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The Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP) named Dr. James Atkins as its first ever Director Emeritus in recognition of his more than five decades of service to the EMS profession. Dr. Atkins was instrumental in establishing and professionalizing the field of paramedic education, with a constant eye to quality improvement. He served on the CoAEMSP Board of Directors from 1993 to 2024, including as Board Chair from 2000-2003.
“Quite simply, Dr. Atkins is an inspiration and a legend,” said Dr. George Hatch, executive director of CoAEMSP. “When I think about how accreditation has grown – that we now have more than 800 programs – I know that is in large part because of Dr. Atkins, his vision in the early days, and his continued dedication to paramedic education.”
“We are so grateful to Dr. Atkins for his unwavering dedication to the field of EMS,” said Dr. Michael Souter, chair of the CoAEMSP Board of Directors. “His passion for educational excellence has truly transformed pre-hospital care in the United States. And we are thrilled to honor him as Director Emeritus in recognition of his many contributions.”
“This has been a wonderful ‘side job,’” said Dr. Atkins upon receiving an award to commemorate the appointment. “I keep trying to figure out how many hours I spent on accreditation and how many hours I spent on cardiology, and somehow it ends up as more than 24 hours in a day. It has been a complete joy in my life to see things like CoAEMSP grow and mature. Thank you.”
Dr. Atkins had a distinguished career as a cardiologist, most recently at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX. He previously served as professor of internal medicine and emergency medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. For 27 years, Dr. Atkins was medical director of the paramedic system in Dallas County, where he and his team trained 6,000 basic emergency medical technicians and 5,400 paramedics.
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