CWU’s Keith Monosky Appointed to National EMS Advisory Council

CWU Professor Keith Monosky is among 25 emergency medical services professionals appointed this week to the National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC) by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

Monosky is program director for CWU’s EMS paramedicine program in the Nutrition Exercise and Health Sciences department. He’s also an educator-at-large for the Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education Programs and a textbook author. Monosky began his career in EMS in 1971

The National EMS Advisory Council informs the Department of Transportation and the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS. The group is made up of executives, practitioners, physicians, researchers, and patient advocates who represent all sectors of the EMS community. Monosky represents EMS educators.

“The leadership and professional expertise of these 25 appointees will help the department support innovation in EMS at the local, state, and tribal levels,” Secretary Foxx said in a news release. “I look forward to a productive two years of collaboration with the newly appointed members and our other federal partners to strengthen the nation’s EMS systems.”

The council is supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and provides expert advice on issues such as data collection, performance measurement, and the EMS workforce. “It’s through the efforts of these individuals that the United States is prepared with optimal response to injuries on the nation’s roadways, natural and man-made disasters, and the daily medical response needs of the public,” NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said in a news release.

Members serve two-year terms and meet three times a year. Since its creation in 2007, the council has helped enhance communication between EMS providers and agencies, and improve local EMS systems and the quality of care delivered across the nation.

Monosky is looking forward to helping inform the country’s top EMS leadership. “The advances and milestones accomplished in the EMS paramedicine program at CWU will help pave the way for similar advances in the national delivery of prehospital healthcare,” Monosky said. The council is invaluable in supporting important policies, standards, and practices that will guide EMS into the future, he added.

A list of the 25 members, including which segment of EMS they represent, is available on the NHTSA website.

CWU’s EMS paramedicine program trains students in pre-hospital emergency medical care. It is one of few accredited baccalaureate degree-awarding paramedic programs in the country with a two-year concentration in paramedicine.

Media contact: Barb Arnott, CWU Public Affairs, 509-963-2841, barnottA@cwu.edu

May 15, 2105