Dr. Wilcox
ACEP member David Wilcox, MD, FACEP, attended his first ACEP Council meeting in 1982 when the College had about 10,000 members. With almost 40,000 members today, Dr. Wilcox said technology has changed how the meeting is conducted and how members communicate with each other, but the general goals are the same.
“It’s still a culture of energetic debate and shared purpose,” he said.
Dr. Wilcox hasn’t missed a meeting in 42 years, and he won’t miss Sept. 5-6 when ACEP’s Council gathers in Salt Lake City before ACEP25.
Known for his sense of humor and passion for emergency medicine, Dr. Wilcox launched one of the Council’s most influential traditions: the Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) Council Challenge. A long-time believer in the power of research to shape the future of the specialty, Dr. Wilcox had been donating to EMF since completing his residency at the Drexel University College of Medicine in 1982. At the time, EMF awarded only a few hundred thousand dollars in research grants annually. Dr. Wilcox recognized early that research was the future of emergency medicine and funding needed a huge boost.
His solution was to personally reach out to Council leaders and speakers, past presidents, and board members.
“If you can’t get the leaders on your side, it’s going to be really hard to convince the general membership,” Dr. Wilcox said.
Using a rotary phone to contact potential donors, response was strong. In the first EMF Council Challenge, 250 Councillors donated more than $6,000. Today, the Council Challenge raises more than $200,000 annually in two days. Nearly 100 percent of Councillors contribute, with some individuals even covering contributions for others to help achieve full participation. Beyond the money raised, Dr. Wilcox said the Council Challenge sends a powerful message to external funders.
“If you can go out and say that you’ve actually got 100% support of the ACEP leadership to the EMF… that’s a pretty strong statement,” he said. The Council ensures that emergency physicians not only have a voice, but a powerful one.”
Today, EMF awards more than $1 million in research grants annually, and the Council Challenge accounts for about 20 percent of those funds.
Mr. Scheid is ACEP’s Communications Director.
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