Emergency Medicine
Division of Medical Toxicology
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Medical toxicology is a subspecialty that focuses on the diagnosis, management and prevention of poisoning and other adverse health effects due to medication, occupational and environmental toxins, and biological agents. Here at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of El Paso (TTUHSC-EP), Medical Toxicology began as a section of the Department of Emergency Medicine in 1991, became a division in 2009 and provides care to patients at our affiliated teaching hospital, University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC). Because of TTUHSC-EP's positioning along the US/Mexico border, exposure to an extensive scope of toxicological hazards is present. Consequently, faculty, residents and fellows gain experience in the evaluation and management of an array of differential diagnoses. Currently, there are two board-certified medical toxicologists on staff as well as several adjunct faculty members.
The Division of Medical Toxicology at TTUHSC-EP is responsible for the medical direction of clinical services at the West Texas Regional Poison Center (WTRPC), the Medical Toxicology Clinic and the Medical Toxicology Consultation Services at UMC. In addition, the Division of Toxicology hosts residents for a 30-day rotation where they are introduced to the field of Medical Toxicology and to the laboratory methods by which toxicological studies are performed. Most recently, in 2010, the Division of Medical Toxicology gained ACGME accreditation for a fellowship in medical toxicology. Being the first accredited fellowship at TTUHSC-EP, fellows will have the opportunity to work with faculty and staff from the WTRPC, UMC, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, BannerHealth Good Samaritan Medical Center, the University of Texas School of Public Health and the University of Texas at El Paso.