University at Buffalo (UB)
Michael C. O‘Brien MD, FACEP, FAEMS, FAMPA
Michael C. O‘Brien
MD, FACEP, FAEMS, FAMPA
Assistant Professor | Associate Program Director - EMS Fellowship
Department of Emergency Medicine
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Specialty/Research Focus
Emergency Medical Services; Emergency Medicine
Contact Information
Patient Care
Patient Care
This faculty member is affiliated with UBMD, practicing physicians who are also professors in the Jacobs School.
View this physician on UBMDProfessional Summary:
Dr. O‘Brien is a veteran critical care paramedic, EMS educator, and EMS physician. His clinical practice is split between shifts in the Emergency Department and operational medicine/field response. He provides medical direction to Erie Community College‘s EMS training programs and the Niagara County Sheriff‘s Office Emergency Response Team. He responds with the Town of Tonawanda Police Department's Emergency Medical Unit.
Additionally, he is the Associate System Medical Director and Flight Physician for Mercy Flight of Western New York.
Dr. O‘Brien‘s interests center around prehospital resuscitation and extracorporeal life support (ECLS). He is a subject matter expert in Emergency Medical Services, aeromedical evacuation/retrieval, and tactical medicine/active threat incidents. He is a frequent speaker on topics such as out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, operational/austere medicine, and the ethics of emergency care. He is double board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. He serves on national committees with both the National Association of EMS Physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Air Medical Physician Association.
Education and Training:
- Fellowship, EMS Medicine, University at Buffalo (2017)
- Residency, Emergency Medicine, University at Buffalo (2016)
- MD, Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine (2012)
- MA, Criminology, University of Illinois (2006)
- BS, Criminal Justice, Loyola University Chicago, Magna Cum Laude (2004)
Employment:
- Medical Director, Village of Kenmore Fire Department (2024-present)
- Associate System Medical Director, Mercy Flight of Western New York (2021-present)
- Associate Program Director, Fellowship in EMS Medicine, Emergency Medicine, University at Buffalo (2020-present)
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2019-present)
- Medical Director, Niagara County Sheriff's Office (2019-present)
- Attending Physician, Buffalo General Medical Center (2017-present)
- Attending Physician, Erie County Medical Center (2016-present)
- Director of Prehospital Services, New York MATTERS (2020–2022)
- Medical Director, Quality & Education, Mercy Flight of Western New York (2017–2021)
- Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Rush University Medical Center Rush Medical College, Rush University (2018–2019)
- Attending Physician, Buffalo VA Medical Center (2017–2018)
- Attending Physician, Oishei Children‘s Hospital (2017–2018)
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2017–2018)
- Medical Director, Erie County Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Services (2017–2018)
- Clinical Instructor, Emergency Medicine, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2017)
- Clinical Assistant Instructor, Emergency Medicine, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2013–2016)
Awards and Honors:
- Excellence in Education Award (2024)
- Fellow of the Air Medical Physician Association (FAMPA) (2024)
- Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Medical Services (FAEMS) (2020)
- Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP) (2019)
- Hero of the Heart, Rush University Medical Center (2018)
- WOW! Award, Rush University Medical Center (2018)
- Attending Physician of the Year, University at Buffalo Emergency Medicine Residency (2018)
- Physician of Excellence, Wyoming-Erie Regional EMS Council (2017)
- Outstanding Resident Oral Research Presentation, NY American College of Emergency Physicians (2015)
- Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
- Gold Humanism Honor Society
Research Expertise:
- Disaster Medicine
- Emergency Medical Services
- Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS/ECMO)
- Resuscitation & Emergency Critical Care
Journal Articles:
- O'Brien MC, Kelleran KJ, Burnett SJ, Hausrath KA, Kneer MS, Nan N, Ma CX, McCartin RW, Clemency BM. (2024) Fixed dose ketamine for prehospital management of hyperactive delirium with severe agitation. The American journal of emergency medicine (Apr), 81: 10-15.
- Lema PC, O'Brien M, Wilson J, James ES, Lindstrom H, DeAngelis J, Caldwell J, May P, Clemency B, O‘Brien MC. (2018) Avoid the Goose! Paramedic Identification of Esophageal Intubation by Ultrasound. Prehosp Disaster Med (Aug), 33(4): 406-410.
- Clemency BM, Tanski CT, Gibson Chambers J, O‘Brien M, Knapp AS, Clark AJ, McGoff P, Innes J, Lindstrom HA, Hostler D, O‘Brien MC. (2018) Compulsory Use of the Backboard is Associated with Increased Frequency of Thoracolumbar Imaging. Prehosp Emerg Care (Feb)1-5.
