Newswise — Dr. Mark Cichon, DO, has been named chair of the new Department of Emergency Medicine of Loyola University Medical Center.
Cichon formerly was head of the division of Emergency Medicine within the Department of Surgery at Loyola. As of July 1, the division is elevated to department status.
As a full, stand-alone department, the new Department of Emergency Medicine will be better positioned to enhance academic needs for both students and faculty and allow for richer academic growth, faculty development, faculty recruitment and retention. This change aligns with national trends over the past decade, as an increasing number of emergency medicine divisions have become full departments.
Cichon has served as division director for Loyola Emergency Medicine for the past 16 years. “Dr. Cichon has shown that he more than meets the academic needs of both students and faculty,” said Dr. Richard Gamelli, MD, FACS, senior vice president and provost, Health Sciences, Loyola University Chicago. “He also has demonstrated how emergency medicine physicians serve the didactic needs of students as well as serving the continued growth of the faculty within the department.”
Since 1995, annual patient volumes in Loyola’s emergency division have increased from 29,000 to 53,000 patients. “The Loyola emergency department is for many patients a portal of entry to Loyola University Health System for complex care,” said Dr. Gamelli, who also serves as Director, Burn & Shock Trauma Institute and Chief, Burn Center at Loyola. The division also has instituted several programs to improve care for critically ill patients, including the Heart Attack Rapid Response Team, Stroke Program, Sepsis Program and Hypothermia Program.
The Loyola emergency medicine division is classified as a Level 1 Trauma Center, providing the highest level of surgical care to trauma patients. The division also has been recognized by groups such as The Joint Commission, the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems, the American College of Surgeons for Trauma and the Illinois Department of Public Health for Trauma, Burns, Pediatric and Emergency departments.
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