EMS Fellowship
Incoming Fellows (August 2026) - Sierra Hawthorne!
Hi! I’m Sierra. I’m from Oregon, which means I was basically raised on mountains, strong coffee, and an emotional dependence on rain. After that, I did Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Arizona, where I learned how to operate in triple digit heat, pronounce “saguaro” correctly, say things like “it’s a dry heat” without irony, and cope with the fact that the only precipitation for months at a time was sunscreen.
In true Emergency Medicine fashion, I’m into skiing, hiking, and travel—because apparently EM doctors are legally required to have at least three outdoor hobbies and a passport in active use. If there’s a trail, a summit, or a new country to wander around, I’m there. My dog comes with me whenever possible and serves as my adventure partner and my primary source of life advice.
I’m unreasonably excited to start fellowship in Utah. I get to combine prehospital medicine with mountains, snow, and the kind of outdoor activities that make my loved ones say, “Is that…safe?” I can’t wait to work with incredible EMS crews, learning how to improve systems of care, and finding the best outdoor escapes within hospital range.
Incoming Fellows (August 2026) - Christianne Jafari!
Hey, everyone! My name is Christianne Jafari. I grew up in southern Missouri (Branson) and went to the OG AT Still University in Kirksville, MO for medical school. I am currently finishing up my last year of residency at Washington University in St. Louis. I, of course, love the mountains and hiking when I have the time, along with rock climbing. I am also looking forward to now being in a place to learn how to ski! Aside from the outdoors, I am a big T Swift fan, love brunch, bar trivia, scary movies, binge-watching TV shows, and fooling myself into thinking I have a green thumb. I also love board games and will be looking to recruit a posse. I am excited to get to know and work with everyone!
Fun fact: I am easily bribed by free food
Meet our Program Director, Dr. Jason (JR) Pickett
Dr. Pickett's addition to our team marks a significant milestone for the fellowship and division. His extensive background as Assistant Program Director for the EMS fellowship at Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, and his leadership roles within Austin/Travis County EMS, Austin Fire Department, and the Texas Ranger Division Special Operations Group, coupled with nearly two decades of service in the US Army, and a 30 year career in EMS as an EMT, Paramedic, instructor, and Medical Director, equip him with a profound understanding of tactical and operational pre-hospital medicine. Prior to his time in Austin, JR was the Director for the Center for Prehospital and Operational Medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where he did his residency training. His passion for education and advancing EMS will undoubtedly enrich our division.
The University of Utah's ACGME-accredited EMS fellowship accepted an EMS fellow for the first time starting in the 2020-2021 academic year, building on the foundations of a prior unaccredited fellowship. The goal of this one year fellowship is to provide the teaching and both field and administrative experience necessary for a physician to practice confidently and independently in any EMS system after graduation.
We offer a variety of direct prehospital care experience with the primary site being Salt Lake City Fire Department, an urban, fire-based EMS service. Additional experience will come from Unified Fire Authority, Mountain West Ambulance (rural), AirMed (HEMS), and Summit County EMS (rural). We also offer the opportunity to gain exposure to search and rescue and EMS in National Parks via our relationship with Grand Teton National Park EMS and Teton County Search and Rescue in the Jackson, WY area.
Field care will occur through structured ride alongs during the early part of the fellowship then through a combination of ride alongs and dedicated response vehicle use after the initial period of orientation and exposure. Fellows who have specific interests in urban, rural, air, or wilderness EMS will be allowed to place emphasis on any of these experiences during the year.
The fellow will gain administrative experience through CQI processes with SLCFD and AirMed, protocol development at all participating agencies and at the State level, and State and local committee meetings. The fellow will be required to participate in original research and will also participate in sentinel event investigations, mass gathering planning, and disaster preparedness work during the fellowship.
The fellow will have a planned start date of August 1st to allow time off after completing residency for travel, relocation, and well-deserved R&R. If you want a varied EMS experience that will prepare you to be a medical director in any setting, all while working and living in a fantastic place, please get in touch with us.
Contact Information
Jason R. Pickett, MD
Fellowship Director
jr.pickett@hsc.utah.edu
Dan DeFilippo
Programs Manager
dan.defilippo@hsc.utah.edu
