Richard F. Clark MD

Richard F. Clark, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist. He treats and cares for patients in the emergency department and urgent care, including those with life-threatening or critical conditions. His care may include evaluation, resuscitation, stabilization, and referring patients to appropriate medical departments.

As a medical toxicologist and director of the Division of Medical Toxicology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, he offers the highest level of expertise in diagnosing and treating poisonings, overdoses, bites, stings, and other related problems.

Dr. Clark joined UC San Diego Health in 1991 and helped to establish the California Poison Control System in 1997, the largest poison control system in the country. He also helped create the Division of Medical Toxicology, which provides inpatient and outpatient consulting services and has one of the most productive medical toxicology fellowship programs in the nation.

Since 1997, he has served as chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. He is also a member of the Safe Medication Practices Committee and many other committees. Under his direction, UC San Diego Health has taken a leadership role in improving the safe delivery of medications to all patients.

Dr. Clark is co-editor of the toxicology section of the Journal of Emergency Medicine. His research interests include drugs of abuse, analgesics and envenomation, the process by which venom is injected by the bite or sting of a venomous animal.

Dr. Clark completed a fellowship in toxicology at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix. He completed residency training in emergency medicine at Allegheny General Hospital, Medical College of Pennsylvania. He earned his medical degree at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.