Leadership Development Program

EMA is proud to offer a Leadership Development Program to our board-certified physicians. Each year, EMA selects several qualified individuals from within our organization who have shown interest and ability in becoming a part of our physician leadership team. Our program allows for participants to be guided through the fundamental concepts in ED management including metrics and analytics, collaborative change, and becoming a thought leader. Participants will also learn to help drive organizational change through site-based projects, participation in organization-wide initiatives, and representing as an active administrative ED leader. Additionally, participants will gain a more broad-based education by attending the ACEP Director’s Academy, a program comprised of relevant topics, break out sessions and focus on case studies of every day ED challenges and operations. Our Leadership Development Program can help focus and foster promising leaders from within our diverse organization to help lead EMA into the future.

- Eugene Park, MD, MMM, FACEP

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These goals are the focus of an EMA provider.

Since 1991, EMA has experienced tremendous growth in our geographic footprint. We are proud that we have continued to recruit, develop and retain a talented group of emergency physicians who help us staff and run high-quality, patient-centered emergency departments.

We now have over 20 active Directors and Assistant Directors managing and leading the clinical and administrative directives of each site. Some of this talent was cultivated from the front lines while others have naturally progressed into leadership roles within our organization.

Our Leadership Development Program aims to provide multiple layers of opportunities for physicians to develop the tools and skills necessary to become part of our leadership team.


Leadership Development Program: Past Providers

Dr. Brandon Kuang, MD

Dr. Brandon Kuang, MD

Dr. Kuang completed his undergraduate degree in Microbiology with a minor in Global Health at the University of California, San Diego. He received his medical doctorate from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles and completed his emergency medicine residency at UCSF Fresno. Prior to medical school, Dr. Kuang worked in international development, managing projects in Ethiopia and Guatemala. While in medical school, Dr. Kuang was awarded the Benjamin H. Kean Travel Fellowship in Tropical Medicine for his research in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A Southern California native, Dr. Kuang joined EMA in 2022 and works at San Dimas Community Hospital, Montclair Hospital Medical Center and Chino Valley Medical Center. He is co-chair of the Peer Review Committee at San Dimas and a contributing member to the EMA Quality and Education Committee. He has been appointed Assistant Professor at California University of Science and Medicine, working with rotating residents and medical students at his EMA sites.


Dr. Alan Rupp, MD

Dr. Alan Rupp, MD

Born and raised in the South Bay of Los Angeles, Dr. Rupp completed his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He went on to receive his medical education at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his emergency medicine residency at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan. During residency he was involved in Quality Improvement projects focused on decreasing central line associated blood stream infections in the emergency department and the MICU. He also participated on the Medicine Peer Review Committee.

Dr. Rupp joined EMA in 2023 shortly after moving back to Southern California and has been working as an attending physician at College Medical Center and La Palma Intercommunity Hospital. He completed the Leadership Development Program in 2024, during which time he participated on multiple hospital committees as well as being a content contributor to EMA’s CME Committee, of which he is a member. Dr. Rupp now serve as Assistant Medical Director at Huntington Beach Hospital.


Dr Jason Aines, MD

Dr. Jason Aines, MD

Dr. Aines completed his undergraduate degree at Bucknell University, with a BA in Biology and Psychology.  He received his Medical Doctorate from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, and completed his residency at Temple University.    

He started his career at Southern Maine Medical Center, where he was elected to serve on the Hospital’s Physician Board.  He moved to Maui in 2015, where he helped institute an observation unit, and develop a fast track for the department.  He has also served on numerous committees, including Quality Improvement, Internal Medicine liaison, sepsis mortality review, and hospital CME.  He is currently the chair of the hospital’s Sepsis Committee.  

Looking forward, he is in the process of helping to start an official Medical Student rotation on Maui in conjunction with the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.  The goal is to continue to advance our educational reach with the hope of offering an elective rotation for emergency medicine residents.    

Dr. Aines completed his leadership development program the end of December 2020 and now helps with various projects at Maui Memorial Medical Center.


Dr. Catherine Ross, MD

Dr. Catherine Ross, MD

Dr. Catherine Ross completed an undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Michigan. She received her medical doctorate from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and afterwards completed her residency training at Jacobi and Montefiore Medical Centers both in New York City. She moved west to Los Angeles and has worked as an emergency medicine attending with Emergent Medical Associates for 10 years. She has worked at Valley Presbyterian hospital, Hollywood Presbyterian hospital and is currently full time at Centinela Medical Center.

Dr. Ross plans to start the leadership development program in November 2019 and is excited to join the administrative team. Her aspirations are to complete projects in the areas of peer review and improving emergency department patient flow.


