Global Emergency Medicine
UVA Global Emergency Medicine
Our Mission
Our mission in the Division of Global Emergency Medicine at UVA is to create improved health outcomes for the global community through emergency healthcare.
Our Vision
Our vision is to be leaders in global health through emergency care delivery, education, and research in collaboration with local partners.
What is our purpose?
- To improve health outcomes through emergency care by collaborating with local partners to teach life-saving skills in Virginia and beyond
- To work with vulnerable populations and improve access to care
For information on how to partner with us through donations, please see the last section on this page.
AMPATH Consortium
The AMPATH Consortium is a network of academic health centers that aims to foster long-term, equitable and cross-cultural partnerships with host health centers and universities that serve populations with significant unmet needs. Each institution brings their own perspective and provides its own opportunities for medical trainee exchange programs and hands-on education, in the U.S., Canada and across the globe.
The Global Emergency Medicine Division at UVA Health’s Emergency Medicine Department is an active member of the AMPATH Consortium, fostering strong global collaborations. Our division is involved in providing emergency care support across several countries, including Kenya, Mexico, and Nepal. Aside from our AMPATH collaborations, our faculty also work in Ethiopia.
Global Emergency Medicine Faculty
Amita Sudhir, MD
Professor, Emergency Medicine
Director of Global Emergency Medicine
Global EM Fellowship Director
as2cd@uvahealth.org
Amita Sudhir is a former residency director. Her interests are in emergency medicine education in resource challenged settings, and the impact of climate change on health. She also worked on COVID protocols for primary care in India during the pandemic. She supports UVA Emergency Medicine’s programs in Kenya with AMPATH and will be visiting Nepal with our EMS faculty this fall to explore possible collaborations.
Andrew Muck, MD
Professor, Emergency Medicine
Department Chair
gra4nn@uvahealth.org
Andrew Muck has been involved with global health throughout his career. Primary to medical school, he was an emerging infectious disease fellow with the Centers for Disease Control. While active-duty Air Force, he was a participant in Defense Institute of Medical Operations programs for global health education and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has served as a consultant with the World Health Organization, assisted in the development and teaching of courses to include the Basic Emergency Care Course and the Community First Aid Response Course. He assisted in launching the global health equity fellowship at the University of Texas Health at San Antonio and continues to be an advocate of global health and community engagement here at UVA.
Nardos Makonnen, MD
Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine
Global Emergency Medicine Faculty
nm3wa@uvahealth.org
Nardos Makonnen attended medical school at Drexel University in Philadelphia and came to UVA for residency. She went to George Washington University for a global health fellowship and to complete her MPH in global health policy. Her fellowship work mostly focused on EM residency development, as well as creating research curriculums in India and Ethiopia. She joined the UVA Emergency Medicine faculty in 2024.
Joshua Easter, MD
Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine
Residency Program Director
je9m@uvahealth.org
Josh is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and the Program Director for the UVA Emergency Medicine residency program. He established the Global Health fellowship at UVA and has worked in multiple areas, including the Republic of Georgia, West Bank, Italy, Honduras, Kenya, and Mexico. He has interests in building infrastructure to manage emergencies in austere environments and enjoys teaching on the management of pediatric emergencies with limited resources. Currently he is working with Ampath in Kenya and Mexico.
Peter Vandersteenhoven, MD
Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine
EMS Faculty
pjv4ep@uvahealth.org
Peter Vandersteenhoven completed residency in Emergency Medicine at UVA. He completed a fellowship in EMS at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2024 and became EMS faculty with UVA EM shortly thereafter. During his residency with UVA EM, Peter joined Dr. Sudhir in Kenya where his interest in Global Health began. Peter’s current interest is in improving EMS systems in Nepal and Kenya.
Jakob Ottenhoff, DO
Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine
Ultrasound Faculty
qan9py@uvahealth.org
Jake Ottenhoff completed his residency at Sinai-Grace Hospital within the Detroit Medical Center before joining UVA for an Ultrasound Fellowship. He joined the emergency medicine faculty in 2022 and developed a strong interest in global health during his time at UVA, which led him to travel to Kenya with Dr. Sudhir in 2023. Currently, Jake is focused on designing and implementing an ultrasound program in Kenya.
Fellowship
The University of Virginia Department of Emergency Medicine offers a Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship for graduates of emergency medicine residency programs. This fellowship will provide fellows with the skills to practice clinically, develop emergency systems, teach, and conduct research internationally. The objective of the fellowship is to train future leaders in providing sustainable, high-quality care in low resource environments.
Resident Opportunities
Partner with us through donations!
Support our Purpose
What is our purpose? To improve health equity through emergency care by collaborating with local partners to teach life-saving skills in Virginia and beyond. To work with vulnerable populations and improve access to care.
Donations can be made by check and sent to:
University of Virginia Medical School Foundation
P.O. Box 37963
Boone, Iowa 50037
Check memo: “Emergency Medicine Global Health #24465”
Gifts can be made online as well — use the button, “Give Today.”
Select, “Department of Emergency Medicine Global Health Fund” in the designation box.
We extend a warm thank you for your support.
Support our Purpose
What is our purpose? To improve health equity through emergency care by collaborating with local partners to teach life-saving skills in Virginia and beyond. To work with vulnerable populations and improve access to care.