JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – An East Tennessee State University (ETSU) student taking on his fourth year in the Quillen College of Medicine recently received a national award recognizing his dedication to emergency medicine.

According to a release from ETSU officials, William Miller was one of seven medical students to receive the American College of Emergency Medicine Physicians (ACEP) National Outstanding Student Award this year.

“We are so proud of William and his contributions to Quillen College of Medicine and the community,” Dr. William Block, ETSU vice president for clinical affairs and dean of the Quillen college, said. “He has established himself as an emerging leader in emergency medicine – not just here, but among his peers nationwide. I am excited to see what his future holds and how he will continue to make an impact on the communities he serves.”

A maximum of 10 fourth-year students are selected for the Outstanding Student Award, the release said, and each applicant must be nominated by emergency or school administrators. Each student is evaluated for “humanism, professionalism, leadership, service to medical organizations, community service, research, awards and academic excellence.”

“It was an honor to be nominated for and to receive this award from the ACEP,” Miller said in the release. “I’m currently applying to emergency medicine residency programs and looking forward to the next chapter of my career, so it certainly means a lot to gain this recognition.”

Only one student can be nominated from each medical school, and this year’s applicant pool resulted in seven winners. Miller said the education he received at Quillen helped him stand out.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to spend the past four years at the Quillen College of Medicine, which has been a phenomenal place to begin my medical training,” Miller said. “This area is lucky to have the region’s only Level I trauma center at Johnson City Medical Center. That, in combination with the fantastic physicians who take the time to mentor and build up students, makes this a truly outstanding learning environment. Although we don’t have an emergency medicine residency program yet, I am confident that there is no better place for an aspiring emergency physician to get their start. Overall, I feel incredibly thankful for every person who played a role in getting me to this point.”