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Todd Heffern, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, NRP, has nearly 20 years of experience as a board-certified EMS and emergency physician, working with multiple healthcare systems in the Nashville and Knoxville areas, as well as with the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine and Roane State Community College.  He is the medical director for multiple EMS agencies and has worked with various organizations as a consultant for clincial, medicolegal and reimbursement/utilization management issues.

Dr. Heffern earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee in Engineering, graduated from the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine, and completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Michigan State University in Grand Rapids.  He has a passion for EMS and Sports Medicine, and volunteers as the Team Physician for Bearden High School in Knoxville.  Todd is married to his high school sweetheart and they have one rambunctious teenage son.

Dr. Heffern has worked as an EMS Medical Director for multiple EMS and Fire agencies, and has experience in both Aeromedical and Industrial EMS.  He is actively involved in initial training programs, continuing education programs within his agencies, as well as provides independent continuing education courses for EMS providers.

He is a strong proponent of Mobile-Integrated Health and Community Paramedicine (MIH/CP) programs, as well as the integration of physicians and advanced practice providers into EMS systems.

In addition to his devotion to EMS Medicine, Dr. Heffern has a passion for Sports Medicine.  He serves as the team physician for Bearden High School and works with athletic trainers around the region to integrate the Sports Medicine community with EMS and Emergency Medicine.

He has provided conference presentations and hands-on training to both EMS and sports medicine providers on the identification and management of concussions, and has championed the appropriate management of spinal injuries in athletes, including developing guidelines and training programs for safe equipment removal from athletes.

EDUCATION

  • Undergraduate: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
  • Medical School: ETSU Quillen College of Medicine; Johnson City, TN
  • Residency: Michigan State University; Grand Rapids, MI

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

  • American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
  • Tennessee College of Emergency Physicians (TCEP)
  • National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP)
  • Tennessee Chapter of the NAEMSP 
  • American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
  • American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM)
  • American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)