Professional Memberships:
- Special Operations Medical Association (2023–present)
- Air Medical Physicians Association (2019–present)
- Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (2019–present)
- National Association of EMS Physicians (2014–present)
- American College of Emergency Physicians (2012–present)
Presentations:
- "Flight Physiology" Air Medical Physician Association Medical Director Core Curriculum (2024)
- "Buy Some More Time: Advanced Circulatory Support" University at Buffalo Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds (2024)
- "Advances in Trauma & Other Trauma Drama" Air Medical Physician Symposium @ NAEMSP 2024 (Hosted by the Air Medical Physician Association)Co- (2024)
- "Trends in Trauma Management" Air Medical Physician Symposium at the National Association of EMS Physicians 2024 Scientific Assembly (2024)
- "But... Liability and Stuff." Air Medical Physicians Association Medical Director Core Curriculum III (2023)
- "Latest in the Management of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest" Vietnam Society for Emergency Medicine & Critical Care 2023 (2023)
- "Active Threat Incidents" University at Buffalo Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds (2023)
- "Is there a doctor on board? Management of In-Flight Emergencies" University at Buffalo Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds (2023)
- "ECMO, ECLS, and eCPR, oh my!" University at Buffalo Emergency Medicine Residency Grand Rounds (2022)
- "Airway First! Management of Traumatic Airways" 2021 Trauma Management for Rural EMS & Community Hospitals (T-REACH) Conference (2021)
- "High Velocity Vascular Trauma" University at Buffalo/University of Rochester Combined Grand Rounds; University at Buffalo (2017)
- "Resuscitation of the Blunt Trauma Patient" Annual Meeting; Vietnam Society for Emergency Medicine (2016)
- "Ultrasound Identification of Successful Endotracheal Tube Placement by Paramedics and Residents" Scientific Assembly; American College of Emergency Physicians (2014)
Service Activities:
- American Journal of Emergency Medicine (2024–present)
- American Board of Emergency Medicine; Oral Examiner (2024–present)
- Faculty Judge for Jacobs School Research Symposium (2024)
- Niagara County EMS Council; Member (2024–present)
- Aviation Safety Committee, Mercy Flight of Western NY (2023–present)
- American College of Emergency Physicians; Member, Ethics Committee (2023–present)
- World Class Taekwondo Centers Volunteer Health Director for youth taekwondo summer camps throughout the Buffalo metropolitan area; Health Director (2023–present)
- Erie County Medical Center; Chair, Extracorporeal Life Support (ECMO) Committee (2023–present)
- Air Medical Physician Association; President-Elect, Air Medical Physicians Association (2022–present)
- Departmental Scientific Research Review Committee (2022–present)
- Clinical Competency Committee, Emergency Medicine Residency Program (2021–present)
- ; Member, Regional Trauma Advisory Committee (2021–present)
- Erie County Medical Center; Member, Ethics Committee (2021–present)
- Getzville Fire Company; Volunteer Firefighter (2021–2022)
- Moderate research/abstract presentations within Trauma, Disaster Medicine, and EMS categories at the American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024); Research Forum Moderator (2020–present)
- Education/Standards Committee, Air Medical Physician Association Develop & approve panelists for Medical Director Core Curriculum courses offered at the annual Air Medical Transport Conference; Chair (2020–2022)
- Faculty Advisor, EMS Scholarly Track (2020–present)
- Program Evaluation Committee, Emergency Medicine Residency Program (2020–present)
- ECMO Committee, Erie County Medical Center; Chair (2020–present)
- Emergency Medicine Residency Reading Group; Reading Group Faculty Advisor (2020–present)
- Air Medical Journal (2020–present)
- Ethics Committee, Erie County Medical Center; Member (2020–present)
- Review periodic manuscripts from the Emergency Care & Safety Institute for medical content; ACEP/ESCI Medical Review Panelist (2020–2023)
- Annals of Emergency Medicine (2020–present)
- Air Medical Services Committee, National Association of EMS Physicians; Member (2020–present)
- EMS Committee, American College of Emergency Physicians; Member (2019–present)
- Faculty Council Steering Committee; Member (2019–2020)
- Program Evaluation Committee, EMS Medicine Fellowship Program (2019–present)
- Clinical Competency Committee, EMS Medicine Fellowship Program (2019–present)
- Faculty for EM 550, providing medical students with critical clinical experience during their preclinical years. (2019–present)
- Western Regional Emergency Medical Advisory Committee (WREMAC); Chair (2019–present)
- Shock Committee, Kaleida Health; Member (2019–present)
- Prehospital Guidelines Consortium; Member (2019–2021)
- Medical Executive Committee, Kaleida Health; Member (2019–present)
- Education Committee, National Association of EMS Physicians; Member (2019–present)
- Air Medical Committee, National Association of EMS Physicians; Member (2019–present)
- Author new articles, patrol article edits, manage editorial promotions for WikEM, the open-source emergency medicine wiki; Associate Editor, WikEM (2018–2022)
- Prehospital & Disaster Medicine Section, American College of Emergency Physicians; Councillor (2017–2022)
- Western Region Emergency Medical Advisory Committee; Chair (2017–2018)
- EMS Committee, New York American College of Emergency Physicians; Member (2016–2018)