Don Alves, MD

Donald W. Alves, MD, MS, FS, FAAEM, FACEP, CCHP, is a highly experienced physician specializing in emergency and correctional medicine, with a career spanning more than 25 years. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 1997, followed by an Emergency Medicine Residency at Morristown Memorial Hospital, New Jersey. Dr. Alves also holds a Master of Science in Emergency Health Services with a concentration in preventive medicine and public health from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and has completed a graduate certificate in Emergency Management. In addition to his medical training, he earned multiple undergraduate degrees and certifications in fields including criminal justice, fire safety management, biology, and chemistry, reflecting a lifelong commitment to interdisciplinary learning.

Throughout his career, Dr. Alves has served in diverse clinical and leadership roles, including Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Medical School, Assistant in Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, and as the Medical Director for the Maryland State Police. His responsibilities have ranged from resident education and hospital committee service to supervising statewide emergency and public health programs. Notably, he directed comprehensive COVID-19 mitigation efforts for over 2,500 Maryland State Police personnel, implementing vaccination, quarantine, and isolation protocols that were emulated regionally and nationally.

Dr. Alves’ work in correctional healthcare has been equally impactful. He currently serves as the Eastern Regional Medical Director for Centurion Healthcare at the Eastern Correctional Institution, overseeing clinical operations, staff development, and patient care for incarcerated populations. In this role, he has streamlined clinic workflows, optimized resource allocation, improved patient education, and advocated for evidence-based programs, including trauma care, medication-assisted treatment, and inclusive healthcare for transgender and other marginalized populations.

A board-certified Emergency Medicine physician and Certified Correctional Health Professional, Dr. Alves holds numerous certifications, including ACLS, PALS, ABLS, Homeland Security Level III, and FMCSA Medical Examiner. He has contributed extensively to the field through teaching, lectures, publications, and clinical program development. His experience spans prehospital care, EMS leadership, disaster response, and specialized law enforcement medicine, reflecting a dedication to both patient care and public safety.

Outside of medicine, Dr. Alves enjoys reading, antiquing, walking, and spending quality time with family. His professional philosophy emphasizes integrating preventive health, emergency preparedness, and compassionate patient-centered care across every role he undertakes. Recognized by colleagues and professional organizations alike, Dr. Alves continues to lead initiatives that enhance clinical outcomes, promote public health, and advance the practice of emergency and correctional medicine.

• Medical Degree: Eastern Virginia Medical School
• Residency: Emergency Medicine.
• Fellowship: Emergency Medical Services, University of Maryland.
• Additional Training: Flight Surgeon, Fort Rucker, AL
• Internship: Internal Medicine

• American Board of Emergency Medicine

• American College of Emergency Physicians
• American Academy of Emergency Medicine
• National Commission on Correctional Health Care
• American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• American Criminal Justice Association - Lambda Alpha Epsilon

Journal Articles

Alves DW, Szucs PA. The demographics of e-mail for emergency medicine research. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine 19(3):192-195, May 2001.

Alves DW, Chen IA. Case report: warfarin-induced skin necrosis. Hospital Physician, August 2002, pp 39–42.

Hsu E, Winslow JA, Alves DW, Grabowski JG, Van Rooyen M. Effect of a large-scale urban chemical fire with hazardous materials spill on local emergency departments.

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 17(4):196–201, October–December 2002.

Alves DW. Smallpox survey. Section News: A Newsletter from the American College of Emergency Physicians Section of Disaster Medicine.12(3):2,7, July 2003.

Alves DW, Bissell RA Ambulance snatching: how vulnerable are we? The Journal of Emergency Medicine 25(2):211–214, August 2003.

Alves DW, Allegra J, Cochrane D, Cable G. Effect of lunar cycle on the occurrence of cardiopulmonary arrest. The European Journal of Emergency Medicine 10(3):225–228,

September 2003.

Hansen JL, Alves DW. Approach to the weak and dizzy patient (lesson 13). Critical Decisions in Emergency Medicine; 17(7):1–9, March 2003. (Reviewed and abstracted in

Journal Watch Emergency Medicine 7(11):87, November 2003.)

