By winning their contests in Nevada and California respectively, Drs. Joe Heck and Raul Ruiz doubled the number of emergency physicians in Congress

On March 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR-5 – the Protecting Access to Healthcare Act – by a vote of 234-173. The Act, which went strongly down the party line (only 11 democrats voted for the bill) had broad support from ACEP as well as the AMA and a range of other medical organizations.

Randy Jotte is ready for a challenge. An emergency physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and an associate professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Jotte is competing for Missouri’s vacated 2nd Congressional seat.

John McGoff, MD, is an emergency physician from Indiana who has spent his career running a community emergency department, serving in the Air Force National Guard, and serving in a variety of civic leadership posts. In 2008, McGoff – frustrated by the poor leadership in his district – attempted the Herculean task of unseating a 13-term congressman from his own republican party.

In 2010, Rep. Joe Heck became the first emergency physician (and first osteopathic physician) elected to the US Congress. In addition to his emergency physician skills, Rep. Heck brought to Washington a unique skill set developed through years of military and specialized medical operations experience.

As part of EPM’s commitment to encouraging emergency physicians to become more effective advocates for our patients and our specialty, we’ll be running a series of interviews with the emergency physicians who will be candidates for congressional office in 2012.