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Federico E Vaca, MD, MPH

Professor Adjunct

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Federico E Vaca, MD, MPH
Yale Developmental Neurocognitive Driving Simulation Research Center (DrivSim Lab)

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Appointments

Biography

Dr. Vaca is Professor Adjunct in the Yale School of Medicine's Department of Emergency Medicine.

He is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and physician-scientist. He previously served as a Medical Fellow for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in Washington, D.C. Over the last 20 years, his research has focused on occupant safety, adolescent development and behaviors that influence the risk of motor vehicle crash injury as well as health disparities in injury and alcohol use disorders. His research has been funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH’s Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Dr. Vaca has chaired and served on several NIH scientific review committees, chaired national expert panels directed by the National Academies of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering’s Transportation Research Board, and previously served on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Education & Training

  • MPH
    University of California at Los Angeles (2002)
  • Medical 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
Leffell Prize for Clinical ExcellenceYale School of Medicine 2019
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, AND30Member2016 - 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 PreventionMember2015 - Present
Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Committee on Operator Education and Regulation, ANB30Member2013 - 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

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