Seth Kelly, MD, MBA

Academic Activities and Responsibilities

I have been interested in emergency medicine since I was a teenager and have been a volunteer in the EMS/fire/rescue service in various capacities since 1995, including prehospital EMS, firefighting, heavy/technical rescue, and wilderness medicine/search and rescue. In 1999, I joined the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (BCCRS), a large volunteer department in Bethesda, MD, a suburb of Washington, DC. I served continuously as a volunteer firefighter/EMT and officer for 13 years at BCCRS (prior to taking a leave of absence for medical school) and was promoted through the ranks to become the deputy fire/rescue chief. I currently hold the rank of assistant fire/rescue chief with the rescue squad, which is part of the combination career-volunteer Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue Service. I hope to pursue an EMS fellowship after residency and my continued involvement allows me to integrate what I’m learning as an emergency medicine resident with my first-hand understanding of the operations and administration of prehospital and disaster medicine. I also serve as chair of the prehospital and disaster medicine division of the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association.

Before starting medical school at Texas A&M University, I worked as a professional strategy consultant for more than a decade in the public and private sectors in the areas of healthcare, homeland security, emergency services response and system design, organizational change management, and executive leadership. I also stopped along the way to obtain an MBA at the University of Maryland (College Park) with a concentration in management and organization.

Other than that: I grew up in Boston and went to college in New Hampshire, so I'm a displaced New Englander. I still follow and root for the Red Sox and Patriots when I can (though I've become a big SEC/Aggies fan, too…gig ‘em!).

I’m very excited to join the UMEM family to learn from such a great group of faculty, residents, nurses, techs, and other team members as I begin my career as an emergency medicine physician. If you are looking at our program as a prospective applicant, please feel free to reach out with any questions about our residency, the application process, or anything at all. Hope to see you in Baltimore!

Research Interests

• Prehospital and disaster medicine
• Wilderness medicine
• Medical education
• Healthcare system design and administration