Paul Kivela, MD, MBA, FACEP, is emergency medicine residency trained and board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He has a career highlighted by service to the specialty. He served as President of the American College of Emergency Physicians from 2017-18. As President, he worked to demonstrate value to the members with every objective and initiative the College pursued. He created leadership development initiatives including the Reimbursement Leadership Development Program.
Dr. Kivela is currently a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Kivela still practices clinically at UAB. Prior to this, he practiced full-time clinically as the managing partner of a single hospital democratic group in Napa, California from 1999 through 2019.
Dr. Kivela continues to be actively involved in organized medicine, shepherding healthcare policy, mental health issues, leadership development and error reduction. He lectures both nationally and internationally. He also has worked to improve survivability in cardiac arrest and mass casualty events by involving the public in the Until Help Arrives program which teaches Stop The Bleed and Hands Only CPR. He has served as chief medical officer for Medic Ambulance and helped oversee an innovative ALS-RN transport program and one of the California Community Paramedicine Pilot Projects to reduce hospital readmissions.
Dr. Kivela’s philosophy is to make the most of life which requires maximum efficiency; therefore, he has mastered the concept of working smarter rather than harder. His vast interests include family life, competitive sports, world travel, and winemaking. He is an accomplished runner and now combines his love of running and golf through the sport of Speedgolf. He was the Senior US National Speedgolf Champion in 2021. For the past twenty years, he also served as a physician for the National Ski Patrol. He is a devoted husband and father, travels extensively with his family, and enjoys the fruits of his labor with his own wine, grown from Kivela Vineyards.
About This Award
The John G. Wiegenstein Leadership Award is presented to a current or past national ACEP leader - member of the Board of Directors or officer of the Council - for outstanding contributions to the College. The award is named after John G. Wiegenstein, MD, a founding member and the first president of ACEP. Dr. Wiegenstein represents the epitome of leadership, both personal and professional. He served for five years as the College's first delegate to the American Medical Association and is a past president of the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
