Dr. Karl David Kelley, MD

Dr. Karl Kelly is Emergency Medicine’s embodiment of service to country. He has provided frontline emergency medical care, stood the watch for our country’s leadership, and brought sound reasoning to national policy and operations in times of crisis: • Onsite Emergency Physician for FDNY, NYPD and federal assets working the pile in the wake of 9/11 • Secret Service medical team for UN 56th Gen assembly 2001 • Department of Homeland Security Founding Member • Pandemic and Medical Countermeasures editor for National Response Framework • Trauma Strike Team Leader tasked to Secret Service for G8 Summit 2004 • Chief Medical Officer for State of the Union Address 2004 • Closed Senate Subcommittee testimony following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita • Chief Medical Officer for Field Operations of National Disaster Medical System for 6yrs • Disaster Medicine Physician of the Year 2015, awarded by the American Academy of Disaster Medicine Karl’s medical leadership, however, goes far beyond hospitals and even beyond US borders. He served locally as a State Constable for more than 10 years and a full SWAT Team member for 8 years. Following that service, he was selected by the Special Operations Medical Association to be a Civilian Lifetime Member. And on the global front, Karl is a Founding Member of the International Tactical EMS Association and is an internationally certified SWAT physician. Further, his unique skillset gained him coveted invitations to train with several very elite organizations: • US DOD Defense Medical Readiness Institute, Homeland Security Medical Executive certification training • NATO sponsored International Chief Emergency Physician for Mass Casualty, Disaster, and Bioterrorism certification • Israeli Ministry of Health Division of Security and Israeli Defense Force training Karl is a champion for rural and underserved hospitals, bringing more than 25 years of experience to his current position as Emergency Medicine Physician and Stroke Center Medical Director. Understanding the need for safe and effective stroke interventions, he brings this expertise in the field to Physician Adjudication of Class III stroke and endovascular devices for pre-market analysis and post-market surveillance for report to US FDA and to the EU. Prior to his 15 year tenure in rural Tennessee, Karl served for 8 years as an Emergency Room Attending Physician in a 65 bed Level 1 Trauma Center and held additional positions as Chair of the Safety Committee and system-wide Medical Operations Director of the Disaster Committee. All of this is fitting for a 25 year veteran of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), for which Karl served as Founding Vice-Chair of the National Tactical EMS Section Committee as Board Member and Past President for South Carolina CEP. Advancement of education and research in Emergency Medicine and Disaster Medicine are two of Karl’s driving forces. To that end, he most recently is the Medical Director for the Risk Oriented Antiviral Repurposing (ROAR) Against COVID-19 Clinical Trial. This trial is a direct extension of his charity work as the Medical Director for High Alert Institute, Inc (a 501c3 charity dedicated to the support of disaster response, education, and research) and a former PI for Phase III pharmaceutic research. He also prioritizes staying current in Emergency and Disaster Medicine, serving as an ATLS instructor, as well as an author and adjudicator for certification exam questions for the Disaster Medicine Board. On a personal note, Karl has enjoyed raising money for the Ronald McDonald House charities, donating his winnings as a race car driver in One Lap of America. He has been a National Council of Corvette Clubs judge for the southeastern US. And as a life-long sailing enthusiast, he became a yacht captain 10 years ago certified in single and multi-mast plus single and multi-hull certified off-shore vessels.