Michael Pulia

Dr. Michael Pulia is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. He directs the Emergency Care for Infectious Diseases (EC-ID) Research Program and serves as the Emergency Medicine Antimicrobial Stewardship Director. As an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, he integrates systems engineering principles into his research focused on improving diagnosis and management of infectious diseases in emergency care settings.

• Education: Undergraduate from Illinois Wesleyan University, PhD from University of Wisconsin–Madison, MD from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, and residency at University of Illinois Medical Center.

Dr. Pulia’s research spans diagnostic accuracy, antibiotic stewardship, and patient safety for infectious diseases in emergency departments. His work emphasizes systems engineering interventions to address diagnostic errors, optimize antimicrobial use, and enhance learning health systems. Current projects include characterizing antibiotic prescribing during pandemics and developing engineering solutions to improve diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for pneumonia and dysphagia.

His research has been funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Wisconsin Partnership Program. Notable awards include induction into the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society (2024), Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP), Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (FIDSA), and the National Academy of Medicine’s Scholarship in Diagnostic Excellence (2022).

• Scientific Awards: NAM/John A. Hartford Foundation Scholar in Diagnostic Excellence (2022), Sigma Xi member (2024), Best Overall Presentation Award (2024), FIDSA (2022), Wisconsin ACEP Distinguished Service Award (2021).

Dr. Pulia leads the Wisconsin Institute for Healthcare Systems Engineering (WIHSE) Collaborator network and has held leadership roles in national committees, including the American Academy of Emergency Medicine’s Board of Directors and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign update (2021). His clinical work at University Hospital and East Madison Hospital focuses on life-threatening infections and acute care for diverse patient populations.