Heather Davis was recognized with the 2024 Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement Award for her lifetime commitment to excellence, tremendous contributions, and outstanding leadership in Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The award is NAEMT’s most prestigious, generously sponsored by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). The presentation will be made during NAEMT’s General Membership Meeting in Las Vegas, NV.
Heather Davis is the Director of Student Assessment at the David Geffen School of Medicine in California. She previously spent nearly 20 years at the UCLA Center for Prehospital Care, as the Associate Director and Program Director. As the Education Director for Los Angeles County Fire, she managed education programs for over 3,000 firefighter EMTs and Paramedics. She has earned credit for empowering others, providing mentorship, and being a true educational professional.
Davis, representing NAEMT, was elected to the NREMT Board of Directors in 2008. She served on multiple committees, including standards and exams, research, and finance. In 2015, she was elected to the NREMT Executive Committee as its first member at large. She became Chair in 2020 and subsequently guided the association through the COVID-19 pandemic by leading the ALS examination redesign and implementing the provisional certification to ensure a continued pipeline of EMS practitioners. She helped plan NREMT’s 50th anniversary celebration and was instrumental in creating the IDEA Task Force, established to work at the structural and policy level with key EMS stakeholder organizations. She also served as chair of NAEMT’s Education Committee and as an NAEMT Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) coordinator for the state of California. Davis holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California.
NAEMT President Susan Bailey, MSEM, NRP, said, “Heather’s lifelong contributions and dedicated efforts to improve the clinical training of our EMS practitioners are beyond reproach. Her mentorship and guidance have made a lasting impression on our EMS profession. NAEMT is grateful for Heather’s contributions of knowledge and fortitude in our formative years, spearheading the launch of our education committee. It is without question that NAEMT’s education program and PHTLS course would be at the same level of global excellence as it is today without her time, knowledge, and talent. This award represents a modest acknowledgement of her lifetime commitment to the EMS practice of patient care.”
NREMT Board Chair Michael McEvoy, PhD, NRP, RN, CCRN, noted, “We are immensely proud that Heather Davis will be honored with the Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement Award, a recognition that truly encapsulates her remarkable career and unparalleled contributions. As Board Chair of the National Registry of EMTs (2020-2021), her unwavering leadership and deep commitment to the EMS profession were nothing short of transformative."
She steered our organization through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, spearheaded the launch of a comprehensive redesign of our Paramedic and AEMT certification examinations, and, with the IDEA Task Force, created a visionary multi-organizational initiative to advance diversity and equality in EMS. Heather Davis’ legacy is one of profound impact, having not only fortified the EMS community but also set an enduring benchmark for excellence in the profession.”