The client is seeking a qualified academic emergency medicine physician to become the inaugural chair of their new Department of Emergency Medicine. This new department is being established in response to South Dakota's demand for emergency medicine physicians, partly driven by its rural and dispersed geographic setup. The new department will evolve from the existing Division within the Department of Family Medicine, and is planned to be launched in 2026 following legislative approval for funding in 2025. Among the goals set for the new department are increasing faculty numbers and improving educational opportunities for students in emergency medicine. These efforts aim to enhance student competitiveness for national residency programs and foster a pool of well-trained emergency medicine physicians with state connections for future recruitment.
The client has partnered with a regional health organization to initiate an accredited emergency medicine residency program, which will welcome its first cohort of six residents in July 2026. This program, unique in South Dakota, will be hosted at a level one trauma center with additional rural medicine rotations, preparing residents for varied emergency medicine scenarios. Currently, the emergency medicine faculty includes over 85 physicians who serve both as practitioners and educators across several locations throughout the state, predominantly tied to the area's major healthcare systems. The incoming Chair will play a pivotal role in coordinating these efforts, ensuring the department's success across rural and urban settings.
A successful candidate for the chair position will be a highly respected, board-certified academic emergency medicine physician with notable leadership experience. The individual is expected to demonstrate exceptional capabilities as a leader, educator, clinician, and scholar, maintaining a proficient working relationship with colleagues throughout the state. While based in Sioux Falls, the chair will be integral to advancing the department's mission across diverse areas, capitalizing on the client's long-standing commitment to excellence in family and rural medicine.