ACMT Board of Directors

President

Lewis S. Nelson, MD, FACMT(2010-2012)

New York University School of Medicine 
New York, NY

Dr. Nelson received his medical degree from SUNY Health Science Center in Brooklyn, NY. He completed a residency in emergency medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine followed by a fellowship in Medical Toxicology at New York City Poison Control Center/New York University School of Medicine.
Dr. Nelson is Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at New York University School of Medicine and also the Director of Education for his department. He is the Director of the Fellowship in Medical Toxicology program at NYUSOM and NYCPCC. He is an attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Bellevue Hospital Center and New York University Langone Medical Center. At NYULMC, he is Chair of both the Pharmacy and Therapeutics and Medication Safety committees. 
Dr. Nelson has served as Chair of the Medical Toxicology Subboard, the board certifying organization for medical toxicologists. He has also been of the Food and Drug Administration's Drug Safety and Risk Management (DSaRM) Advisory Committee. 
In addition to editing Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies, now in its 9th edition, Dr. Nelson’s educational and research interests focus on opioid toxicology, medication safety, and chemical terrorism.
Dr. Nelson was first elected to the ACMT Board of Directors in 2002. He has served as President since 2010, and has had leadership roles on multiple committees.

Vice President

Suzanne R. White, MD, MBA, FACMT (2010-2012)

Wayne State University School of Medicine
Detroit, MI

Dr. White completed her undergraduate education at Adrian College. She received her medical degree and completed her residency in emergency medicine and medical toxicology at Wayne State University. In addition to receiving an MBA from the University of Tennessee, Dr. White also completed the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Fellowship at Drexel University.
Dr. White is board certified in Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology, and is a practicing medical toxicologist and emergency physician. Dr. White is the past Medical Director for the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Regional Poison Control Center. She is the Emergency Physician-in-Chief for the Detroit Medical Center and the Dayandan Professor and Chair of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine. In January 2011, Dr. White was named Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of the Detroit Medical Center.
Dr. White has chaired the Medical Toxicology Subboard of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Dr. White has served as the Chair of the ACMT Awards Committee and Education Committee. She currently serves on the ACGME RRC for EM and the American Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties.
Dr. White has interests in the areas of poison prevention, disaster, bioterrorism and weapons of mass destruction preparedness.

Secretary / Treasurer

Leslie R. Dye, MD, FACMT (2010-2012)

Journal of Medical Toxicology
Waynesville, OH

Dr. Dye received her medical degree from the University of Kansas. She completed an Emergency Medicine Residency and Toxicology Fellowship at the University of Cincinnati. Her “love for the specialty of Medical Toxicology has never wavered.” She has many publications and presentations, and received an $800,000 grant to establish a Poison Control Center in Shenyang, China.
Dr. Dye cites her involvement with The Journal of Medical Toxicology as the Editor-in-Chief as one of her “greatest joys.”
Dr. Dye has served on the ACMT Education, Publication, and Membership committees for several years and is the past-Chair of the Education Committee. She has also organized and moderated the Fellows-in-Training luncheon at NAACT for several years and has served as the course director for the Biennial ACMT Board Review Course in 2008. Her passion has been serving as a mentor and recruiting new toxicologists into ACMT.
She is a fitness enthusiast and bikes and swims. She has competed in a century bicycle ride, an aquabike, and several other organized bicycle rides. In her free time, she can be found on her farm in Waynesville, Ohio with her husband, Brian and various animals.

Past President

Erica L. Liebelt, MD, FACMT (2010-2012) 

University of Alabama School of Medicine
Birmingham, AL

After graduating from Duke University, Dr. Liebelt received her medical degree from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Liebelt went on to complete a fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA, and a fellowship in medical toxicology and pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Poison Control Center.
Dr. Liebelt is the Director of Medication Safety at Children's of Alabama in Birmingham and a Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at University of Alabama School of Medicine Birmingham. Dr. Liebelt has also served as the Director of the Medical Toxicology Program at the UAB Hospital and Children’s Hospital. She is the Co- Medical Director of the Regional Poison Control Center in Birmingham. Dr. Liebelt has also served on the Medical Toxicology Subboard of the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Liebelt has served on ACMT’s Executive Committee since 2004. She was Vice President from 2006-2008, and President from 2008-2010.

Members

Steve Aks, DO, FACMT (2010-2013)

The Toxikon Consortium
Chicago, IL

Dr. Aks received his medical degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York Institute of Technology. Dr. Aks completed his residency in emergency medicine at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his training in Medical Toxicology with the Toxikon Consortium based at Cook County Hospital. He is board certified in Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology.
Dr. Aks serves as the Director of the Toxikon Consortium of Chicago. Toxikon pools the toxicology resources between Cook County, The University of Illinois, and The Illinois Poison Center. He also serves at the Toxikon Fellowship Program Director in addition to his role as an Emergency Physician at Cook County. He is an associate professor in the department of emergency medicine at Rush Medical College. Dr. Aks believes that “collaboration and developing the next generation of toxicologists is the key to our successful future.”

