Associate Medical Director Metro Nashville Police Department SWAT

Dr. Bongartz is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Associate Medical Director for the Metro Nashville Police Department SWAT team. He is board certified in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. He has completed a Fellowship in Tactical Emergency Medicine, holds a Masters in Translational Sciences and is certified in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers' Health. He graduated from the Ludwig-Maximillian's University Medical Program in Munich, Germany and completed his combined Internal Medicine and Rheumatology Residency and Fellowship at the University of Regensburg. At Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, he obtained a Masters in Translational Sciences before joining the Division of Rheumatology. After several years as a clinician-researcher in Rheumatology, he transitioned into Emergency Medicine. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency and Tactical EMS Fellowship at Vanderbilt. Dr. Bongartz clinical and research interests include Tactical Emergency Medicine and Musculoskeletal injuries/Rheumatologic Emergencies. In addition to his duties as an attending in the VUMC Emergency Department, he serves in the US Army Reserves with a Forward Resuscitative Surgical Team out of Paducah, Kentucky and provides medical guidance and on-scene assistance for the Metro Nashville Police Department SWAT team. His hobbies include CrossFit, soccer and scuba diving.