Dr. Gunnerson is a Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, and Internal Medicine. He received a B.S. degree in Chemistry and Biology from Kansas Wesleyan University in 1992 and his degree in medicine from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1996. Dr. Gunnerson trained in the combined Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine program at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI. This was followed by fellowship training in the Multidisciplinary Critical Care Training Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to his arrival at the University of Michigan in 2013, Dr. Gunnerson was an Associate Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Anesthesiology at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (VCUMC) in Richmond, VA. Dr. Gunnerson departed VCUMC as the Division Chief of Critical Care in the Department of Anesthesiology, Associate Director of the Center for Adult Critical Care, Medical Director of the Cardiac Surgery ICU, and the Medical Director for the ECMO program.

Dr. Gunnerson’s research interests include a wide range of critical illness, specifically, early identification and resuscitation of patients in shock or at risk for developing subsequent organ dysfunction. Dr. Gunnerson’s research includes several large collaborative projects funded by both industry and governmental funding agencies. These projects have ranged from the discovery and development of novel biomarkers in critical illness, treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock and in the development of non-invasive technology used for the identification and treatment of patients with critical illness and injury. Dr. Gunnerson was the first Chief of the Division of Critical Care in the UM Department of Emergency Medicine. This is one of a small number of Critical Care Divisions within a Department of Emergency Medicine and focuses on a tripartite mission of delivering quality, contemporary critical care; educating residents, fellows and students in acute critical care; and collaborating with a diverse range of investigators on innovative critical illness and injury research projects. This mission is enhanced by the Massey Family Foundation Emergency Critical Care Center (EC3) which opened in February 2015. This is the country’s first and largest critical care unit managed by and staffed within a busy Emergency Department, with the cooperation and integration of the adult inpatient ICUs. Dr. Gunnerson also has worked closely with the Departments of Anesthesiology and Internal Medicine/Pulmonary Critical Care to develop two distinct, yet integrated Critical Care fellowship programs for EM graduates. UM is one of the first in the country to have these two unique Critical Care Fellowship pathways. Dr. Gunnerson has been very active in the growth of the specialty of Emergency Critical Care. He is involved in numerous research, educational, and national workforce projects, he is a past member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Critical Care Subspecialty Committee, and a current Council member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (Board of Directors).

Administrative Contact
Cindy Trafford
[email protected]

• Diagnosis and management of shock states
• Diagnosis and management of acute organ dysfunction
• Acute critical care delivery implementation