by Jerry Jones
The Tennessee Ambulance Service Association (TASA) has named Vanderbilt LifeFlight’s Jeremy Brywczynski, M.D., as the medical director of the year for the statewide ambulance association.
Brywczynski, who has served as Vanderbilt LifeFlight’s medical director for the past six years, is an associate professor of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), where he works as an emergency room physician. He also serves as associate medical director for the Nashville Fire Department.
A thirst for teaching and a love of helping people drives Brywczynski when he’s working a long shift in the Vanderbilt Emergency Department. In between treating patients, he’s often on the two-way radio consulting with LifeFlight’s air medical crews and providing direction on life-saving decisions or reviewing patient care charts to make sure proper care was provided.
Brywczynski became medical director for LifeFlight in 2010, taking the reins from LifeFlight’s first medical director, John Morris, M.D., now associate chief of staff for Transition Management and Emergency Management.
Morris helped start the LifeFlight program when he was a trauma surgeon, and during his tenure as medical director, oversaw tremendous growth, including the addition of several helicopters and ground ambulances.
“To continue the great work of Dr. Morris was, and continues to be, quite the honor. He set high standards and built one of the best programs in the country,” Brywczynski said. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to come into a program of excellence and be able to build on that great foundation.”
Since Brywczynski became medical director, LifeFlight has added three new community helicopter bases (Murfreesboro, Cookeville and Henry County) and four ground ambulances. LifeFlight now has a total of seven helicopter bases, an airplane and eight ground ambulances.
LifeFlight has more than 80 critical care nurses and paramedics who look to Brywczynski for leadership.
“His passionate interaction with evidence-based medicine and research is providing our nurses and paramedics with not only the best and highest level of care, but the most current practice,” said Eric Newman, FC-P, CCP, NRP, critical care flight paramedic with LifeFlight.
He is active in many professional organizations, including Air Medical Physician Association, National Association of EMS Physicians and the American Association of Emergency Medicine.
Jeanne Yeatman, R.N., MBA, EMT, associate nursing officer, Emergency Services, said Brywczynski is a true EMS ambassador who makes the profession shine.
“He does not seek recognition and gets satisfaction from knowing he helped someone. He is a great teacher and mentor and the LifeFlight program continues to thrive under his medical direction,” Yeatman said. “The TASA award is truly deserved.”
