Pennsylvania Health Department Announces Appointment of State EMS Medical Director

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Bureau of EMS has appointed Dr. Daniel Bledsoe as the next State EMS Medical Director to serve the Bureau of EMS in consulting and advising on matters related to EMS, effective January 30, 2023.

Dr. Bledsoe has been a member of the EMS community since 1989, after joining his local fire department while in high school. Dr. Bledsoe currently serves as the EMS Medical Director for UPMC in the Central Pennsylvania Region with oversight of several agencies including Lancaster EMS, UPMC Community LifeTeam EMS, and a regional online medical control facility serving six counties.

Dr. Bledsoe served as the charter medical director of the UPMC West Shore Hospital Emergency Department and maintains clinical privileges at several UPMC hospitals in Central Pennsylvania. In his role as an EMS physician, Dr. Bledsoe continues to actively participate in field operations and has served as the interim chief of two hospital-based EMS services during times of transition. While attending West Virginia University for his undergraduate degree and Marshall University for his medical degree, Dr. Bledsoe has severed as an Emergency Medical Technician and instructor with Jan-Care Ambulance, Monongalia County EMS, and Marshall University EMS. Continuing to support EMS education, Dr. Bledsoe has served as the program medical director for Harrisburg Area Community College and currently serves as the medical director for the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences Paramedic Program.

Dr. Bledsoe holds board certification in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services through the American Board of Emergency Medicine. In addition to his various clinical roles, Dr. Bledsoe is a proud member of Pennsylvania Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), which is one of just 28 national Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) USAR teams in the country. With Task Force One, Dr. Bledsoe serves as a Medical Team Manager and has deployed to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the Surfside Collapse. Dr. Bledsoe also serves as a researcher on matters related to EMS and has served as a site principal investigator and coordinator for the RAMPART trial which included York Area EMS agencies, including the leading site for enrollment within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (White Rose Ambulance).

Dr. Bledsoe is a resident of York County where he lives with his wife Allison and four children.