Dietrich Jehle, MD, FACEP, RDMS Program Director, Professor & Chair

Dr. Dietrich Jehle has been a national leader in emergency medicine residency training for over four decades.

He played a significant role in developing the Emergency Medicine Residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA in 1982. In 1990, he relocated to Buffalo, New York, to establish a new Emergency Medicine Residency Program at the University at Buffalo, which began in 1994. He served as Associate Program Director (APD), Vice Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at SUNY Buffalo, and Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) for 17 years. Dr. Jehle also held the position of Tenured Professor of Emergency Medicine and became ECMC’s Associate Medical Director in 2008. That same year, he was honored with the Distinguished Physician’s Award and was subsequently appointed to ECMC’s Board of Directors in 2009.

In January 2016, Dr. Jehle was named Founding Program Director of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Grand Strand Medical Center in South Carolina, where he also served as Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of South Carolina.

In 2021, Dr. Jehle was recruited to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston to serve as Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and Founding Program Director of the new Emergency Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Dietrich Jehle is a nationally recognized leader in emergency ultrasound. He has co- authored several foundational textbooks on bedside ultrasonography, including:

• Ultrasound in Emergency Medicine (1995), the first textbook in the field
• Ultrasonography in Trauma: The FAST Exam (2003), published by the American College of Emergency Physicians
• Emergency Ultrasound of the Eye and Orbit (2011), the first text dedicated to emergency ocular ultrasound

Dr. Jehle also authored pioneering studies in the use of ultrasound by emergency physicians in the U.S. He published the first research on emergency ultrasound for blunt abdominal trauma, and led early studies using bedside ultrasound to assess gallbladder, aortic, renal, and first-trimester pregnancy pathology.

As Director of Emergency Ultrasonography at SUNY Buffalo, Dr. Jehle established one of the country’s first full-time emergency ultrasound fellowships in the 1990s. He later helped create a second fellowship in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 2020.

In recognition of his contributions to education and innovation in the field, the American College of Emergency Physicians honored Dr. Jehle with:

• The National Teaching Award (2000)
• The Emergency Ultrasound Award (2001)

Selected Publications:

1. Heller M, Jehle D (eds). Ultrasound in Emergency Medicine. W.B. Saunders, 1995 (1st ed.); Center Page, Inc., 2002 (2nd ed.).
2. Jehle D, Heller M. Ultrasonography in Trauma: The FAST Exam. ACEP, 2003.
3. Jehle D (ed), Bouvet S, Braden B, et al. Emergency Ultrasound of the Eye and Orbit. Grover Cleveland Press, 2011 (2nd printing, 2018).
4. Jehle D, Davis E, Evans T, et al. Emergency Department Sonography by Emergency Physicians. Am J Emerg Med. 1989; 7(6):605–611.
5. Jehle D, Guarino J, Karamanoukian H. Emergency Department Ultrasound in the Evaluation of Abdominal Trauma. Am J Emerg Med. 1993; 11(4):342–346.

Dr. Dietrich Jehle has made significant contributions to airway management in emergency medicine. He funded and led the first U.S. emergency medicine study on the use of bougies as an adjunct for intubation, which was published in Annals of Emergency Medicine in 2000.

For 27 years, Dr. Jehle provided medical care for the Buffalo Bills home games and served as the Buffalo Bills NFL’s game day on-field airway physician for a number of years. His extensive experience in prehospital and sideline airway management reflects his leadership in both clinical care and innovation. In 2017, he recorded the fastest intubation time in a competition at the National ACEP Scientific Assembly, demonstrating his technical expertise.

Over the past eight years, Dr. Jehle has taught numerous difficult airway courses, training hundreds of physicians in advanced airway techniques.

Selected Publication:

1. Moscati R, Jehle D, Christiansen G, et al. Flex-Guide Endotracheal Tube Introducer for Failed Intubations: A Variant of the Gum Elastic Bougie. A Case Series and Literature Review. Ann Emerg Med. 2000;36(1):52–56.

