Emmy Betz, MD, MPH

Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, is professor of emergency medicine and associate dean of centers and institutes at the University of Colorado. She earned her medical degree from Johns Hopkins and completed residency in the Beth Israel Deaconess Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency. 

Dr. Betz is a practicing physician-scientist whose work spans emergency medicine, public health, and injury prevention. Her research has focused on person-centered injury prevention, including care for suicidal patients in the emergency department and decision-making about driving among older adults.

Her current research emphasizes effective and acceptable community-based interventions related to firearm injury prevention and draws on sociology, qualitative methods, implementation science, and clinical trials. She has worked with a wide range of organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons, the American Bar Association, Veterans Affairs workgroups, the Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Office, and White House initiatives across multiple administrations.

Her current support includes Department of Defense funding for firearm suicide prevention research, an active National Institute of Nursing Research R25 award, completed National Institute on Aging R01 awards, and additional NIH, CDC, Department of Defense, and foundation-supported collaborations. Her recent recognitions include election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2023 and a 2024 Team Science Award at the Military Health System Research Symposium.