Thomas Lardaro, MD, MPH

Thomas Lardaro is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and the Emergency Medical Services Section (EMS) Chief at the Yale School of Medicine. He also serves as the Chief of EMS for the Yale New Haven Health System and the Medical Director for the Office of Emergency Preparedness. With a career dedicated to the integration of clinical excellence and system-level oversight, he previously served as the Medical Director for the Indianapolis Fire Department and as the statewide Medical Director for IU Health LifeLine, one of the largest regional EMS delivery systems in the Midwest.

Dr. Lardaro has extensive experience in public service and state-level advocacy, having held gubernatorial appointments in two different states. He currently serves on the Connecticut EMS Advisory Board, following prior service as an EMS Commissioner for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. In these roles, he has worked alongside multidisciplinary teams to enhance prehospital safety standards, expand out-of-hospital clinical capabilities, and promote operational excellence.

At the national level, Dr. Lardaro is a recognized leader in the field and has provided leadership for the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) by serving as chair of the EMS Committee. His academic work is driven by a commitment to advancing the science of emergency care, building scalable systems, and developing the next generation of EMS leaders. Through engaged medical oversight and the creation of systems for continuous learning, he works to empower frontline team members to operate at their highest potential within the challenging and often austere environments of prehospital, out-of-hospital, and transport medicine.