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INFORMATION FOR

Federico Vaca, MD, MPH

Professor Adjunct

Appointments

Biography

Dr. Vaca is a Professor and Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs in Yale School of Medicine's Department of Emergency Medicine and he holds a secondary appointment in the Yale Child Study Center. Dr. Vaca previously served as a Medical Fellow for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in Washington, D.C. He serves on the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies’ Committee on Operator Education and Regulation, ANB30 and its Young Driver Subcommittee. Dr. Vaca was a recent Collaborating-Visiting Scholar at the NIH-Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), Division of Intramural Population Health Research (DIPHR), Health Behavior Branch (HBB).

Dr. Vaca is a research and academic mentor to research fellows in the NIDA-funded K12 Mentored Clinical Scientists Development Program Award in Drug Abuse and Addiction and the Yale University Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program.

His research has focused on adolescent development and behaviors that influence the risk of motor vehicle crash morbidity and mortality as well as health disparities in injury and alcohol use disorders. Dr. Vaca has served on several national expert panels directed by the National Institutes of Health, National Academies of Science and the Transportation Research Board, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Safe States Alliance (formerly the State Territorial Injury Prevention Directors Association), and the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Dr. Vaca has served as member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors for the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. He is also a Research Scientist member of the National Hispanic Science Network.


Dr. Vaca was recently awarded the 2013 American College of Emergency Physicians National Faculty Teaching Award.

Education & Training

  • MPH
    University of California at Los Angeles (2002)
  • Fellow
    U.S. Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (2002)
  • Fellow
    University of California-San Diego (1996)
  • Chief Resident
    University of California, Irvine (1995)
  • Resident
    University of California-Irvine Medical Center (1995)
  • MD
    Creighton University School of Medicine (1992)

Certifications

  • Board Certification
    AB of Emergency Medicine, Sports Medicine (Emergency Medicine) (2006, recertified: 2016)
  • Board Certification
    AB of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine (2006, recertified: 2017)

Honors & Recognition

AwardAwarding OrganizationDate
Board of Scientific CounselorsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, National Centers for Injury Prevention and Control2017
National Faculty Teaching AwardAmerican College of Emergency Physicians2013
California State Traffic Safety Achievement AwardCalifornia Office of Traffic Safety2007
AAMC, Humanism in Medicine AwardAssociation of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), University of California, Irvine-School of Medicine2005
National Honorary Society in Public HealthDelta Omega2002

Professional Service

OrganizationRoleDate
Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Committee on Simulation and Measurement of Vehicle and Operator Performance, AND302016 - Present
Scientific Review Panel Member, NIH / Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD), Consortium for Research on Pediatric Trauma and Injury Prevention2015 - Present
Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Committee on Operator Education and Regulation, ANB302013 - Present
Appointments and Promotions Committee - Yale University School of MedicineCommittee Member
Association for the Advancement of Automotive MedicineBoard Member
Association for the Advancement of Automotive MedicineCommittee Member

Departments & Organizations