Michele Burns Ewald, MD, FACMT (2010-2013)

Children's Hospital Boston
Boston, MA

Dr. Ewald attended both Emory College and Emory School of Medicine followed by a pediatric residency at the University of Texas Southwestern. She moved to Boston in 1995 for a combined fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine & Medical Toxicology at Children's Hospital Boston.
Dr. Ewald became the Medical Director of the Poison Control Center for Massachusetts & Rhode Island in 2000 and the Harvard Medical Toxicology Fellowship Director/Chief of the In-Patient Toxicology Program in 2001. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She is chair of ACMT’s Education Committee. She is involved with ToxIC (Toxicology Investigator’s Consortium) and is a reviewer for the Journal of Medical Toxicology. She is in the process of obtaining her MPH in Clinical Effectiveness at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Howard A. Greller, MD, FACMT (2011-2014)

North Shore University Hospital
New York, NY

Dr. Greller received his BA from Yale University and his MD from the New York University School of Medicine. He did his residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and completed a fellowship in Medical Toxicology at the New York University School of Medicine / New York City Poison Control Center. Dr. Greller is board certified in medical toxicology and emergency medicine.
Currently, Dr. Greller is an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.
He has served as the Chairman of the ACMT Website Committee for the past four years. He oversees the development, design, implementation and transition of the ACMT website: www.acmt.net. He launched the Enduring Education committee, dedicated to the enhancement, preservation and advancement of the educational efforts for the college. He is the moderator and administrator of the Forum of ACMT, the College’s online discussion board.
Dr. Greller has served as a member of the Board of Directors of both the college and the Medical Toxicology Foundation. He has worked closely with other committee chairs and board members to foster educational goals, such as the Innovative Teaching Award, which is an unrestricted grant for innovations in medical toxicology education. Dr. Greller’s vision is to “make ACMT, and the information possessed by medical toxicologists, more accessible in the world of medicine.”

Russ Kerns, MD, FACMT (2011-2014)

Carolinas Medical Center
Charlotte, NC 

After graduating from Randolph-Macon College, Dr. Kerns received his medical degree from Medical College of Virginia, and then completed a residency in Emergency Medicine and a medical toxicology fellowship at the Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC.
Dr. Kerns is a faculty member of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. His academic mission focuses exclusively on toxicology and includes bedside and poison center patient care, resident and fellow education, coordination of toxicology research, and contribution to local and state educational programs. Since 2000, he has directed Carolinas Medical Toxicology Fellowship training program. Dr. Kerns also endeavors to promote toxicology at the national level through participation in education and research programs. Participation in ACMT efforts have included the Journal of Medical Toxicology editorial board, Instructor for the Board Review and Agents of Opportunity courses , ToxIC contributor, Program Director Committee, and Research Committee.
His goal for board participation is to continue the advancement of medical toxicology in the areas of education and research.

Eric Lavonas, MD, FACMT (2011-2014)

Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center
Denver, CO

Dr. Lavonas, a native of upstate New York, is the associate director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center. After graduating from University of Rochester, he received his medical degree from State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse. He completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Methodist Hospital of Indiana, and completed a fellowship in Medical Toxicology at Carolinas Medical Center.
He particularly enjoys collaborative projects; recently, he has been involved with the ILCOR and American Heart Association ALS working groups, the ACEP Clinical Policies Committee, the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine sub-board, and the CDC CO poisoning surveillance working group. He has been an ACMT member since 1999. Dr. Lavonas has also chaired the ACMT By-laws committee for 6 years, and currently chairs the Liaison committee.

Charles McKay, MD, FACMT (2011-2014)

University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Hartford, CT

After graduating from both Dartmouth College and Medical School, Dr. McKay completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Rhode Island Hospital. He completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Denver General Hospital, and completed practice pathway preceptorships in Medical Toxicology at the Rocky Mountain and New York Poison Control Centers.
Dr. McKay is a medical toxicologist at Hartford Hospital and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, where he is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine. He is a diplomat of the ABMT and the ABMS Toxicology Subboard. He is the Associate Medical Director of the Connecticut Poison Control Center and the Director of the Toxicology Fellowship at UConn. Dr. McKay also directs a toxicology consult service at Hartford Hospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC). As Medical Director of Occupational Health Services for Hartford Hospital and CCMC, he also evaluates questions of workplace safety and toxic exposure for 9,000 employees.
He has served on the ACMT Board of Directors since 2007 and is the Past Chair of the ACMT Practice Committee. Dr. McKay is active in biopreparedness efforts at the local and state level and has helped lead ACMT’s participation in the Department of Homeland Security’s Chemical Terrorism Risk Assessment (CTRA) process. Dr. McKay is also the National Coordinator of the ACMT-ATSDR Regional Consultation Network.
Dr. McKay seeks “to develop sustainable practice opportunities for medical toxicologists.” His interests lie in clinical patient care, occupational and environmental toxicology, biopreparedness, and training of residents and fellows. He also enjoys scuba diving and distance running.

