James P. Gillen, MD, FACEP

James P. Gillen, MD, FACEP is a nationally respected emergency medicine physician, educator, and academic leader with more than four decades of clinical, teaching, and research experience. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and serves on faculty at Tampa General Hospital, where he plays a central role in emergency medicine education and resident development. Board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Gillen is widely recognized for his lifelong commitment to excellence in patient care, physician training, and academic scholarship.

Dr. Gillen earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from West Virginia University School of Medicine after completing undergraduate studies in biology at the State University of New York at Buffalo and additional education at SUNY Stony Brook. He completed his internal medicine internship and emergency medicine residency at Geisinger Medical Center, where he later served as Chief Resident. His early career was marked by rapid advancement into leadership roles, including Emergency Medicine Residency Director, shaping emergency medicine training programs and mentoring generations of physicians.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gillen has held numerous academic and hospital appointments across the country, including positions at Geisinger Medical Center, Jefferson Medical College, Penn State University College of Medicine, Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital, and Tampa General Hospital. At USF Morsani College of Medicine, he has served as Director of Emergency Medicine Education, Director of medical student clerkships, Chair of the Clinical Competency Committee, and senior residency mentor. His dedication to education is reflected in thousands of teaching hours, national conference instruction, and ongoing leadership in curriculum development and physician assessment.

A passionate educator and lecturer, Dr. Gillen has delivered hundreds of presentations to medical students, residents, nurses, paramedics, and practicing physicians. He has been a frequent instructor and examiner for ACEP, PA ACEP, SCCEP, and national emergency medicine courses, and has contributed extensively to airway management, trauma education, ultrasound training, and board review programming. His teaching excellence has been formally recognized with honors including “Attending of the Year” and the prestigious Stephen C. Rector Visiting Lectureship.

Dr. Gillen is also a highly accomplished researcher and author, with peer-reviewed publications spanning airway management, emergency procedures, toxicology, trauma, ultrasound, and patient safety. His scholarly contributions include journal articles, textbook chapters, original clinical research, national poster presentations, oral presentations, and the development of the Gillen-Hackstadt Maneuver. His work continues to influence emergency medicine education, clinical practice, and procedural safety worldwide.

Beyond medicine, Dr. Gillen values family, mentorship, and service. He and his wife, Marlene Gillen, APRN, have built a family deeply rooted in healthcare, education, and community commitment. Known for his integrity, clinical excellence, and devotion to teaching, Dr. Gillen remains dedicated to advancing emergency medicine, supporting the next generation of physicians, and improving patient care through education, scholarship, and leadership.

• West Virginia University School of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (MD)
• State University of New York at Buffalo Bachelor of Arts in Biology
• State University of New York at Stony Brook Undergraduate Studies

• Board Certified in Emergency Medicine – American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)
• Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP)
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) – Instructor & Provider
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) – Instructor & Provider
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) – Provider
• Life Flight / Helicopter Retrieval Physician

• Teaching Awards • “Attending of the Year” – Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital (2003)
• Lectureships & Special Honors • Stephen C. Rector Visiting Lectureship – West Virginia University School of Medicine (April 1993)

• Grand Rounds Committee
• American College of Emergency Physicians
• Florida College of Emergency Physicians
• American Board of Emergency Medicine

• Longstanding commitment to medical education through volunteer teaching, mentoring, and residency training of emergency medicine physicians
• Volunteer presenter and contributor to national and regional emergency medicine conferences and professional development programs
• Community health education through public lectures, safety advocacy, and patient awareness initiatives
• Participation in humanitarian-focused clinical education and patient safety initiatives throughout his career
• Supporter of organ and tissue donation awareness through emergency department–based advocacy and professional presentations

Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Gillen, J. P., et al. Ventricular fibrillation during orotracheal intubation of hypothermic dogs. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 15(4), 412–416 (1986).
• Kapoor, D. A., et al. Use of indomethacin suppositories in prophylaxis of recurrent ureteral colic. The Journal of Urology, 142(6), 1428–1430 (1989).
• Gillen, J. P. Structured emergency medicine board review and resident in-service examination scores. Academic Emergency Medicine, 4(7), 715–717 (1997).
• Henry, M. B., et al. Unrecognized traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 16(4), 406–408 (1998).
• Wilson, J. W., Gillen, J. P., & Maute, T. Patient safety during rapid sequence intubation. Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock, 13(4), 264–268 (2020).
• Gillen, J. P., Riveros, D., & Azari, L. Unusual cause of cardiac arrest in a former collegiate athlete. Cureus, 14(11), e31645 (2022).

Textbook Chapter

• Gillen, J. P. Immunizations. In R. M. Barkin (Ed.), Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice (1992).

Non–Peer-Reviewed Publication

• Gillen, J. P. Kirk’s Story – A Personal Reflection of Faith, Perseverance, and Triumph. USF Emergency Medicine Training Blog (2021).

Clinical Case Presentations

• Occipital-cervical dissociation: Case report and literature review. SAEM Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX (1995).

Selected Poster Presentations

• Demerol vs. Toradol in acute biliary colic – PA PACEP, San Diego, CA
• Survey of airway management in EM residencies – ACEP, San Francisco, CA
• Ocular irrigation solutions & Morgan lens studies – ACEP & PA PACEP
• Emergency ultrasonography core curriculum – ACEP, Orlando, FL
• MRI use in the emergency department – ACEP, New Orleans, LA
• Eye harvesting for transplantation – ACEP, Atlanta, GA (Exhibit Award Winner)