Gregory Polites, MD

Gregory Polites, MD, Professor of Emergency Medicine, serves as chair of the Central Subcommittee on medical student admissions. In the admissions role, he oversees the review and recommendation of applicants from the 12-state Midwest region for acceptance to Washington University School of Medicine.

Polites earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. After completing his residency in emergency medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, he joined the full-time faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine, where he has been very active in medical education at the premedical, medical student, and residency levels. Throughout his career he has served in many leadership roles, including assistant director the emergency medicine residency program, course director of the Practice of Medicine courses for the M1 and M3 classes, founder and director of the M4 elective in clinical mentoring and medical student advisor through the Lowry-Moore Society. Outside of his department, he serves as co-chair of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Code/ACT Committee as well as national co-chair for the Clinical Pathologic Conference (CPC) for the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD). He is the national co-chair for the International Conference Committee for the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and serves on the Wellness Committee, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and the International Committee as well. He also serves as an oral board examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and, prior to this role, directed the oral board preparation program for his department for over a decade. His clinical interests within emergency medicine are in the areas of trauma and critical care.

Polites is a three-time recipient of the Course Master of the Year Award from the M1 class and a two-time recipient of the Clinical Teacher of the Year Award from the M4 class. Other awards include the Samuel R. Goldstein Leadership Award in Medical Education, two Distinguished Service Teaching Awards, and the Stanley Lang Lecturer of the Year Award. He also serves as the School of Medicine’s faculty advisor for the WUSM chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and is a past recipient of the Golden Stethoscope Award for Outstanding Clinical Teaching, an annual award given by residents in emergency medicine.