In 2019, Dr. Sharma was named a top 25 innovator in the health care industry by Modern Healthcare as well as one of EMRA’s 45 Under 45 Influencers in Emergency Medicine.

Outstanding Contribution in Research Award

Alan E. Jones, MD, FACEP

Dr. Jones completed residency and a clinical research fellowship at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2001. He was on the faculty of the department of emergency medicine at Carolinas Medical Center for 10 years. He moved to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in 2011 to focus on expanding clinical research and mentoring young research investigators. In 2013, he became chair of the department of emergency medicine at UMMC. In 2017, he became the vice-chair of the council of clinical chairs, and in 2019, he was named chief operations physician at UMMC.

Dr. Jones has served as the executive medical director of Mississippi TelEmergency, executive medical director of the UMMC Mississippi Critical Care Organization, and the chief telehealth officer for the UMMC Center for Telehealth. He has been a principal investigator (PI) on an R01 grant, co-PI on a UM1 grant, and co-investigator on multiple R01 and U01 grants. Additionally, Dr. Jones has received federal funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Communications Commission, Health Resources and Services Administration, and US Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Jones serves on hospital committees, editorial boards, and federal grant review committees; has held national society offices; and has authored numerous peer-reviewed and book chapter publications. In 2020, Dr. Jones stepped down as chair and was named assistant vice-chancellor for clinical affairs of the UMMC Health System. He continues to be an active researcher and clinician.

Outstanding Contribution in EMS Award

James M. Atkins, MD

Dr. Atkins graduated from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and performed his internship and residency in internal medicine and his subspecialty training in cardiology at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Dr. Atkins has had a long-term interest in cardiac arrest and the care of acute myocardial infarction, having written several papers and chapters on these issues.

In 1972, he was asked to supervise part-time the internal medicine portion of the emergency department at Parkland Hospital, which he did for five years when he convinced the system to hire the first full-time staff for the emergency department. He has been involved in the American Heart Association (AHA) at the national and local levels, having worked on several revisions of the standards for resuscitation from cardiac arrest and the management of acute myocardial infarction. For the AHA, he led teams to set up training programs for the European Red Cross and led a team to China to set up cardiopulmonary resuscitation and advanced cardiovascular life support training networks with the Chinese Red Cross. Dr. Atkins also has been involved with the American College of Cardiology Emergency Care Committee for many years.