Trident Health System
November 02, 2016

North Charleston, SC - The Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) has named Trident Health’s Karen Kriza, MD, FACEP, as the recipient of this year’s Emergency Department Director of the Year Distinguished Recognition Award. The award recognizes and celebrates emergency physician leaders who have demonstrated exemplary collaborative skills in the emergency department.

Trident Health President and CEO Todd Gallati said, “Dr. Kriza has a unique ability to look through the often-complex processes that make up emergency care and see efficiencies that lead to better care not only for Trident Health patients but also for patients across the country. She is especially gifted in creating opportunities to collaborate with her colleagues locally and nationally.” Trident Health consists of two acute-care hospitals, Trident and Summerville Medical Centers, and two free standing emergency departments, Moncks Corner Medical Center and Centre Pointe Emergency.

In addition to her position as Medical Director for Trident Medical Center’s Emergency Department Dr. Kriza also serves as the System Medical Director for TeamHealth in South Carolina; is currently on the hospital’s medical executive committee; chairs the emergency department operations committee; and will assume the role of chief of staff in January of 2017.

In addition to her local hospital work, Dr. Kriza helped spearhead a complete overhaul of the emergency physician documentation for the entire Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) system, which includes more than 250 hospitals and freestanding surgery centers located in 20 states and in the United Kingdom. This year, more than eight million patients will be treated in HCA emergency departments.

Dr. Kriza is a former member of the HCA Corporate Physician Advisory Group for Emergency Departments and currently serves on the HCA Corporate IT Change Control Board. She also has an interest in developing women leaders; is a member of TeamHealth’s Women in Leadership’s Steering Committee; and a current member of the South Carolina ACEP board of trustees.

The Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) was founded in 1972 by leaders of the American College of Emergency Physicians. EMF invests its funds to further emergency medicine research and education.

Award Criteria

The nominee must be an Active or Life member of the College and must currently be in a leadership position in an emergency department. The nominee must demonstrate significant contributions to the department in the following categories: 

  • Collaboration with Nursing
  • Quality Patient Care
  • Operational Effectiveness
  • Education
  • Community Service
  • Synergistic approach to leadership within the hospital or hospital system

The nominee must demonstrate collaborative relationships with nursing and ancillary departments to implement and improve operational and clinical standards based on evidence-based practice. The nominee will create and sustain a high degree of patient satisfaction with emergency care delivery and will implement creative and innovative strategies to address emergency department throughput.

Dr. Kriza currently resides in Daniel Island, SC with her children Daniel, age 11; Kate, age 8; and husband, Jon. In addition to her medical responsibilities she has also served as soccer coach and homeroom mother for her children.