Dr. Elder is chief medical officer of University Medical Center New Orleans, providing physician leadership for one of Louisiana’s most complex academic medical centers and the region’s only level 1 trauma center. He oversees medical staff governance, clinical quality and patient safety, credentialing, peer review and regulatory readiness while partnering with nursing, operations and academic stakeholders to deliver high-reliability care across emergency, inpatient, outpatient and specialty services. Dr. Elder also serves as associate chief medical officer for emergency management at the broader New Orleans-based LCMC Health system, and as University Medical Center’s medical director for emergency management, leading preparedness, response and recovery efforts that protect continuity of care during disasters and mass-casualty events. A board-certified emergency physician with subspecialty certification in emergency medical services, he has been part of LCMC Health since 2009 and brings an end-to-end view of prehospital and hospital-based emergency care. His leadership includes extensive city, state and national emergency medical services roles, including chairman of the Louisiana Emergency Medical Services Certification Commission and board member of the National Registry of EMTs. He also holds academic appointments at LSU Health and Tulane.
