Dean Valerie M. Parisi, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., announced the appointment Jan. 31. Dr. O'Neil's appointment takes effect Feb. 1.

"Dr. O'Neil's enthusiasm for clinical medicine, as well as his in-depth background in medical research, will serve the department well," Dean Parisi said.

Dr. O'Neil, of Clarkston, replaces Suzanne White, M.D., who is stepping down to devote her full time to her position as chief medical officer of the Detroit Medical Center system and her faculty position in Emergency Medicine. He will serve as interim chair while a search committee is convened to identify candidates for the permanent position.

"It is truly an honor and I am humbled to be chosen as the interim chair, particularly because the recommendation came from my peers," Dr. O'Neil said. "The Department of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University has been on the leading edge of research, education and clinical service, and it is my intent to push it even higher."

Dr. O'Neil, a 1986 graduate of the WSU School of Medicine, also serves as director of Basic Science Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
He said that in the short term his goals for the department include initiating intensive recruitment and retention program that will maximize the department's competitiveness for national-level funding. He also wants to launch an "aggressive program to revitalize our educational mission and to re-invigorate our mentoring and fellowship programs."

Currently co-chair of the American Heart Association's Emergency Cardiovascular Committee Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Committee, Dr. O'Neil will be named chair of this group in April and will serve for two years. He also is a member of the Emergency Cardiac Care Committee and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, advisory groups to the American Heart Association.

Dr. O'Neil is a member of the writing committee for the American Heart Association Acute Coronary Syndromes Guidelines and the association's Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Subcommittee and Writing Group. He co-wrote the AHA's newest guidelines on cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which significantly updated CPR basics taught for decades to generations of Americans.
After receiving his medical degree from the School of Medicine, Dr. O'Neil completed his Emergency Medicine residency at Detroit Receiving Hospital in1989. He was named chief resident. He completed a fellowship in Basic Science Research in 1990.

Dr. O'Neil serves as associate editor of Academic Emergency Medicine and program director of the American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly Research Forum. He also is a member of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine's Research Committee.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.