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Dr. Fernandez currently serves as the UCSD Department of Emergency Medicine director of medical student programs and he is actively involved in residency program leadership. He focuses on medical simulation, internship orientation and preparation, and resident + medical student teaching and mentorship. He is a top-rated faculty, resident and student advocate: encouraging an exciting and supportive educational environment, while emphasizing wellness activities, healthy living, and work-life balance. He currently serves on the board of directors of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (Cal-ACEP) and was the past conference chair of the Annual Assembly for the California Chapter of ACEP, which was a three year commitment, and for which he won a distinguished chapter education award.

He has authored several simulation cases for use as part of the EM Council of Residency Directors (CORD) innovative mock e-oral boards curriculum, and edited and authored numerous book chapters. He also completed the ACEP/SAEM/CORD Medical Education Research Certificate program. As part of that program, a collaborative national survey resulted in an abstract presentation regarding the EM milestone project at national ACEP in 2018 and a manuscript published in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Prior to joining UCSD in 2012, he served for 7 years as the LA County + University of Southern California DEM director of medical student education, where he was actively involved in building a longitudinal curriculum for EM at the USC Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) as well as mentoring hundreds of medical students through the USC EM Student Interest Group (EMSIG). He has been awarded multiple medical student teaching awards at both USC and now at UCSD.

Dr. Fernandez participated in the UCSD National Center of Leadership in Academic Medicine in 2016, as well as a USC Teaching and Learning Fellowship certificate program from 2010-11. He also actively serves on the UCSD Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Gender Identify and Sexual Orientation, as well as the UCSD DEM Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. He also currently serves as the faculty advisor for the UCSD School of Medicine (SOM) Emergency Medicine Interest Group and as a SOM Academic Community Advisor.

In his free time, he enjoys being with his wife, young children and family members, as well as surfing, bicycle riding/commuting, yoga/meditation, sustainable living/energy, electric vehicles, and enjoying the outdoors.