Dr. Bern is a full-time emergency physician and independent health care consultant specializing in emergency and disaster medicine, informatics, and telehealth. Since 1984, he’s concentrated his work in South Florida.

As a former member of ACEP’s Board of Directors, Dr. Bern served with the EMS, Critical Care, Air Medical Transport, Wilderness, and Disaster sections. He was also a founding member of the Disaster, Geriatric, Tactical, Telemedicine, and Disaster Medicine sections. On the ACEP Council, he served on the Steering Committee, on numerous Council sub-committees and on the Reference Committee.

Dr. Bern was instrumental in creating ACEP’s Grant Program that has raised more than $10 million for College projects. He was an active participant in the creation of the Health Policy Grant Program and serves as a Councilor from Florida.

Dr. Bern participated in the joint subcommittees of Reimbursement and American College of Emergency Physicians State Legislative/Regulatory Committee on the issue of fair reimbursement and model legislation, and worked on the development of the H1N1 grant project to develop recommendations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response grants.

Dr. Bern grew up in East Meadow on Long Island. He earned his BS degree from State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook and his medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical School in Brooklyn. He completed his emergency medicine residency at University of Louisville Affiliated Hospitals.

Dr. Bern lives in Coral Springs, Florida, with his wife, Judith, an early childhood educator. They are the parents of Suzanne, division director for the Tampa Jewish Community Center, and Michael, an attorney in Washington, D.C.

Outstanding Contribution in EMS Award

Jullette M. Saussy, MD, FACEP

Dr. Saussy began her career as an EMT, becoming a paramedic in 1986. She graduated with a BA in sociology from Tulane University, Newcomb College in New Orleans in 1988. Dr. Saussy attended Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Medicine in New Orleans and graduated in 1994. She completed her four-year residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans with LSU Emergency Medicine and was board certified in 2000.

Dr. Saussy’s love for and experience in prehospital emergency medicine has spanned 35 years and includes being EMS medical director for New Orleans Fire Department, director and medical director for New Orleans EMS, and chief medical officer for the City of New Orleans Homeland Security Office. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans August 2005, just eight months after she took over the troubled system. Serving the city before, during, and after Katrina remains one of her greatest career challenges, but also one of her greatest joys.