At its June meeting in Chicago, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) recognized emergency physician John McCabe, MD, FACEP, with its 2015 Distinguished Service Award. Created in 1986, this award recognizes individuals for their extraordinary contributions to the medical specialty certification process.

A former ABMS Board of Directors member, Dr. McCabe is the chief executive officer of University Hospital and senior vice president for hospital affairs and professor in the department of emergency medicine at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, where he was instrumental in the development of the university’s residency program in emergency medicine.

A renowned emergency physician, Dr. McCabe oversaw a recent expansion of University Hospital’s emergency department and enlarged the university’s hyperbaric medicine program, one of the only 24-hour hyperbaric programs in the state. He assisted in the creation of a mass casualty unit and upgraded infirmary at the New York State Fairgrounds and developed an emergency medicine simulation center for training medical residents and local emergency medical services professionals. He also spearheaded the university’s creation of a Katrina Response Unit to answer calls for medical assistance following the hurricane in 2005.

Nationally, Dr. McCabe has helped lead the discussion on health issues as President of ACEP (1993–1994) and the American Board of Emergency Medicine.

Internationally, he has developed medical conferences at universities in China and India and has hosted delegations of international physicians at Upstate Medical University. Dr. McCabe’s research interests have covered numerous aspects of emergency medical care, including the treatment of hemorrhagic shock, cardiac resuscitation, and the care of patients in the pre-hospital environment.