UAMS’ Brandon Morshedi, M.D., DPT, Elected to Board of Directors for National Association of EMS Physicians
| Brandon Morshedi, M.D., DPT, emergency medicine physician in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Department of Emergency Medicine, recently was elected to the board of directors for the National Association of EMS Physicians.
Founded in 1984, the National Association of EMS Physicians has grown into a national organization of more than 3,000 EMS physicians and professionals, serving as a leading advocate and resource for out-of-hospital emergency care. It advances emergency medical services (EMS) as the practice of medicine in the prehospital setting by promoting education, research, collaboration, and partnerships to improve patient care and system performance, according to the organization’s website.
From 2022-24, Morshedi served as inaugural president for the association’s Arkansas chapter.
Morshedi began his career more than two decades ago as an emergency medical technician and ultimately as a paramedic, working 12 years on a front-line ambulance. He said the experience has shaped his entire professional journey.
“Being elected to the board of directors for the National Association of EMS Physicians is deeply meaningful to me, as it is both an honor and a great responsibility,” he said. “EMS systems are a critical part of our health care infrastructure, and this role allows me to work with national leaders to strengthen EMS systems, support the clinicians who serve on the front lines, and ensure that communities across the country benefit from high-quality, physician-guided emergency medical care.”
Morshedi is a vocal advocate for enhancing emergency medical services. He is the chief medical officer and system medical director for Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services in central Arkansas and its dozens of affiliated fire departments, as well as medical director for the Air Evac Lifeteam throughout Arkansas and Texas, for all 55 Arkansas State Parks, and for the Arkansas Task Force-1 search-and-rescue team.
Morshedi was appointed in November to the Arkansas Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee, a state body established under Act 863 of 2025. He serves as vice chairman of the committee, which advises the Arkansas Department of Health Section of EMS and the State Board of Health on updates to rules and regulations, as well as other issues relating to advancing emergency medical services in Arkansas.
Additionally, he was recently appointed as a member of the American Heart Association’s Systems of Care Advisory Group, which provides expert guidance to improve coordination, performance, and outcomes for time-sensitive cardiovascular emergencies such as cardiac arrest, stroke, and myocardial infarction at hospital and EMS systems across the country.
Last year, Morshedi completed a two-year term — including seven months as acting chair — on the National EMS Advisory Council. He was appointed in 2023 by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation as the EMS physician representative to the council, which provides recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of EMS and the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS.
Morshedi believes it is important to use his experiences to ensure that Arkansans are represented in national policy discussions about the crucial role that EMS plays in health care today and in the future.
“This work helps put Arkansas on the map when it comes to these conversations about how to improve systems of care,” he said.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 1,015 medical residents and fellows. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###