Welcome

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UT Health San Antonio, Long School of Medicine.  I am extremely proud to lead this dynamic, creative, and energetic group.  Founded on values of duty, respect, integrity, and teamwork, we were established as a full department in 2013. Our physicians, staff, and advanced practice providers strive to fulfill our missions of patient care and service, education, and research.

Our department maintains a thriving clinical practice treating over 80,000 patients in the Adult and Pediatric Emergency Departments at University Health System/University Hospital.  University Hospital is a premiere quaternary care hospital serving all residents of San Antonio and the 22 counties of South Texas.  The hospital is a designated Level 1 Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center, Joint Commission accredited Comprehensive Stroke Center, STEMI center, and Pediatric Burn Center. Our department also runs the South Texas Poison Center handling over 30,000 calls per year and the South Texas Refugee Health Clinic serving refugees from places like Nepal, Burma, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and sub-Saharan Africa. And finally, several of our faculty provide medical direction for the San Antonio Fire Department EMS.

Our department is actively involved in undergraduate and graduate medical education. At our core is our Emergency Medicine Residency Program.  The program enjoys full ACGME-accreditation and trains 36 residents.  The residency attracts top medical student candidates from all over the country and our residents are very well-trained and well-prepared to practice in any environment.  We also train medical students though a mandatory 3rd-year clerkship, 4th year selective, and several other Emergency Medicine specialty electives.  Our Ultrasound Division is top-notch and provides educates many types of trainees across a variety of specialties.  The department also sponsors several fellowships including Clinical Ultrasound, Global Health and Clinical Ultrasound, Emergency Medical Services, Medical Education, Disaster Medicine, and Wilderness Medicine.

Our department and the entire UT Health San Antonio value a strong research enterprise.  We are fortunate to be supported by our Research Division which supports our faculty, residents, fellows, and students research endeavors.  We strive for our research to translate into improvements in healthcare and patient care.  We actively participate in investigator-initiated and federally funded research studies as well as industry-sponsored clinical trials.

San Antonio is the seventh-most populous city in the US and 2nd largest in Texas.  It is steeped in rich culture and tradition, friendly citizens, and home to a very diverse and ethnic population, including numerous US Armed Forces members.   The city hosts several festivals, sporting events, and cultural offerings and has a vibrant restaurant scene.

We thank you for checking out UT Health San Antonio Emergency Medicine.  Please explore our website to see all that we have to offer.  We are very proud of all we have accomplished in our short existence and strive to be the emergency department of choice.

Best regards,

Ralph Riviello, M.D., FACEP

Professor and Chair
Department of Emergency Medicine
UT Health San Antonio