Kathy Rinnert, M.D.

Kathy J. Rinnert, M.D., M.P.H., FACEP, has been involved in emergency medicine and emergency response since 1984 beginning her career as a Nationally Registered EMT/Paramedic with Southeast Ohio EMS (SEOEMS). She completed medical school at The Ohio State University (1991) and internship in Internal Medicine at Loyola University in Chicago (1992). She completed Emergency Medicine Residency at the University of Chicago (1995) where she served as Chief Resident and Flight Surgeon for the University of Chicago Aeromedical Network (UCAN). In this role she provided critical care air medical transport services for the tri-state region comprised of Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.

Later, she completed a two-year fellowship in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Master’s of Public Health (MPH) degree at the University of Pittsburgh (1997). While in Pittsburgh, she served as Flight Surgeon for STAT MedEvac providing rotor-wing transports in western Pennsylvania as well as fixed-wing services for transcontinental and international repatriation missions.

Dr. Rinnert is a Professor of Emergency Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW). Her career has focused on EMS education, medical standard setting and accreditation, emergency management, and disaster response.

EMS Education: Dr. Rinnert has extensive experience in physician education in EMS and was responsible for the development and implementation of the EMS curriculum for the Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at UTSW. As the Program Director for the ACGME-accredited EMS Fellowship she is responsible for the planning, development, and delivery of the program. A majority of program graduates have gone on to assume significant leadership roles in EMS Medicine in urban, suburban, and rural areas with fire-based, private, and third service agencies as well as academic institutions, law enforcement agencies, and the United States military.

She is nationally recognized for co-authoring the Core Content of EMS Medicine and EMS Physician Curriculum, two landmark documents instrumental in the education of EMS physicians. She was an inaugural member of the EMS Examination Committee (EEC) for the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM). In this role, from 2010-2019, she participated in EMS Physician Job Analyses, revisions/updates of the EMS core content, development of examination blueprints, writing/editing items for EMS subspecialty examinations, and determining the passing score for certification exams. 

Medical standard setting/accreditation: Dr. Rinnert has expertise in the accreditation of EMS education programs having served as a site reviewer for the Committee on Accreditation of Education Programs for the EMS Professions (CoAEMSP). In addition she has a longstanding commitment to ambulance accreditation through her work as a site reviewer, panel member, and board member for the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). CAAS is a non-profit, international accrediting agency for ambulance providers. Dr. Rinnert also works extensively with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) in the development and assessment of trauma systems in the United States.

Emergency management/disaster response: Dr. Rinnert is experienced in emergency management, emergency response, and management of acute illness and injury in austere environments. She has been intimately involved in domestic preparedness efforts for both municipalities and hospital agencies, drafting the nationally recognized preparedness plans for the Parkland Health and Hospital Systems. She has contributed extensively to emergency management and preparedness initiatives at the local, state, regional, and national levels acting as liaison and consultant to numerous government agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Secret Service, United States Public Health Service, the Texas Medical Association, Dallas County Health Department, Dallas County Medical Society, Dallas/Fort Worth Hospital Council, and the City of Dallas Emergency Management.

Dr. Rinnert served for over 20 years as medical team manager for the Texas Urban Search and Rescue team (TXTF-1), one of twenty-nine national teams within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In her work with search and rescue, she has been involved in the surveillance, planning, positioning and operation of medical assets for high profile, national and international events including the following NSSE's (National Special Security Event); World Cup Soccer (1995, Chicago), Summer Olympic Games (1996, Atlanta), Winter Olympic Games (2002, Salt Lake City), Columbia Shuttle Recovery (2003, East Texas), Hurricane Katrina (2005, Gulf Coast), Hurricane Rita (2005, Texas Coast), and Arkansas Tornados (2014).

Medical School

Ohio State University Medical Center (1991)

Internship

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (1992), Internal Medicine

Residency

University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine (1995), Emergency Medicine

Fellowship

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Montefiore/Presbyterian (1997), Emergency Medical Services

Other Post Graduate Training

University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (1997)

Graduate School

University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (1997)

• Disaster response, urban search and rescue
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
• Medical Education
• Medical standard setting, accreditation

Featured Publications

Development of an EMS Curriculum.

Brice JH, Perina DG, Liu JM, Braude DA, Rinnert KJ, Macdonald RD Prehosp Emerg Care 2013 Oct

The core content of emergency medical services medicine.

Perina DG, Pons PT, Blackwell TH, Bogucki S, Brice JH, Cunningham CA, Delbridge TR, Gausche-Hill M, Gerard WC, Gratton MC, Mosesso VN, Pirrallo RG, Rinnert KJ, Sahni R, Harvey AL, Kowalenko T, Buckendahl CW, O'Leary LS, Stokes M Prehosp Emerg Care 2012 Jul-Sep 16 3 309-22

Conductive electrical devices: a prospective, population-based study of the medical safety of law enforcement use.

