The TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine has appointed Terence McCarthy, M.D., as its first academic chair for emergency medicine, a news release announced Friday, June 29.
McCarthy currently serves as an emergency medicine physician on the medical staff at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. The release detailed that in his role at the School of Medicine, he will lead the planning, policy, operations and oversight of the clinical and educational opportunities within the emergency medicine department.
“I’m extremely proud and excited to chair the department of emergency medicine, especially in partnership with a medical school committed to developing empathetic scholars,” McCarthy said in the release.
“I’ve seen how people’s lives can be impacted forever during a visit to an emergency department, and a touch of human kindness can make a world of difference,” he continued. “I look forward to helping lead the department into the future of medicine while teaching young clinicians excellent medical care with an emphasis on compassion.”
In addition to practicing emergency medicine and serving as immediate past chief of staff at Texas Health Fort Worth, McCarthy is chairman of the hospital’s medical staff executive committee and is a member of the Texas Health Fort Worth President’s Advisory Cabinet.
Additionally, McCarthy has experience as a medical educator in the past as an associate professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, and currently as a clinical adjunct professor for the Physician Assistant Studies Department at the UNTHSC.
“We are fortunate to have such a respected, dedicated and knowledgeable member of the Fort Worth medical community leading the development of our emergency medicine department,” Vice Dean of Educational Affairs and Accreditation Jacqueline Chadwick, M.D., said in the release “Dr. McCarthy’s commitment to the health and safety of his patients, as well as the Fort Worth region as a whole, speaks volumes regarding his character as a physician. I’m confident he will instill that same passion within our medical students.”
McCarthy holds a B.A. in biology from Austin College in Sherman Texas and a medical degree from UTMB Galveston, and he completed his residency at UTMB Health.
He has been recognized as a “Top Doctor” by Fort Worth, Texas magazine seven times, as well as named “Outstanding Preceptor” by UNTHSC and “Physician of the Year” by Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth.
“He is a champion of clinical excellence, evidence-based best practices, high reliability and patient safety for all of the patients we serve, and he’ll bring the same outstanding qualities to the medical school,” Texas Health CEO Barclay Berdan, FACHE, said in the release.
As medical director for Fort Worth Emergency Services Collaborative, McCarthy leads the effort to unite members of the Fort Worth emergency medical care community to address common issues, the release detailed; adding that when not practicing medicine or educating those who will, McCarthy remains active in the Fort Worth community.
He serves as an adviser and former co-chair of the Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalition, a volunteer organization dedicated to studying and preventing injury through the work of local focus groups, the release said. Additionally, he is a member of the Tarrant County Medical Society Board of Directors, volunteers for Mission Fort Worth Medical Clinic and serves on the Mayfest Advisory Board.