Dr. Marsha Ford began her emergency medicine career in 1982 at what is now Atrium-Carolinas Medical Center. She initially trained in internal medicine but realized early that she loved the pace and challenge of the emergency department. She subsequently grand-mothered into EM, achieving the rank of Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. In 1990, she completed a medical toxicology fellowship at NYU-Bellevue. Over a 32-year career, she taught, lectured, wrote research and didactic articles/chapters, performed clinical and public health research, edited a toxicology textbook, and founded the North Carolina Poison Center.
Marsha has been active in state, national, and international EM associations. She was President of the North Carolina Chapter of Emergency Medicine (NCCEP) and a councillor/alternate councillor for 27 years, serving on numerous Council committees. In 1990, Marsha recognized a need for emergency physicians to be involved in state legislative and regulatory activities, not just those at the federal level. She worked with NY-ACEP to obtain a chapter grant and create an educational video. She co-wrote a Council resolution supporting ACEP’s development of formal state legislative initiatives. This resulted in the creation of what is now State Government Relations. In 1994, Marsha organized the inaugural ACEP Research Forum; two years later, when budgetary concerns threatened the Forum’s existence, she worked with staff to append it to Scientific Assembly as a pre-meeting. Marsha served on the Medical Toxicology Sub-board of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, including two years as Chair. She also served as president of the board of directors for America’s Poison Centers.
Her awards include Emergency Physician of the Year (1997, NCCEP); the George Podgorny Service Award for Dedicated and Outstanding Service in the Field of Emergency Medicine (2001 & 2013, NCCEP); the Council Meritorious Service Award (2003, ACEP); the Lifetime Achievement Award (2015, NCCEP); the Council Curmudgeon Award (2022, ACEP).
