Spencer Greene, MD, MS, FACEP, FACMT, FAACT, FAAEM is a board-certified medical toxicologist, addiction medicine specialist, and emergency physician who founded Bayou City Medical Toxicology and Emergency Medicine Consultants in 2019 to help physicians and other healthcare professionals provide better care of patients with toxicological emergencies, including envenomations, overdoses, and occupational exposures.
Dr. Greene currently serves as the Director of Toxicology and an attending emergency physician at HCA Houston Healthcare-Kingwood. He is a Clinical Professor at the University of Houston College of Medicine. He also has faculty appointments in the University of Texas Cizik School of Nursing and in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.
Dr. Greene graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in psychology and biology. He earned an MS in immunology from C.W. Post, Long Island University. He graduated magna cum laude with an MD from Albany Medical College. He completed his emergency medicine residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and his medical toxicology fellowship at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.
Between residency and fellowship, Dr. Greene spent three years on active duty with the U.S. Air Force. While he was assigned to Wright-Patterson AFB he served as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Emergency Medicine Residency Program. He also served as the EMS director for WPAFB.
After completing his fellowship, Dr. Greene joined the faculty of the University of Arizona Department of Emergency Medicine. He was the Medical Toxicology Fellowship Program Director until 2012, when he moved to Houston.
From 2012 – 2019, Dr. Greene was the Director of Medical Toxicology in the Henry J.N. Taub Department of Emergency Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He previously served as a consulting toxicologist for Texas Children’s Hospital and the Southeast Texas Poison Center.
Dr. Greene has directed the Houston Venom Conference since 2013. He also served as the course director for the American College of Medical Toxicology Natural Toxins Academy.
Dr. Greene is a member of the following professional organizations:
- American College of Medical Toxicology
- American Academy of Clinical Toxicology
- American College of Emergency Physicians
- American Academy of Emergency Medicine
- Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
- East Texas Herpetological Society
- North American Society of Toxinology
- Texas Medical Association
- Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
Awards/Honors
- Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching & Evaluation – Baylor College of Medicine 2019
- Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award for Educational Leadership – Baylor College of Medicine 2019
- Baylor College of Medicine Early Career Faculty Award for Excellence in Patient Care 2017
- “Friend of Pediatric Emergency Medicine” Award – Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Texas Children’s
Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine 2017 - M. Tyson Pillow award for Excellence in Education, Baylor College of Medicine Emergency Medicine Interest
Group 2014 - Dean’s Award for Service – Vanderbilt University School of Medicine 2002
- David Doran Trager Award for Excellence in Surgery – Albany Medical College 2001
- Academic Achievement & Community Service Award – C.W. Post, Long Island University School of Health
Professions 1997 - Houstonia magazine “Top Doctor” award – 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
- Fellow, American College of Medical Toxicology
- Fellow, American Academy of Clinical Toxicology
- Fellow, American College Emergency Physicians
- Fellow, American Academy of Emergency Medicine
- Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
- Golden Key National Honor Society
- Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society
- HCA Houston Healthcare – Kingwood Physician of the Quarter, 3rd Quarter 2023
- HCA Houston Healthcare – Kingwood “Best Educator” award for 2024
Selected bibliography
- Greene SC, Folt J, Wyatt K, Brandehoff NP. Epidemiology of fatal snakebites in the United States 1989 – 2018.
Amer J Emerg Med. 2020; doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2020.08.083 - Greene, S. Coral Snake Envenomations in Central and South America. Curr Trop Med Rep (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40475-020-00197-z
- Theophanous RG, Vissoci JRN, Wen FH, Griffin SM, Anderson VE, Mullins ME, Brandehoff NP, Quackenbush EB, Bush
SP, Toschlog EA, Greene SC, Sharma K, Kleinschmidt KC, Charlton NP, Rose, SR, Schwartz R,
Lewis B, Lavonas EJ, Gerardo CJ. Validity and reliability of telephone administration of the patient
specific functional scale for the assessment of recovery from snakebite envenomation. PLoS Negl Trop Dis
2019; 13(12): e0007935. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007935 - Lavonas EJ, Burnham RI, Schwarz J, Quackenbush E, Lewis B, Rose SR, Greene S, Toschlog EA,
Charlton NP, Mullins ME, Schwartz R, Denning D, Sharma K, Kleinschmidt K, Bush SP, Anderson VE, Ginde AA,
Gerardo CJ. Recovery from Copperhead Snake Envenomation: Role of Age, Sex, Bite Location, Severity, and
Treatment. J Med Toxicol, 2019. ePub ahead of print, 2019- 09-04. - Domanski K, Kleinschmidt KC, Greene S, Ruha AM, Berbata V, Onisko N, Campleman S, Brent J,
Wax P. Cottonmouth snake bites reported to the ToxIC North American Snakebite registry 2013 – 2017. Clin
Toxicol (Phila) 2019; 10.1080/15563650.2019.1627367 - Greene SC, Morales-Perez L, Pallini M, Vences C, Carnell J. LTE: “Comment on [Incidence of
allergic reactions to Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab]” Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2019 DOI:
10.1080/15563650.2019.1618467 - Gerardo CJ, Vissoci JRN, de Oliveira LP, Anderson VE, Quackenbush E, Lewis B, Rose SR, Greene
S, Toschlog EA, Charlton NP, Mullins ME, Schwartz R, Denning D, Sharma K, Kleinschmidt K, Bush
SP, Brandehoff NP, Lavonas EJ. The validity, reliability and minimal clinically important difference of the
patient specific functional scale in snake envenomation. PLoS ONE 14(3):e0213077. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213077 - Mullins ME, Gerardo CJ, Bush SP, Rose SR, Greene S, Quackenbush EB, Lewis B, Anderson VE,
Kleinschmidt KC, Schwartz RB, Charlton NP, Toschlog EA, Sharma K, Denning DA, Lavonas EJ. Adverse Events in
the Efficacy of Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab Antivenom vs Placebo in Recovery from Copperhead Snake
Envenomation. Southern Med J 2018; 111(12):716-20. - Anderson VE, Gerardo CJ, Rapp-Olsson M, Bush SP, Mullins ME, Greene S, Toschlog EA,
Quackenbush E, Rose SR, Schwartz RB, Charlton NP, Lewis B, Kleinschmidt KC, Sharma K, Lavonas EJ. Early
administration of Fab antivenom resulted in faster limb recovery in copperhead snake envenomation patients.
