Paul Kivela, MD, MBA

Paul Kivela, MD, MBA, FACEP is a residency trained and board certified emergency physician and Clinical Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Kivela was elected and served as President of the American College of Emergency Physicians from 2017-2018. He represented the diverse membership and served as spokesperson for the over 38,000 members. As Past President of ACEP, he has served as an international representative for the College. He was named the 2018 Napa County Physician of the Year, received the 2018 DFW Airport Hero Award and the International Gold Medal at the 2018 Intercontinental Emergency Medicine Congress, and recognized for his leadership as the recipient of the 2023 ACEP Wiegenstein Award.

Besides being a practicing emergency physician, he is a recognized expert in the areas of risk and error reduction, strategy and the economics of medical practice. He is known for his innovative and collaborative approach to finding solutions, bringing together disparate parties, and fostering future leadership.

He is frequently invited nationally and internationally to speak on his research, leadership and the future of medicine. He works diligently to keep up on medical advances that affect his patients. He has designed software and has twice been acknowledged to have one of SAEM's annual innovations in academic emergency medicine.