New Chair for Emergency Medicine Hired

After a national search, Rosemarie Fernandez, MD, will be the next chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine for Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. She will join us in early 2026.

Dr. Fernandez currently serves as the executive vice chair for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida and as research director for the UF Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation.

She has held leadership roles in clinical, research and educational initiatives for more than 20 years in academic medicine and is an accomplished clinician scientist. She has previously collaborated with our team at the Center for Simulation, Research and Patient Safety. Dr. Fernandez has a strong history of building teams and programs as well as recruiting and retaining faculty. 

Dr. Fernandez attended Rutgers University, earned her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School, completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, and was a Howard Hughes research fellow at the University of Michigan Medical School’s Department of Pediatrics/Hematology and Oncology. 

She is also an alumnus of the prestigious Hedwig va Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) fellowship.

Thank you to Paul Haskins, MD, interim chair of Emergency Medicine, for leading the department over the past 2 years. Dr. Haskins has been instrumental in leading the team, especially as we prepared to open the expanded Emergency Department within the Crystal Spring Tower at CRMH.