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| Justin Ellerman, M.D. |
USA Health recently welcomed Justin Ellerman, M.D., to expand its pulmonary and critical care division. He brings a unique combination of military medicine, procedural expertise, and academic leadership to the growing team.
Before beginning his fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, where he trained in partnership with Ochsner, Ellerman served in the U.S. Air Force as a special operations flight surgeon.
During his three-and-a-half years of service, he specialized in casualty evacuation and combat casualty care, honing his skills in critical care medicine within harsh environments. His experience leading medical response teams and training medics in field operations helped shape his collaborative approach to patient care.
“My first draw to pulmonary and critical care came from my time in the military,” Ellerman said. “In the ICU, the care for our patients is team-oriented with every member on the team being equally valuable yet having a specific role. This is the best way to continue to provide high quality care in the most acute setting.”
During his fellowship, Ellerman assisted in advanced robotic bronchoscopy, focusing on the diagnosis and management of pulmonary nodules, lung cancer, and endobronchial ultrasound techniques. He also worked alongside the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) team at University Hospital in New Orleans (formerly Charity Hospital), selecting and managing patients requiring advanced life support through venoarterial (heart and lung support) and venovenous (lung support only) ECMO.
ECMO is a life-saving medical procedure that temporarily takes over the functions of the heart and/or lungs.
“From a pulmonology standpoint, I have always been a hands-on person with a background in surgery and an affinity for procedural standardization. Advanced bronchoscopy can provide both diagnostic and therapeutic care for patients with everything from infections to cancer.”
Ellerman completed his internal medicine residency and chief resident year at USA Health, where he discovered a passion for academic medicine and mentoring future physicians. He describes his motivation for joining USA Health as twofold: a commitment to patient-centered innovation and a love of teaching.
“After serving a chief (resident) year in internal medicine at USA, I developed a strong passion for teaching graduate medical education at all levels from medical students to fellows,” he said. “I feel that helping to train the next generation of physicians is just as important as taking care of our current patients.”
Ellerman, who is board-certified in critical care medicine and pulmonary disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine, serves as an assistant professor of internal medicine at the Whiddon College of Medicine.
He completed medical school at the University of South Carolina, then a surgical preliminary year at the Greenville Health System, also in South Carolina.
Ellerman has experience treating acute respiratory distress syndrome, advanced emphysema, lung cancer, pleural effusion, pneumothorax, pneumonia, interstitial lung disease, tracheal stenosis and more.
He is accepting new patients at the Mastin Internal Medicine Clinic located at 2451 University Hospital Drive, Suite 102 in Mobile. To schedule an appointment, call 251-470-5890.
