Matthew Laghezza, chief physician assistant in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Lisa Perry Emergency Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, was named 2018 Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant of the Year by the Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants.
The award recognizes physician assistants who demonstrate exceptional service and leadership in emergency medicine, the emergency medicine physician assistant profession and the community as it relates to emergency medicine. Laghezza was honored April 17 at the society’s annual conference in New Orleans.
“It’s nice to be recognized for what I do,” he said. “I think all of us PAs wear so many hats, and I hope the profession benefits when we are recognized for it.”
Laghezza has worked in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Perry Emergency Center for 10 years. He also currently serves as chief emergency medicine PA at NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital. In addition to his clinical work, he focuses on mentoring new physician assistants and on quality improvement measures across NewYork-Presbyterian campuses. He also leads an internal task force designed to improve emergency department admissions.
Laghezza recently completed the Executive M.B.A./M.S. in Healthcare Leadership program, which is offered jointly by the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and Cornell’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. He now serves as an ambassador for the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, working to promote the profession nationwide.