'BEYOND "ER:" The Critical Role of Emergency Medicine in American Health Care' is the topic of Jan. 28 Emory Great Teachers Lecture

Supporting motorcycle helmet laws, preventing handgun violence, promoting seatbelt use...

These activities may not have the prime-time appeal of an "ER doc's" traditional adrenaline-pumping tasks, but they do have the potential to save many, many more lives, says Arthur Kellermann, M.D., professor and chief of Emergency Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine.

On Jan. 28, Dr. Kellermann will provide a glimpse into the frenetic, George Clooney-esque environment of a real emergency department, and will describe the emerging role of emergency medicine specialists as crusaders in trauma prevention. He will present "Beyond 'ER' The Critical Role of Emergency Medicine in American Health Care" as part of Emory University's Great Teachers Lecture Series. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. in Emory's Cannon Chapel, 515 Kilgo Circle, Atlanta. Call 404/ 727-6216.

"Emergency medicine specialists have long been admired for their ability to think clearly and act quickly to save lives," Dr. Kellermann says. "We are also big believers in prevention, because we see what happens when prevention fails. The best way to survive a heart attack or a car crash is to not have one in the first place."

As chief of Emergency Medicine at Emory, Dr. Kellermann oversees the emergency departments at Emory University Hospital, Crawford Long Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital. More than a year ago, he oversaw the transition of Emory Hospital's treatment room to a full-service emergency department.

Dr. Kellermann also directs the Center for Injury Control at the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University. He is best known for his epidemiologic research on firearm-related injuries and deaths.

His work has been published in more than 50 peer-reviewed journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association and American Journal of Public Health. In 1996, Dr. Kellermann's work was featured in the U.S. News & World Report cover story "Should You Own a Gun?"After earning a bachelor's of science from Rhodes College, Memphis, Tenn., and an M.D. from Emory University, Dr. Kellermann completed an internal medicine residency and earned a master's of public health from the University of Washington, Seattle. He is board certified in both internal medicine and emergency medicine.

In 1985, he accepted an appointment as chief of the Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, and served as medical director of the Emergency Department at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. From 1991-93, Dr. Kellermann served on the National Research Council Panel on the Understanding and Control of Violent Behavior. He joined the Emory faculty in 1993.