ORLANDO, FLA. -  The Florida College of Emergency Physicians (FCEP) is pleased to announce that David Siegel, MD, JD, FACEP, FACP, has been elected as the 35th president in FCEP’s 35-year history. Dr. Siegel is senior physician consultant for the EMPATH Consulting Group, clinical coordinator for The Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Inc. (FMQAI), a Florida Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), and Clinical Professor of medicine at the University of South Florida School of Medicine in Tampa. He succeeds Jorge Lopez, MD, FACEP, an Orlando emergency physician.

“I am honored to serve the Florida College of Emergency Physicians as president,” said Dr. Siegel. “I hope to carry on the tradition of excellent leadership started by William Haeck in 1971, and provided in recent years by outstanding physicians and advocates, such as Jorge Lopez. My goal as president is to lead the College toward making the changes called for in the Institute of Medicine’s recent report on the future of emergency care, and to follow the recommendations made by the Florida Hospital Association Task Force on the Emergency Medicine Crisis.”

A past president of the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Pennsylvania chapter, Dr. Siegel is a past chair of FCEP’s Governmental Affairs Committee. He led FCEP’s successful 2003 effort toward passage of significant medical liability reforms in Florida, specific for emergency care providers. He is currently Chair of the National EMTALA Technical Advisory Group (TAG), and is the 2006 winner of ACEP’s Colin C. Rorrie, Jr. Award for Excellence in Health Policy. He has served on several ACEP committees, and was Chair of the Bylaws, Professional Liability, Quality of Care, and Federal Governmental Affairs committees.

The Florida College of Emergency Physicians (FCEP) represents more than 1,100 emergency physicians in the state of Florida. FCEP members represent the health care safety net of Florida’s residents and visitors. More than seven million patients seek care annually in Florida emergency departments. FCEP was founded on Oct. 15, 1971 and is headquartered in Orlando.