Dr. Dietrich Jehle has been a pioneer in resuscitation research, contributing several early and influential studies that advanced prehospital and in-hospital emergency care.

He conducted the first animal study investigating protective head cooling during cardiac arrest, as well as the first study evaluating the use of conjunctival oximetry in prehospital care, utilizing arterial lines during helicopter transport.

His research laid the foundation for modern approaches to neuroprotection and advanced monitoring in critical care and emergency transport.

Key Research Studies & Grants:

1. Protective Head Cooling During Cardiac Arrest (1984–1985) –
   Faculty Investigator, ASRI – $10,000
2. Cardiopulmonary Bypass for Prolonged Cardiac Arrest (1985–1986) –
   Principal Investigator, ASRI & Bard Cardiopulmonary – $20,000

Selected Publications:

1. Brader E, Jehle D, Mineo M, Safar P. Protective Head Cooling During Cardiac Arrest and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: The Original Animal Studies. Neurology International. 2010;2:e3:14–19. Abstract, Annals of Emergency Medicine 1985;14(5):510.
2. Shufflebarger C, Jehle D, Cottington E. Transconjunctival Oxygen Monitoring as a Predictor of Hypoxemia During Helicopter Transport. Am J Emerg Med. 1986;6:501– 503.
3. Jehle D, Fiorello A, Brader E, Cottington E, Kozak R. Hemoconcentration during Cardiac Arrest and CPR. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 1994;12(5):524- 526.

Dr. Dietrich Jehle has made significant contributions to trauma and crash injury research. He was appointed a Trauma Site Surveyor for both New York and Illinois, recognizing his leadership in emergency and trauma systems development.

His research in motor vehicle crashes has influenced public policy and injury prevention strategies, particularly during his leadership in a major federally funded transportation injury research initiative.

From 1998 to 2005, Dr. Jehle served as Site Director, Investigator, and Board Member for the Center for Transportation Injury Research, a joint project between the University at Buffalo Department of Emergency Medicine and Calspan (CUBRC). Funded at approximately $2 million per year through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, this program significantly advanced the understanding of crash-related injuries.

Selected Publications:

1. Lerner EB, Jehle D, Billittier A, et al: The Influence of Demographic Factors on Seatbelt Use by Adults Injured in Motor Vehicle Crashes. Accident Analysis and Prevention 2001;33:95-8.
2. Mayrose J, Jehle D: Vehicle weight and fatality risk for sport utility vehicle vs. passenger car crashes. Journal of Trauma 2002;53(4):751-753.
3. Jehle D, Wagner D, Mayrose J and Hashmi U: Seat belt use by police: Should they click it? Journal of Trauma - Injury Infection & Critical Care 2005;58(1):119-120.
4. Mayrose J, Jehle D, Hayes J, Tinnesz D, Piazza G, Wilding G. Influence of the Unbelted Rear-Seat Passenger on Driver Mortality: “The Backseat Bullet”. Acad Emerg Med. 2005;12(2):130–134.
5. Jehle D, Connolly S, Godzala M, Cole A. Speed Kills? Not Always: The New York State Thruway Experience. J Trauma. 2010;69(3):708–714.
6. Jehle D, Gemme S, Jehle C. Influence of Obesity on Mortality of Drivers in Severe Motor Vehicle Crashes. Am J Emerg Med. 2012;30:191–195. Epub Dec 2010.
7. Jehle D, Doshi C, Consiglio J, Karagianis J, Jehle G: Obesity and Seatbelt Use: A Fatal Relationship. American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2014;32(7):756–760. Epub Jan 22, 2014.
8. Jehle D, Arslan A, Doshi C, O’Brien C. Car Ratings Take a Back Seat to Vehicle Type: Outcomes of SUV vs. Passenger Car Crashes. HCA Healthcare J Med. 2021;2(4).