UPMC Emergency Medicine Leadership

UPMC Emergency Medicine delivers consistent, high-quality, cost-effective care and provides physicians with challenging, rewarding career opportunities. Our success is a result of our dedicated staff, an extensive offering of support services, and the backing of an internationally renowned academic medical center.

Medical and Administrative Staff

Donald M. Yealy, MD, FACEP

Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at University of Pittsburgh
Senior Medical Director for Health Services Division of UPMC
Vice President of Emergency and Urgent Care Services for UPMC

Dr. Yealy has focused most of his research on clinical decision making and the early care of many life-threatening conditions, including community-acquired pneumonia, sepsis, acute heart failure and respiratory failure. In 2009, he received the Outstanding Contribution in Research Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians for his significant contributions to the field.

Dr. Yealy earned his undergraduate degree from Villanova University in 1981 and his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1985. He completed his residency and a clinical research fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Yealy is the author of more than 300 works, and co-editor of The Trauma Manual: Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, a practical guide to emergency and surgical care that has been adopted by many training programs nationwide.

Dr. Yealy is an examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Research Foundation and a liaison from the American College of Emergency Physicians to the National Institutes of Health.

Richard J. Wadas, MD, FACEP

Executive Vice Chair of Community Emergency Medicine
Senior Medical Director of Center for Community Hospitalist Medicine

Dr. Wadas attended UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed his emergency medicine residency at the University Health Center of Pittsburgh.

He is board-certified in emergency medicine, sub-specialty board-certified in emergency medical services, and holds an academic appointment at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is also the Associate Director of the Advanced Airway Management Course at the Peter Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, Research, and Research (WISER).

Dr. Wadas joined UPMC Emergency Medicine in 2001 as a staff physician at UPMC Passavant and also served as Director of Emergency Medicine at Jameson Hospital. He has most recently held the position of Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UPMC Shadyside. In addition to this, he maintains his position as the Associate Regional Medical Director for the Emergency Medical Services Institute.

Clifton Callaway, MD, PhD

Executive Vice Chair of UPMC Emergency Medicine

Dr. Callaway earned his medical degree from the University of California. He completed a residency in emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Callaway studies resuscitation medicine with a special emphasis on brain injury after cardiac arrest. He has developed a translational research program devoted to the topic of resuscitation from sudden death. Emphasizing the continuity of care during resuscitation, Dr. Callaway has collaborated with prehospital care providers and emergency physicians to study acute cardiac interventions, developed a platform to study intensive care interventions, and worked with partners in rehabilitation to study long-term outcomes after cardiac arrest.

His work in prehospital care has led to studies about acute monitoring and regionalization of care, and his work with emergency providers has stimulated interest in provider safety and wellness, particularly related to shift-work and sleep deprivation. Basic laboratory investigations support and are informed by this clinical work.

Richard Heath, MD

Vice Chair for Compliance and Medical Documentation for UPMC Emergency Medicine

Dr. Heath is board-certified in emergency medicine and previously served as Medical Director of Emergency Services at UPMC Braddock. He earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Heath has completed an internal medicine residency in Buffalo and an emergency medicine residency at West Virginia University in Morgantown.

Russell Meyers, MBA

Executive Administrator of UPMC Emergency Medicine

Russell is responsible for overseeing UPMC Emergency Medicine's overall program operations. He earned a master's degree in business administration from Robert Morris University and holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Michigan State University.

Charissa Pacella, MD

Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Operations Department for UPMC Emergency Medicine

Dr. Pacella earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed a residency in emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Paul E. Phrampus, MD, FACEP

Vice Chair of Quality and Safety for UPMC Emergency Medicine

Dr. Phrampus earned his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He is board certified in emergency medicine.

Marek A. Radomski, DO

Bret Rosenblum, MD

Medical Director, Virtual Urgent Care

Dr. Rosenblum serves as the medical director for Virtual Urgent Care. He is board-certified in family medicine and graduated from Jefferson Medical College. Dr. Rosenblum completed his residency at Latrobe Area Hospital. He has been working as a physician since 1993.

Allan B. Wolfson, MD

Vice Chair of Education for UPMC Emergency Medicine

Dr. Wolfson earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he also completed his residency. Dr. Wolfson is board certified in emergency medicine.