AMA Honors Physician for Lifesaving Efforts during the Boston Marathon Bombings
DALLAS (Nov. 10, 2014) – The American Medical Association (AMA) presented Andrew S. Ulrich, M.D., executive vice chairman of the department of emergency medicine at the Boston Medical Center, with the AMA Medal of Valor. The award recognizes physicians who demonstrate courage under extraordinary circumstances in non-wartime situations.
Dr. Ulrich was chosen by the AMA for his work during the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, which marked one of Massachusetts’ most traumatic non-wartime disasters. Given the hospital’s proximity to the blast sites, Boston Medical Center received the initial wave of critically injured patients just five minutes after being notified of the event.
“It is our honor to present Dr. Ulrich with the AMA’s Medal of Valor for his heroic work following the Boston Marathon bombings,” said AMA President Robert M. Wah, M.D. “His courage, calm demeanor and expertise played an essential role in saving the lives of those patients. The AMA recognizes all the heroic physicians and other health care workers who run toward accidents, explosions and other disasters to lend help and care."
Dr. Ulrich directed and coordinated the immediate care and resuscitative efforts for 28 patients, who ranged in age from five to seventy-eight years old. He swiftly assessed the needs of each victim and identified eight patients with life threating injuries, arranging the operations they required within forty minutes of their arrival. Under his leadership, Boston Medical Center successfully treated each of the victims, all of whom survived. Dr. Ulrich served as the medical team’s communications point-person with hospital leadership and law enforcement.
“As a hospital and a city, we collaborated and provided exceptional care in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings,” said Dr. Ulrich. “On behalf of all of my colleagues at BMC who work every day to care for victims of violence, I am honored to accept this award.”
Dr. Ulrich currently serves as associate professor of emergency medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine. During his tenure, he has taken on numerous leadership roles in industry organizations including the Council of Residency Directors, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
In 2009, he received the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association’s Residency Director of the Year award.
Dr. Ulrich earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Vermont and a medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
The Medal of Valor was presented to Dr. Ulrich during the opening session of the 2014 AMA Interim Meeting in Dallas, Texas.
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Media Contact:
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AMA Editorial & Media
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About the AMA
The American Medical Association is the premier national organization dedicated to empowering the nation’s physicians to continually provide safer, higher quality, and more efficient care to patients and communities. For more than 165 years the AMA has been unwavering in its commitment to using its unique position and knowledge to shape a healthier future for America. For more information, visit ama-assn.org.
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