Vaishal Tolia, MD, MPH, FACEP

Vaishal Tolia, MD, MPH, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician. He treats and cares for people in the emergency department and urgent care, including those with life-threatening or critical conditions. This care may include evaluation, resuscitation, stabilization and referring patients to appropriate specialty departments.

Dr. Tolia is medical director of the Emergency Department at UC San Diego Health, where he oversees operations of both emergency departments at UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest and Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla. He serves as director of the Emergency Department's Observation Unit and the Gary and Mary West Senior Emergency Care Unit (housed within the La Jolla Emergency Department), which is a state-of-the-art unit designed to enhance the care for older adults and meet the unique needs of seniors.

As a part of his hospital medicine duties, he also attends to and cares for acutely ill patients during their stay in the hospital.

Dr. Tolia is also a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, where he instructs medical students, residents and fellows at UC San Diego School of Medicine. His research interests include patient safety, observation medicine and chest pain protocols.

He has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including The Hospitalist and the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Tolia speaks frequently on topics such as new models of healthcare, geriatric emergency medicine, and telehealth.

Dr. Tolia completed a combined residency in emergency medicine and internal medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, where he also earned his medical degree. He holds a master's degree in public health from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. He is board certified in emergency medicine and internal medicine. Dr. Tolia is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP).

He is a member of many professional organizations, including the American Geriatric Society, the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and the San Diego County Medical Society. He has been named a top doctor in San Diego Magazine's "Physicians of Exceptional Excellence" annual survey performed in collaboration with the San Diego County Medical Society.

Outside of work, Dr. Tolia enjoys photography, experiencing different cultures through travel, martial arts and spending time with his family. He is fluent in Gujarati.

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For more information, see Emergency and Urgent Care.