The Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine has named Rob Ferre, MD, vice chair of innovation. Ferre joined the department in 2019 and is currently a professor of clinical emergency medicine. He has held leadership roles as both director of the Primary Care Point-of-Care Ultrasound Fellowship program and the Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Fellowship program. Ferre presently leads as division chief of the point-of-care ultrasound division and director of the IU School of Medicine point-of-care ultrasound initiative.
A national leader in point-of-care ultrasound and a creative force for change in academic medicine, Ferre brings a blend of clinical expertise, educational leadership and a passion for forward-thinking solutions to the role.
“I'm thrilled to announce Dr. Ferre as our new vice chair of innovation,” said Peter S. Pang, MD, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. “His background, track record of successfully navigating the health system, school and leadership were all highlighted by the interviewers. As he steps into this new role, he will continue as division chief of point-of-care ultrasound. I have no doubt his leadership and positive impact will quickly be seen throughout the department.”
Ferre’s interest in innovation was sparked early in his medical career. Although he had no family in health care, he was drawn to medicine from a young age and enjoyed learning about human anatomy. During his residency, with guidance from mentors like Vivek Tayal, MD, he was introduced to emergency ultrasound, a tool that was then in its early stages of adoption, helping to investigate patients' illnesses in a dynamic, anatomy-centered way. At the time, ultrasound was not widely used in patient care in the emergency department. Ferre became a champion of ultrasound education and implementation, eventually leading the deployment of over 1,000 handheld ultrasound devices to medical students across IU School of Medicine as part of the point-of-care ultrasound curriculum.
“When I see cardiologists, intensivists and hospitalists writing in their notes now that a bedside ultrasound was done in the emergency department, I realize how far we have progressed since when I was in training,” he said.
In his new role as vice chair of innovation, Ferre will similarly support department-wide initiatives, focusing on driving improvement across clinical, educational and research missions. He emphasized that while technology may play a large role in innovation, he aims to design innovations that improve care and bring people closer together.
He pointed to ultrasound as an example: “When I use ultrasound, I’m right there with the patient, explaining what I’m doing in real time.”
He said the department’s blend of academic and community faculty is one of its greatest assets. For innovation to succeed, it must reflect the perspectives and needs of those it impacts.
“One of the strengths of our department is that we have a large academic and community footprint,” he said. “The faculty have a great working attitude, and we have a diverse pool of clinicians, so we have the opportunity to improve care across all our clinical sites.”
Looking ahead, Ferre thinks emergency medicine is well-positioned to lead innovation from the front lines.
“Emergency medicine physicians are natural problem solvers,” he said. “That’s our job.”
He envisions a future where improved workflows and technology enabled clinical tools improve patient care and strengthen collaboration among teams.
Ferre graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and health from the University of Utah. He received his MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2003 and completed his emergency medicine residency at the Maine Medical Center in 2006.