Stephen Munday, MD, MPH, FACMT (2009-2012)

University of California, San Diego
San Diego, CA

Dr. Munday completed his Bachelors Degree at the University of Florida in 1983 followed by his M.D. degree at the University of Florida in 1987. He then did a one year Internal Medicine Internship at the Naval Hospital Oakland, California in 1988. He completed a Public Health Residency at the University of California, San Diego in 1995 while concurrently obtaining an MPH in Occupational Health and Epidemiology at San Diego State University. Dr. Munday went on to complete an Occupational & Environmental Medicine residency at the University of California, Irvine while at the same time obtaining an MS in Environmental Toxicology. From 2000 through 2002 he completed a Medical Toxicology fellowship at UCSD.
Dr. Munday is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UCSD and is also a Consulting Toxicologist for the California Poison Control System, San Diego Division. Dr. Munday is also the Chief of Environmental and Preventive Medicine at the Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group. He has been the Public Health Officer for Imperial County, California since 2004.
Dr. Munday was involved in teaching the Agents of Opportunity course as well as the Medical Toxicology Board Review course. He recently joined ACMT’s Education committee and is one of the Directors for the 2012 Medical Toxicology Board Review Course. Dr. Munday serves as Chair of the Membership Committee.
Dr. Munday’s vision for the future of ACMT: “I want to strengthen the training opportunities in the occupational aspects of Medical Toxicology for fellows and promote our specialty among the Preventive and Occupational Medicine communities. I hope to do this by improving communication with organizations such as the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).”

Michelle Ruha, MD, FACMT (2009-2012)

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center 
Phoenix, AZ

Dr. Ruha received her medical degree from UMDNJ New Jersey Medical School and then completed an Emergency Medicine residency at Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey. Her fellowship training brought her to Phoenix, Arizona, where she continues to serve as Director of the Medical Toxicology Fellowship at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. She is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology but her clinical practice is focused on providing care to poisoned and envenomed patients. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and also serves on the Medical Toxicology Subboard for the American Board of Emergency Medicine, the certifying organization for medical toxicologists.  Dr. Ruha is an Editorial Board member and the Review Article Editor for the Journal of Medical Toxicology. Her major area of interest and research is in envenomations. Dr. Ruha has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Medical Toxicology since 2009.

Executive Director

Paul Wax, M.D., FACMT

University of Texas, Southwestern School of Medicine
Dallas, Texas

Dr. Wax is the Executive Director of the American College of Medical Toxicology. Dr. Wax received his B.A from Dartmouth College, his M.D. from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, his Emergency Medicine training at the UCLA Hospitals, and his Medical Toxicology training at Bellevue Medicine Center / New York University. He is Board-certified in both Medical Toxicology and Emergency Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Toxicology. Along with his part time role as the Executive Director of ACMT, Dr. Wax is a Clinical Professor in Surgery (Emergency Medicine) at the University of Texas, Southwestern School of Medicine where he is a member of the Section of Medical Toxicology and Director of the Medical Toxicology Clinic. Before joining ACMT in 2008 as its Executive Director, and the University of Texas Southwestern in 2006 as a part-time faculty member, Dr. Wax had faculty appointments in the Departments of Emergency Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine from 1991-2001 and the University of Arizona School of Medicine from 2001-2006. Dr. Wax previously served on the Board of Directors of ACMT from 1998-2008 serving as ACMT President from 2006-2008. During this tenure he chaired the ACMT Education Committee from 1998-2002. From 2002-2006 Dr. Wax served as the National Director of ACMTs Consultation Network to support the ATSDR Regional Offices and was co-founder of ACMT’s Chemical Agent of Opportunity course. From 1997-2006 Dr. Wax also served as one of the American Board of Emergency Medicine’s appointee’s on the Medical Toxicology Subboard. During this time Dr. Wax served as Editor of the Medical Toxicology Board Certification Examination as well as Chairman of the Subboard, and was also the primary author of the 2004 Core Content of Medical Toxicology. Dr Wax has also served as a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control NCEH’s Division of Laboratory Sciences and was a member of NCEH/ATSDR Board of Scientific Counselors from 2006-2008.