Our toxicology rotation is led by Dr. Jeff Bernstein, a board-certified toxicologist, who has served as an emergency medicine faculty member for more than 20 years, and is the medical director for the Florida Poison Information Center in Miami. The Miami Poison Control Center is the only poison control center in South Florida, and oversees six different counties. In 2019, they responded to 48,195 calls. Of these, 35,982 were reported as known or possible exposures to potentially toxic substances (drugs, chemicals, bites, stings, food poisonings, etc.). Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Miami Poison Control Center took on the additional responsibility of taking calls for the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 hotline. They answered calls related to COVID-19 testing, symptoms, quarantine, and reporting issues, serving as a critical agent in educating healthcare providers and communities regarding COVID-19 infections.
During their PGY-3, our residents can be part of Jackson’s toxicology consult team and provide consults at the Miami Poison Control Center. Miami, unfortunately, has a significant prevalence of polysubstance abuse and is home to many unusual exposures related to marine toxins. Residents also receive training during the rotation on the epidemiology of poisoning and outreach techniques for preventing poisoning in people of all ages. Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in toxicology or not, this rotation provides broad clinical exposure, and is highly rated by our residents.