Yvette Calderón, MD, MS, professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College and System Leader for Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Health, has been elected President-Elect of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM).
ABEM’s mission is to ensure the highest standards in the specialty of emergency medicine — improving the quality of emergency medical care, establishing and maintaining high standards of excellence across emergency medicine and its subspecialties, and certifying physicians who have demonstrated special knowledge and skill in the field.
Dr. Calderón has served on the ABEM Board of Directors since 2019, where she has led many of the organization’s health equity initiatives. Stepping into this new leadership role, she will help guide ABEM’s strategic direction on the national stage, building on a career defined by clinical research, health equity work, and mentorship in emergency medicine.
“The American Board of Emergency Medicine and the Board of Directors remain grounded in our mission to ensure the highest standards in the specialty of emergency medicine,” Dr. Calderón says. “I look forward to advancing the mission by embracing flexibility, innovation, and forward-thinking approaches as we expand our reach through new assessments, strategic collaborations, and evolving certification models.”
Quality assessments and health outcomes research are two of her top priorities heading into the role. “I believe we have a critical opportunity to lead the field by evolving assessment methods that incorporate a health equity framework, ensuring our processes are both rigorous and reflective of the diverse populations we serve in emergency medicine,” she says. “The ABEM Board of Directors continues to provide meaningful research regarding the value of certification. I am committed to strengthening this work through cutting-edge research, including health outcomes research that demonstrates the real-world impact and value of ABEM’s certification processes.”
Dr. Calderón joined Jefferson in April 2025 from the Icahn School of Medicine and the Mount Sinai Health System, where she served as Dean and Vice President for Equity in Clinical Care, a tenured Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Chair of the David B. Kriser Department of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Her clinical research has focused on HIV and hepatitis C and the health disparities that disproportionately affect historically minoritized communities. Dr. Calderón developed the first multimedia-based HIV testing and counseling program to offer testing across the emergency department, inpatient units, dental clinics, and community pharmacies, and designed screening programs that identified patients with undiagnosed HIV and hepatitis C and connected them to care. Her work for the health and welfare of underserved communities, as well as the field of emergency medicine, has been recognized by the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Alumni Association and ABEM’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She’s an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, recognized for incorporating public health and primary care interventions into emergency department care for underrepresented communities.
“My personal and professional journey has shaped a leadership approach grounded in purpose, equity, collaboration, and continuous improvement,” she says. “I bring the perspective of someone who has worked deeply at the intersection of emergency medicine, health equity, research, and education. My vision is to help ABEM continue to advance certification in ways that are rigorous, relevant, and responsive to the needs of certified physicians, training programs, and the diverse communities that emergency physicians serve.”
Dr. Calderón earned her undergraduate degree at Brown University and her medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. She completed her medical internship at Beth Israel Medical Center and her residency in emergency medicine at Jacobi Medical Center.
For Dr. Calderón, the election carries both professional and personal significance. “I am sincerely honored to have been elected to serve in this leadership capacity at the American Board of Emergency Medicine and to contribute meaningfully to the specialty,” she says. “I am grateful to collaborate with the exceptional volunteers and ABEM-certified physicians who bring our mission to life every day. Together, we are helping to strengthen public confidence in emergency care and ensuring patients receive the highest-quality care when it matters most.”