Ira Blumen, MD is a Professor of Medicine in the Section of Emergency Medicine. He has been involved in air medical transport since 1985 and has been the program and medical director of the University of Chicago Aeromedical Network (UCAN) since 1987. Dr. Blumen has been an invited speaker nearly 200 times at many local, regional and national conferences and has also traveled internationally to Munich, Moscow and Geneva to lecture. He is the author or co-author of over 125 book chapters, journal articles and poster presentations, many of which addressed various topics in air medical transport and is the editor-in-chief of the Air Medical Physician Association textbook “Principles and Direction of Air Medical Transport.”
For over 25 years, Dr. Blumen has conducted unique Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) safety research. His research resulted in an invitation by the National Transportation Safety Board to present his findings at a Public Hearing on the “Safety of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) Operations” in 2009. Dr. Blumen’s HEMS research includes annual safety and accident updates as well as industry statistics.
Dr. Blumen was a founding member and board member of the Air Medical Physician Association (AMPA) and is a past president. He helped develop and was a course co-director for the AMPA Medical Director Core Curriculum for 10 years and has been core faculty for over 23 years. In 2013, the UCAN crew nominated Dr. Blumen for the AMPA Medical Director of the Year Award, recognizing his contributions and achievements in the field of aeromedical transport and as Medical Director of the UCAN flight program. In 2020, Dr. Blumen became a Fellow in the Air Medical Physician Association (FAMPA), that recognizes AMPA members who have made noteworthy contributions to AMPA and the specialty of air and critical care transport medicine, recognizing experience, knowledge, and leadership.
Characteristics, Regional Evaluation, and D-Antigen in Transfusions by Emergency Medical Services.
Characteristics, Regional Evaluation, and D-Antigen in Transfusions by Emergency Medical Services. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jul 01; 8(7):e2524368.
PMID: 40742584
Response.
Response. Chest. 2025 Jul; 168(1):e19-e20.
PMID: 40639897
Recent Outcomes Research in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services: A Scoping Review of Publication-Year 2024 Additions to the Helicopter Outcomes Assessment Research Database.
Recent Outcomes Research in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services: A Scoping Review of Publication-Year 2024 Additions to the Helicopter Outcomes Assessment Research Database. Air Med J. 2025 Jul-Aug; 44(4):306-313.
PMID: 40571389
Friday the 13th is not associated with increases in emergency medical services (EMS) patient volume.
Friday the 13th is not associated with increases in emergency medical services (EMS) patient volume. Am J Emerg Med. 2025 Jun; 92:245-247.
PMID: 40057386
Prehospital Cricothyrotomy for Emergency Airway Management.
Prehospital Cricothyrotomy for Emergency Airway Management. Chest. 2025 Jun; 167(6):1684-1686.
PMID: 39864506
Air Transport Medicine: From the Field.
Air Transport Medicine: From the Field. Air Med J. 2025 Jan-Feb; 44(1):12-14.
PMID: 39993850
Longitudinal Assessment of a Single Referring-Receiving Hospital Pair to Assess Air Versus Ground Elapsed Time From Transport Request to Arrival at Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory: An Observational Cohort Study.
Longitudinal Assessment of a Single Referring-Receiving Hospital Pair to Assess Air Versus Ground Elapsed Time From Transport Request to Arrival at Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory: An Observational Cohort Study. Air Med J. 2025 Jan-Feb; 44(1):46-51.
PMID: 39993858
UCAN Make a Difference: Over 40 Years of Flying High Above Chicago.
UCAN Make a Difference: Over 40 Years of Flying High Above Chicago. Air Med J. 2024 Nov-Dec; 43(6):488-492.
PMID: 39632026
Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the United States.
Helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the United States. Resusc Plus. 2024 Jun; 18:100658.
PMID: 38745752
Management Considerations for Air Medical Transport Programs Transfusing RhD-Positive Red Blood Cell-Containing Products to Females of Childbearing Potential.
Management Considerations for Air Medical Transport Programs Transfusing RhD-Positive Red Blood Cell-Containing Products to Females of Childbearing Potential. Air Med J. 2024 Jul-Aug; 43(4):348-356.
PMID: 38897700