Alves DW, Kennedy MT. Community-acquired pneumonia in casualty: etiology, clinical features, and management (or a look at the “new” in pneumonia since 2002).” Current

Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine10:166–170, April 2004.

Alves DW, Moayedi S. A sane sauna solution saves service safely. Section of Disaster Medicine: A Newsletter from the American College of Emergency Physicians 14(3):2+,

August 2005.

Alves DW, Flannigan J. Operation Lifeline: Marylanders reaching out to answer Louisiana’s call for aid. Maryland EPIC, Fall 2005, p 10.

Alves DW. To Glue or Not to Glue? Practical Summaries in Acute Care 1(01):1-8, January 2006.

Alves DW, Lawner B. “Should RSI be Performed in the Prehospital Setting?” Practical Summaries in Acute Care 1(06): 45-52, June 2006. Subsequently modified by publisher

(Thompson-AHC) into on-line format for CMEweb.com, available at: http://www.cmeweb.com/gcourse_view.php?course_id=5870 (accessed 6/17/2006).

Lawner B, Alves DW, Gerold KB. “A Microscopic Offender: Armed, Dangerous and Contagious. Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) soft tissue infection.” The Tactical

Edge 25(4): 56-61, Fall 2007.

Alves DW, Bissell RA. “Bacterial Pathogens in Ambulances: Results of Unannounced Sample Collection.” Prehospital Emergency Care 12(2): 218-24, April-June 2008.

Lemkin DL, Bond MC, Alves DW, Bissell RA. “A Public Health Enforcement Initiative to Combat Underage Drinking Using Emergency Medical Services Call Data.” Prehospital

and Disaster Medicine 27(2): 1-5, April 2012.

Al Amiry A, Bissell RA, Maguire BJ, Alves DW. “MRSA Nasal Colonization Prevalence Among EMS Personnel.” Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 28(4): 1-5,

August 2013.

Levy MT, Smith R, Gerold KB, Alves DW, Tang N. “Clinical Encounters in Tactical Medicine: A Mission-Specific Analysis of the Maryland State Police Experience.” JSOM,

14(2) Summer 2014: 98-104.

Gerold KG, Gibbons ME, Fisette RE, Alves DW. “Review, Clinical Update, and Practice Guidelines for Excited Delirium Syndrome.” JSOM, 15(1) Spring 2015: 62-69.

Alves, DW. “The Administration of Naloxone by Police Officers—Antidote to an Epidemic.” Tactical Edge. Summer 2016: 62.

Letters

Alves DW, Allegra J, Wallace M, Cable G. Perceptions of success rates of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by CPR instructors [letter]. The American Journal of

Emergency Medicine 22(4):331–333, July 2004.

Alves DW, Allegra J, Wallace M, Allegra P. Emergency medicine residents have more accurate perceptions of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation success rates than non-emergency

medicine residents [letter]. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine 23(6):819–820, October 2005.

Books/Chapters/Reports

Alves DW, Wallace MR, Littlepage JR, Stockslager G, Harter B. Summer Camp Resource Manual. Brain Injury Association of Virginia, 1997.

Bissell RA, Bumbak D, Dean S, Maguire BJ, Walz BJ, Alves DW. EMS Response to a Bioterrorism Event or Massive Infectious Disease Outbreak. A Planning Guidance

Document Created for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, August 2005.

Report of the Maryland Attorney General’s Task Force on Electronic Weapons, December 2009. One of 15 members, and active contributor to final report.

Ehmann MR, Alves DW. “Phlegmasia Alba and Cerulea Dolens.” Cardiovascular Chapter #9, Atlas of Clinical Emergency Medicine, © 2015.

Report from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ (AAMVA) Law Enforcement Standing Committee’s Disability Placard/Plate Fraud Working Group, titled:

Persons with Disabilities Placards and License Plates—Best Practices in Deterring and Detecting Fraud and Misuse, August 2018. One of 17 members, and active contributor to

final report.