J. Jeremy Thomas, M.D., M.B.A., has joined the University of Louisville School of Medicine faculty as chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. The UofL Board of Trustees approved his appointment during a regular meeting on Jan. 23. Thomas also will serve as chief of service for emergency medicine at UofL Hospital.

Thomas, board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine, was a tenured professor and executive vice chair of the University of Alabama-Birmingham Department of Emergency Medicine prior to his appointment at UofL. He also served as associate chief medical officer of emergency services and sepsis at UAB Medicine, UAB Hospital, as well as director of emergency services for UAB Hospital.

“The program at UofL has a very strong reputation for clinical training and for outstanding patient care. The resident teaching and the service to the community are outstanding,” Thomas said. “With my clinical operations and education background, the opportunity to lead this department was appealing.”

As chair of the UofL Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas will oversee the training of medical students and residents within the School of Medicine. As chief of service for UofL Hospital, Thomas will direct clinical services provided by the emergency department.

School of Medicine Dean Toni Ganzel said she was pleased to recommend Thomas for the position.

“I am confident that Dr. Thomas’s talent, skills and energy will be a good fit for leading the department into the future and he will build on the many strengths of the department,” she said.

UofL Health CEO Tom Miller also expressed confidence in his selection.

“Dr. Thomas’s leadership complements the outstanding care provided every day by our emergency medicine team,” Miller said.

Thomas, an Alabama native, attended medical school at the University of South Alabama and earned a master’s of business administration from Auburn University. He completed his emergency medicine residency at UAB and a cardiovascular emergencies fellowship at the University of Virginia. He received a bachelor of science degree in biology from Cumberland College (now University of the Cumberlands) in Williamsburg, Ky.

“Having been to college in Kentucky and having colleagues and friends who trained at UofL and some who still live in the area made it an easy transition for me from a personal standpoint,” Thomas said.