergencies, in particular cardiac arrest. Research involves observational and interventional methodological designs, supported by a longstanding and detailed registry of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Research support is provided by federal, foundation, and industry grants. Junior faculty, fellows, residents, and students from across a range of disciplines have partnered with Dr. Rea to advance career interests and undertake productive research.

Past Recipients

2022: Aine Yore, MD, FACEP
2021: Vicki L. Sakata, MD
2019: Pauline Proulx, WA-ACEP Executive Director
2018: Katie Kolan, JD and Sean Graham, WSMA
2017: Washington Chapter, Emergency Nurses Association
2015: Carol Ostrom, The Seattle Times; and Sean Robinson, Tacoma News Tribune
2013: Tim Layton, JD, MPA and Susie Tracy
2012: The Honorable Eileen Cody; Stephen Anderson, MD, FACEP; and Nathan Schlicher, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP