20 - A Tribute to Jim Roberts, MD

Dr. James R. Roberts, MD, FACMT, FACEP, FAAEM, CMRO, accomplished physician, professor, leader in Emergency Medicine, previous Chairman at Mercy Catholic Medical Center Emergency Department in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Vice Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine, beloved father, brother, friend, and husband, passed away Friday, July 22nd, 2022, in Folsom, California. He was 76.

Jim was born February 9th, 1946, in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania, son of Jane and George Roberts. He is survived by his children, Martha and Matthew Roberts, his grandchildren Eleanor Cronin and Liam Roberts, his brother George Roberts, his sister Mary Peterlin, nieces, nephews, family-in-law, and his partner Lydia Forte Roberts, to whom he was married for over 40 years.

Jim graduated from Lafayette College, and studied medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. He completed his internship at Highland General Hospital in Oakland, California, with residencies at The Medical College of Pennsylvania, and was a McNeil Scholar at Bellevue Hospital in New York City.

Jim was a trailblazer in the field of Emergency Medicine, and was one of the first board-certified Emergency Medicine physicians in the world. He taught thousands of students via ED residency programs he built and led. He was a board-certified Toxicologist and worked with Philadelphia Poison Control Center for several decades. Jim was a medical expert witness and published a robust library of work. He was broadly recognized for his clinical practice, research, writing, and teaching. Jim was Chairman of the editorial board for Emergency Medicine News magazine (Wolters Kluwer) for almost 40 years. Jim's widely-read textbook, "Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care" (Elsevier) had seven editions.

Jim loved the outdoors, especially boating, fishing, and exploring his favorite waters off the Florida Keys. A memorial for Jim will be held this Fall, 2022. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Project Home (https://www.projecthome.org/).