Ten faculty members in the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine have been promoted, effective Oct. 1, 2026.
“We are excited to have a record number of faculty promoted within the Department of Emergency Medicine this year,” said Andrew Edwards, M.D., chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. “This showcases the outstanding work by ten individuals who exceeded our departmental standard and the university’s criteria for advancement. I want to commend and congratulate each of these faculty members for their superior effort and dedication. We look forward to their continued leadership, growth, and contributions to the department.”
Congratulations to the following faculty members:
Matthew Kelly, M.D.
Matthew Kelly, M.D.
Promoted to Professor
Matthew Kelly, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine in 2008. He currently serves as the co-medical director of Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine. His research focuses on hyperbaric medicine, wound care, carbon monoxide poisoning, and mitochondrial dysfunction, with a broader interest in advancing treatments for complex injuries and toxic exposures. He earned his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine and completed residency training in emergency medicine and a fellowship in undersea and hyperbaric medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Through his clinical and research efforts, Kelly works to improve outcomes for patients requiring advanced wound care and hyperbaric therapies.
William Rushton, M.D.
William Rushton, M.D.
Promoted to Professor
William Rushton, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine in 2015. He currently serves as the director of the Office of Medical Toxicology and medical director of the Alabama Poison Information Center at Children’s of Alabama. His research focuses on medical toxicology, including snake envenomation, heavy metal toxicity, drug exposures, and poison control. He earned his medical degree from Georgetown University and completed residency and fellowship training at the University of Virginia. Through his clinical, research, and educational efforts, Rushton works to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of toxic exposures and poisoning.
Dag Shapshak, M.D.
Dag Shapshak, M.D.
Promoted to Professor
Dag Shapshak, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine in 2014. He currently serves as co-director of the Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care Program and ambulatory quality officer for the Russell Clinic. His research focuses on hyperbaric medicine, wound healing, emergency medicine, and quality and patient safety initiatives. He earned his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed residency training in emergency medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, followed by fellowship training in undersea and hyperbaric medicine. Through his clinical, research, and leadership roles, Shapshak works to advance wound care therapies, hyperbaric medicine, and the quality of emergency care delivery.
Sukhshant Atti, M.D., MPH
Sukhshant Atti, M.D., MPH
Promoted to Associate Professor
Sukhshant Atti, M.D., MPH, joined the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine in 2020 as an assistant professor. She also holds an appointment as assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology and serves as an associate scientist for the Heersink School of Medicine. Atti earned her Doctor of Medicine degree in 2013 from St. George's University. Her research focuses on emergency and acute care medicine, with interests in medical toxicology, critical care, and point-of-care ultrasound. Her scholarly work has examined the use of ultrasound to guide treatment in severe drug toxicities and has contributed to research and education in disaster medicine and emergency care.
Andrew Bloom, M.D.
Andrew Bloom, M.D.
Promoted to Associate Professor
Andrew Bloom, M.D., joined the Department of Emergency Medicine in 2020 and currently serves as an assistant professor. His professional interests include emergency medicine education and simulation-based training, and he serves as director of the Emergency Simulation Fellowship as well as assistant residency director. Bloom earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, completed residency training at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, and pursued fellowship training at UAB. Through his work as a clinician and educator, Bloom helps advance emergency medicine training and prepare future physicians for high-acuity clinical care.
Ryan Coute, D.O.
Ryan Coute, D.O.
Promoted to Associate Professor
Ryan Coute, D.O., joined the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine in 2021 and has served as an assistant professor for five years, with affiliations in multiple UAB research centers. His research focuses on resuscitation science, particularly cardiac arrest treatment, outcome disparities, disease burden estimation, and healthcare policy. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, completed emergency medicine residency training at UAB, and received cardiovascular research fellowship training at the University of Michigan. Through his research and clinical care, Coute works to improve outcomes for patients with sudden cardiac arrest and advance evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care.
Sherell Hicks, M.D.
Sherell Hicks, M.D.
Promoted to Associate Professor
Sherell Hicks, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine in 2019 and currently serves as an assistant professor as well as associate residency program director and associate scientist in the Center for Clinical & Translational Sciences. She earned her medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine and completed her emergency medicine residency training at UAB. As an emergency medicine physician and educator, Hicks is dedicated to advancing patient care, clinical training, and translational research that improves outcomes for patients in acute care settings.
Zachary Pacheco, M.D.
Zachary Pacheco, M.D.
Promoted to Associate Professor
Zachary Pacheco, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine in 2019 and has served as an assistant professor since 2024 and clinical instructor since 2019. Pacheco has also served as the department’s clerkship director and currently serves as co-director of the new clinical skills curriculum in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. His academic interests include emergency medicine, point-of-care ultrasound, and the diagnosis and management of acute conditions encountered in the emergency department. He earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed his emergency medicine residency training at UAB. Through his clinical practice, teaching, and scholarly work, Pacheco contributes to advancing emergency care and medical education while helping train the next generation of emergency physicians.
Erin Shufflebarger, M.D., MSPH
Erin Shufflebarger, M.D.
Promoted to Associate Professor
Erin Shufflebarger, M.D., MSPH, joined the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine in 2020 and has served as an assistant professor since 2022. Shufflebarger also serves as the department’s clerkship director and associate scientist in the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education. Her research focuses on social emergency medicine, population health, and health equity, with interests in caring for people experiencing homelessness, improving stroke education among high-risk populations, and addressing substance use disorders in emergency care settings. She earned her Doctor of Medicine and Master of Science in Public Health degrees from UAB and completed her residency and fellowship training at the institution. Through her work, Shufflebarger aims to improve access to care and health outcomes for underserved populations.
Benjamin von Schweinitz, M.D.
Benjamin von Schweinitz, M.D.
Promoted to Associate Professor
Benjamin von Schweinitz, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine in 2015 as a clinical instructor and has served as an assistant professor since 2019. Von Schweinitz currently serves as vice chair for Clinical Operations. His research and clinical interests include trauma care, combat medicine, quality improvement, and patient safety, with ongoing work focused on team dynamics, communication, and improving outcomes for patients with acute cardiovascular and traumatic emergencies. He earned his medical degree from the University of South Carolina and completed his emergency medicine residency at Brooke Army Medical Center, where he served as chief resident. Through both his clinical and research roles, von Schweinitz works to advance emergency care delivery and patient safety across UAB and the broader community.