September 30, 2008

Drexel University College of Medicine has announced that physicians here are currently training a United States Army colonel who, upon completion of his fellowship, will be the first and only U.S. Army officer trained in both occupational medicine and medical toxicology.

James Madsen, MD, MPH, is an active-duty full colonel in the U.S. Army and one of the military's primary experts on weapons of mass destruction and chemical warfare. He is board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology, as well as in occupational medicine. Now Madsen has begun a two-year fellowship in medical toxicology within the Department of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Drexel's toxicology fellowship is an exceptionally rigorous program emphasizing both direct patient contact and extensive research. It is the only accredited program in adult medical toxicology in Philadelphia.

"We are very excited to have Dr. Madsen here as one of our fellows," said Michael Greenberg, MD, professor and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at Drexel University College of Medicine. "Dr. Madsen brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we will certainly be learning from him as he learns from us."

Drexel University College of Medicine toxicology fellows serve as clinical consultants for the federal and local government, industry, the legal community, and even the Philadelphia Zoo with regard to issues involving medical, occupational, environmental, hazardous material, and forensic toxicology. Fellows also carry out over 1000 bedside patient consultations annually at Hahnemann University Hospital, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, and Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, as well as in a separate outpatient toxicology clinic.

"What I'm enjoying most out of this experience is the opportunity to provide hands-on patient care again," said Madsen, who served as battalion surgeon for the 2/502 Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division in Saudi Arabia and Iraq during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and was a recipient of the Combat Medical Badge and the Bronze Star.

Madsen was also the team physician for the first trial challenge inspection of Russian chemical-agent storage facilities by the On-Site Inspection Agency (now the Defense Threat Reduction Agency) and is an Army flight surgeon. Immediately prior to his fellowship, he was the scientific advisor to the Chemical Casualty Care Division at United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD), the nation's leading science and technology laboratory in the area of medical chemical countermeasures research and development. In addition, he is an associate professor of preventative medicine and biometrics and assistant professor of pathology and of military and emergency medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Md.

"The Drexel University College of Medicine toxicology fellowship is very well known and highly respected, so I'm confident I will get excellent training here. I've also worked and written with Dr. Greenberg over the years and I'm very excited to have him as a mentor."

Madsen will be working on a variety of research projects during his fellowship and is expected to return to the Army full time after completing the program.