Dr. Michael Maruska, DO

Dr. Michael Maruska, DO

Southern California native, Dr. Michael Maruska completed his undergraduate degree in business with an emphasis in marketing and business at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul Minnesota. While inspired by a very active business career, he turned his focus to medicine which had been his childhood aspiration. After completing a Post Baccalaureate program at Loyola University, Chicago, he attended and earned his doctorate of osteopathic medicine at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. Residency was served and completed at Genesys Regional Medical Center outside of Flint, Michigan through Michigan State University.   

During his residency, Mike focused on recruitment for the program as well as his interest in flight medicine. His greatest enjoyment came from the years working with AeroMed in Grand Rapids, MI as a flight physician. As residency came to an end, his wife, dog and he moved back to Orange County.  

As a traveling physician and with his local work in California, Mike has worked in numerous EDs helping to advocate for best practices as it relates to efficiency while delivering high quality, patient-centered care in sometimes stubborn environments. He came aboard with EMA at Huntington Beach Hospital where he continues to work and aided in the transition at Corona Regional Medical Center. He has recently become involved with the inner workings at College Hospital, Long Beach. 


Dr. Thomas Solomon, MD

Dr. Thomas Solomon, MD

Dr. Solomon graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology from Northwestern University. He received his medical doctorate from Keck USC School of Medicine and completed his emergency medicine residency at UCLA/Olive View-UCLA.

During residency, he focused on curriculum development, ran medical student workshops, created a fourth-year teaching elective, graduated from the ACEP Teaching Fellowship, and was a chief resident during his final year.

After graduation, Dr. Solomon has worked as an attending physician at Providence Tarzana Medical Center and he is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harbor-UCLA. During his leadership development year, he authored multiple educational newsletters, was actively involved with the CME committee, created an acute angioedema clinical flowchart and order set, developed an intranasal medication administration policy for Providence Tarzana that was converted into an EMA toolkit, implemented a paramedic lecture series, and organized the rollout for a handheld ultrasound program.


Dr. Nellie Ekmekjian, MD

Dr. Nellie Ekmekjian, MD

Dr. Ekmekjian received her bachelors in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. She then attended the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA for her medical degree. Her Emergency Medicine residency training was then completed at Loma Linda University Medical Center & Children’s Hospital, where she was awarded the Gold Star for Excellence in Patient Care. She currently works as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Loma Linda University, working closely with resident physicians at the hospital.

Dr. Ekmekjian has worked with Emergent Medical Associates since 2016. She currently works at Sherman Oaks Hospital, Valley Presbyterian Hospital, and West Hills Hospital, caring for patients in the same community where she grew up. After being selected for and completing the EMA Leadership Development Program, Dr. Ekmekjian now serves as the Assistant Medical Director at Valley Presbyterian Hospital where she heads an initiative to improve sepsis care in the emergency department.


Dr. Nicholas A Borm, MD

Dr. Nicholas A Borm, MD

Dr. Borm completed his undergraduate degree in business at Indiana University. He received his medical doctorate from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia during which time he was a member of the AOA honor society. Dr. Borm then completed his emergency medicine residency training at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. His most meaningful honor was winning the Residency Role Model award his fourth year.

During residency he focused on medical education by running medical student workshops, developing intern orientation curriculum, and serving as a community outreach director for cardiac arrest resuscitation education. In his senior year, he also served as the lead administrator coordinating senior resident moonlighting initiatives.

After graduation from residency, Dr. Borm has continued his education and administrative initiatives with EMA. He has created several protocols and treatment pathways distributed to all EMA providers for bronchiolitis, influenza, and vaginal bleeding in pregnancy. He has also been heavily involved in the development and cultivation of the PA/NP education program at Valley Presbyterian Hospital and EMA. He currently serves as the Assistant Director at Valley Presbyterian Hospital.


Dr. Patrick Butcher, MD

Dr. Patrick Butcher, MD

Dr. Butcher completed his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. He received his medical doctorate from American University of the Caribbean on the island of St. Maarten, where he volunteered as an anatomy teaching assistant. Dr. Butcher completed his emergency medicine residency training at St. John's Hospital in Detroit, Michigan and served as chief resident during his final year.

After graduation from residency in 2012, Dr. Butcher joined EMA and began working at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center and Encino Hospital Medical Center. He has also joined the staff at West Hills Hospital.

Dr Butcher has recently begun administrative duties at Hollywood Presbyterian as the EMS Director. He also assisted in a new ED efficiency project to redesign patient flow through the emergency department.


Dr. Lu Yin, MD

Dr. Lu Yin, MD

Dr. Yin completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry at Harvard University. He received his medical doctorate from USC/Keck, and completed his emergency medicine residency at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York.

After graduation, Dr. Yin fled the cold northeast winters to join EMA. He started practicing at Centinela Hospital Medical Center and most recently became the Assistant Director.



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