Dr. Wernicki graduated from the University of Virginia, and Rutgers Medical School. He completed his Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Johns Hopkins and Union Memorial Hospitals in Baltimore, MD. He is fellowship trained in Sports medicine. He currently lives and practices in Vero Beach, FL, USA. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor in Orthopedic Surgery at the Florida State Medical School. He has cared for numerous professional athletes over his career including the LA Dodgers.
Dr. Wernicki was an ocean lifeguard, instructor, and competitor for many years at the NJ shore. He has been the Medical Advisor and Executive Board Member to the US Lifesaving Association for 25 years. He has been the Medical Committee Chair for ILS for most of the past 20 years. He is also a member of the ILS Rescue Commission and the ILS liaison with WADA. He is the Aquatics Chair of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council.
Dr. Wernicki Co-chaired the first ILS Medical Rescue conference in 1997 which has grown into the biannual World Conference on Drowning Prevention which he was a keynote speaker at in 2011. Dr. Wernicki was also a co-chair of the US Lifeguard Standards Coalition. He has received the International Swimming Hall of Fame Paragon Award for Water safety in 2015. He has received the Chairman’s Award and the Clara Barton Award from the American Red Cross, and the Life Member award from the USLA.
Dr. Wernicki has published numerous chapters and articles on water safety including the Drowning, and The Science of Beach Lifeguarding. He is often quoted and appears in the lay media including the Washington Post, the Today Show, and the Weather Channel.
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