Dr. Gardner is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Soutwestern Medical Center. She played a key role in the passage of medical liability reform in Texas and sees tort reform as a crucial goal on the national level. “The issue is really about preserving patients’ access to quality emergency care," she said. "If steps aren’t taken on a national level to further protect emergency physicians and specialists in the emergency department, emergency department doors will close and that would be a catastrophe for medical care in this country.” Dr. Gardner has served in numerous leadership capacities with ACEP on a national level and in the Texas chapter of ACEP. She served on the ACEP Board of Directors for seven years prior to her election as president, and served as president-elect of the ACEP Board of Directors this past year. Dr. Gardner served in all chapter offices for Texas ACEP, including as president of the chapter in 2003. Dr. Gardner was chair of National Report Card Task Force in 2006, when ACEP presented the first-ever state-by-state look at the support for emergency medical services across the nation.