Eastman AL, Metzger JC, Pepe PE, Benitez FL, Decker J, Rinnert KJ, Field CA, Friese RS J Trauma 2008 Jun 64 6 1567-72

Alternate site surge capacity in times of public health disaster maintains trauma center and emergency department integrity: Hurricane Katrina.

Eastman AL, Rinnert KJ, Nemeth IR, Fowler RL, Minei JP J Trauma 2007 Aug 63 2 253-7

Outdated Concepts in Management of Disasters

Rinnert KJ, Wigginton JG, Pepe PE China Journal of Emergency Resuscitation and Disaster Medicine 2006 1 14-16

Catastrophic Care: When Hospitals are Overwhelmed

Nemeth IR, Rinnert KJ, Swienton RE, Pepe PE European Hospital 2006 15 1 10-11

Catastrophic Anachronisms: The Past, Present and Future of Disaster Medicine

Rinnert KJ, Wigginton JG, Pepe PE Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2006 43 761-772

Disaster Medicine

Pepe PE, Rinnert KJ, Wigginton JG Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2006 43 257-270

Evolution of statewide EMS drug formularies and regulations.

Lubin JS, Delbridge TR, Rinnert KJ, Platt TE Prehosp Emerg Care 2005 Apr-Jun 9 2 176-80

Tactical Emergency Medical Support

Rinnert KJ, Hall WL Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America, Advances in Prehospital Care November 2002 20(4) 931-954

 Featured Books

Prehospital Therapy. In The Trauma Manual, 2nd Edition

Rinnert KJ, O'Toole KS (2002). Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

Airway Management in the Trauma Patient. In The Trauma Manual, 2nd Edition

Vukmir RB, Rinnert KJ, Krugh JW (2002). Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

Emergency Medical Services and Emergency Department Administration. In Preparing for the Written Board Exam in Emergency Medicine, Fourth Edition

Rinnert KJ, Miller A (2003). Milford, Ohio, EMEE

Occupational Exposures, Infection Control and Standard Precautions. In Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide, 6th Edition

Rinnert KJ (2004). New York, USA, McGraw-Hill

Hospital Preparedness. In Medical Response to Terrorism Preparedness and Clinical Practice

Rinnert KJ, Keyes DC (2005). Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

Mass Fatality Incidents. In Medical Response to Terrorism Preparedness and Clinical Practice

Roppolo L, Rinnert KJ (2005). Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

Education of the EMS Physician. In Emergency Medical Services: Clinical Practice and Systems Oversight, 4th Edition

Pepe PE, Fowler RL, Rinnert KJ (2009). Dubuque, IA, Kendal-Hunt

• Outstanding Service Award
  American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Emergency Medical Services Examination Committee (EEC) (2019)
• Twenty Year Exemplary Service Award
  State of Texas, Texas Task Force-1, Urban Search and Rescue Team (2017)
• Top 25 Emergency Medicine & EMS Professors
  Medical & Technology Schools (2015)
• Outstanding Service Award
  American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Emergency Medical Services Examination Committee (EEC) (2014)
• Exemplary Service Award
  National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) (2012)
• Meritorious Service Award
  Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) (2011)
• Heroes of Emergency Medicine
  American College of Emergency Medicine (2008)
• Resolution of Exceptional Service
  State of Texas, House of Representatives, District 63 (2008)
• Ten Year Exemplary Service Award
  State of Texas, Texas Task Force-1, Urban Search and Rescue Team (2007)
• Above and Beyond Award
  Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas County Hospital District (2005)
• Ron Anderson Public Service Award
  University of Texas Southwestern, Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine (2005)
• James M. Atkins Public Safety Award
  University of Texas Southwestern, Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine (2004)
• Above and Beyond Award
  Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas County Hospital District (2000)
• Award of Excellence in Emergency Medicine Research
  The Ohio State University, College of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine (1991)
• David Saylor Memorial Award
  The Ohio State University, College of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cardiovascular Teaching Laboratory (1991)
• Above and Beyond the Call of Duty
  Grant Medical Center, Trauma and Emergency Services (1989)
• Landacre Research Honor Society
  The Ohio State University, College of Medicine (1989)
• Samuel J. Roessler Research Scholarship
  The Ohio State University, College of Medicine (1989)
• J.M. Foundation Scholarship
  The Ohio State University, College of Medicine (1988)

• American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) EMS Examination Committee (2010-2019)
• American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Fellow (1999-2020)
• American College of Surgeons, Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) Tauma Systems Consultant (2003-2020)
• Annals of Emergency Medicine Editoral Board (2003-2020)
• Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) Trauma Center Reviewer (2016-2020)
• Comission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) Board of Directors (1998-2020)
• Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) Trauma Center Reviewer (2006-2020)
• National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) Council EMS Fellowship Directors (1995-2020)
• Urban Search and Rescue, Medical Team Manager (1995-2018)