Director of Education and Innovation

Denise Whitfield, MD, MBA, FACEP, FAEMS

Office Phone: (562) 378-1663

Dr. Denise Whitfield is the Director of Education and Innovation at the Los Angeles County EMS Agency. She is a former Commander in the U.S. Navy with extensive experience delivering emergency medical care in diverse environments.  She spent 12 years on active duty, with combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. As a Naval Flight Surgeon, she completed operational assignments with the Marine Corps.  As her final Navy assignment, she served as a White House Physician where she conducted operational medical planning and ensured medical care delivery for the President, Vice-President and First Lady.  Dr. Whitfield’s interest in EMS began while practicing Emergency Medicine in Guam where she was the EMS Medical Director for Joint Region Marianas Federal Fire.  Following her service in the Navy, she completed an EMS fellowship with LA County and joined the EMS Agency in July 2018.  She currently directs education programs at the EMS Agency including annual EMS Update the EmergiPress continuing education newsletter.  She is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and serves as faculty for the EMS Fellowship Program at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in collaboration with the Los Angeles County EMS Agency.