Irv Edwards, M.D., FACEP
Founder & President
Dr. Irv Edwards obtained his Bachelor's Degree from McGill University and his Medical Degree from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. He came to Los Angeles to pursue his interest in Emergency Medicine and interned at Los Angeles County Hospital. After his internship, Dr. Edwards completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. Following his residency, Dr. Edwards pursued private practice at a variety of hospital sites in Los Angeles and Orange Counties including Chino Valley Medical Center, Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, La Palma Intercommunity Hospital, Mission Community Hospital, Montclair Hospital Medical Center, Olympia Medical Center, Sherman Oaks Hospital, and Valley Presbyterian Hospital. He was the Director of Performance Improvement at Mission Community Hospital from 1998 – 2003 and he currently serves as the Director of Case Management at Mission Community Hospital and as the Chief of Staff at Chino Valley Medical Center. He is the Director of Emergency Services at Chino Valley Medical Center, Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, Mission Community Hospital, and Montclair Hospital Medical Center.
In 1989, Dr. Edwards founded Emergent Medical Associates and has served as its President since inception. Since 2001, Dr. Edwards has been a dedicated member of CAL/ACEP and he currently sits on their Executive Board. He served as its President from 2005-2006.
Mark R. Bell, M.D., FACEP
President
Dr. Mark Bell has been a managing partner in EMA since 1998. As Co-President, he has led the start-up and management of several emergency departments, and developed along the way a unique skill set centered on creating department efficiencies and managing the critical role emergency departments serve in driving hospital performance. He developed the EMA administrative residency program which prepares EMA physicians for administrative roles. His expertise covers customer service, strategic planning, business development, and community service. Dr. Bell is an active physician, hospital advocate, and represents his colleagues in healthcare issues on a local as well as national level.
Mark is a graduate from the Chicago Medical School. His undergraduate training was at Westmont College, in Santa Barbara, California. He completed residency in emergency medicine at the University California Irvine in 1996 and is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Following residency, Dr. Bell went into private practice in the South Bay of Los Angeles and soon partnered with Dr. Irv Edwards at Emergent Medical Associates. Through a dedication to quality, service, and efficient patient care, their emergency department management company grew from 5,000 patient visits per year, to more than 700,000 over the next decade. Mark is also the President and co-founder of Benchmark Hospitalists, a hospitalist company based in Los Angeles, and managing partner of Pipeline Health. He sits on various boards including the Marconi Foundation, Huntington Beach Hospital, Norris Cancer Leadership Board, and Goals for Life. Dr. Bell’s expertise is particularly strong in emergency department and in-patient efficiencies, customer service, paramedic outreach, strategic planning, and business development. Mark spends much of his time teaching physicians the skills required to succeed in administrative management and leadership. He has published on many topics, including pediatric cardiology, nutrition, and emergency medicine reimbursement, and frequently lectures on subjects most interesting to him such as The History of Nuclear Biological and Chemical Warfare, EMTALA, the Field Management of the Unknown Overdose, and the effect of efficient hospital care on morbidity and mortality. When he’s not working, Dr. Bell enjoys surfing, cycling, rugby, and traveling with his family. He’s married to Dr. Camela Ott, and has two children Luke and Dominic.
William A. Meade Jr., MD, MBA
Managing Director
Dr. William Meade Jr. earned his medical degree from Duke University. He also earned his M.B.A. from Duke's Fuqua School of Business and completed his residency at the University of California at San Diego in Emergency Medicine. Dr. Meade is board certified in emergency medicine and has served as Managing Director for UCA Health since 2016. During his tenure he successfully establish and expanded a medical provider group that provides care for the largest county jail correctional health system in the United States. Dr. Meade has also developed several programs with County governments and private healthcare systems in public partnerships that care for underserved populations.
Ari L. Nagler
Chief Executive Officer
Ari Nagler has spent the last two decades building high-performing teams and efficient companies in healthcare, service, retail and hi-tech. He's a previous business owner and M&A executive having closed over 50 transactions for himself and his clients. He possesses a B.S. degree with emphasis in Management and Organizational Development, from Cornell University.
Eugene Veksler
Chief Financial Officer
A member of Emergent Medical Associates’ management team since 2019, Eugene Veksler has oversight responsibilities for the finance function. Prior to joining Emergent Medical Associates’ staff, Eugene held various financial positions within Eisner Health, StarPoint Properties, The Walt Disney Company, and The Clorox Company. He holds a BS degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. Eugene graduated from a Health Care Executive Program at UCLA in 2013 and is scheduled to graduate from a Business Analytics Program at Harvard University by 2020.
Laura Barriga
Senior Director of Accounting
Laura Barriga is responsible for overseeing the accounting functions for UCA Health, she has been a part of the team since May of 2021. Prior to joining the team, she spent six years in the healthcare industry managing the accounting functions for several North Texas hospitals and behavioral health entities as well as seven years in the paper manufacturing industry. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and in 2020 completed her Master’s degree in Accounting from Texas A&M Commerce. After spending all of her life in the DFW area of Texas, Laura and her husband relocated to California in January of 2023.
Nancy Garcia
Chief Administrative Officer
Responsible for overseeing daily administrative operations and human resource management • Previous experience in business management specializing in the entertainment and apparel industry • B.S. in Accounting, California State University, Northridge
Kristi Tucker
Chief Provider Relations Officer
Responsible for Recruiting, Credentialing and Scheduling • First employee, helping the company grow from a single contract to its size today • B.S. in Health Administration, University of Phoenix
Shweta Patel, Esq.
General Counsel
Responsible for managing and leading internal legal matters • Prior experience within the medical/healthcare industry; medical malpractice defense; Assistant GC for a for-profit healthcare organization • J.D. from Southwestern Law School / B.A. in International Studies with a focus on Business Management, University of California, Irvine