Clin Toxicol. 2019 Jan;57(1):25-30. doi: 10.1080/15563650.2018.1491982 - Labarinas S, Meulmester K, Greene S, Thomas J, Virk M, Erkonen G. Extracorporeal
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation after Diphenhydramine Ingestion. J Med Toxicol. 2018 Sep;14(3):253-256. doi:
10.1007/s13181- 018-0672-6 - Greene S, Carey J. Puss Caterpillar Envenomation: Erucism Mimicking Appendicitis in a Young
Child. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2018 May 23. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000001514 - Greene S, Halmer T, Carey JM, Rissmiller BJ, Musick MA. Theophylline toxicity: an old
poisoning for a new generation of physicians. Turk J Emerg Med. 2018 18(1):37-9. - Galdamez L, Greene S. Occult valproic acid toxicity unmasked after physostigmine
administration. SAS J Med. 2017; 3(12):335-8. - Greene S, Galdamez L, Tomasheski R. White-lipped tree viper (Cryptelytrops albolabris)
envenomation in an American viper keeper. J Emerg Med 2017; 53(6):e115-8. PMID: 29102099 DOI:
10.1016/j.jemermed.2017.09.003 - Ruha AM, Kleinschmidt KC, Greene S, Spyres MB, Brent J, Wax P, Padilla-Jones A, Campleman S.
The Epidemiology, Clinical Course, and Management of Snakebites in the North American Snakebite Registry. J
Med Toxicol 2017; 13(4):309-20. - Greene S, AufderHeide E, French-Rojas L. Toxicological emergencies in patients with mental
illness: when medications are no longer your friends. Psych Clin NA 2017; 40 (3)519-32. PMID 28800806 DOI:
10.1016/j.psc.2017.05.007 - Gerardo CJ, Quackenbush E, Lewis B, Rose SR, Greene S, Toschlog EA, Charlton NP, Mullins ME,
Schwartz R, Denning D, Sharma K, Kleinschmidt K, Bush SP, Ryan S, Gasior M. The Efficacy of Crotalidae
Polyvalent Immune Fab (Ovine) Antivenom Versus Placebo Plus Optional Rescue Therapy on Recovery From
Copperhead Snake Envenomation: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial. Ann Emerg Med
2017; doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.04.034 - Tucci V, Ahmed SM, Hoyer DR, Greene S, Moukaddam N. Stabilizing intentional overdoses in
freestanding emergency departments: a good idea? J Gen Emerg Med 2017;2(1):1-5. - Greene SC, Noonan PK, Sanabria C, Peacock WF. Effervescent N-Acetylcysteine Tablets versus
Oral Solution N-Acetylcysteine in Fasting Healthy Adults: An Open-Label, Randomized, Single-Dose, Crossover,
Relative Bioavailability Study. Curr Ther Res 2016; 83:1-7. - Adair A, Greene SC, Greeley CS, Coleman RD, Shekerdemian LS. Synthetic cannabinoid exposure:
a new risk for children? Clin Pediatr 2016; 55(11):1075-7. PMID: 27550872 - Aceves J, Nguyen T, Greene S, Moukaddam N, Tucci V. Dangerous Assumptions of Psychosis: A Near-Missed Case of
Chronic Aspirin Toxicity. SAS J Med. 2016; 2(2):35-9. - Andrabi S, Greene S, Moukaddam N, Li B. New Drugs of Abuse and Withdrawal Syndromes. Emerg
Med Clin N Am 2015; 33:779-95. PMID: 26493523 - Greene SC, White N. Young Woman with Cardiac Arrest (Defatting Dermatitis following
Chloroform Exposure) Ann Emerg Med. 2014; 64(3):231, 247. - Hiller K, Viscusi C, Beskind D, Bradshaw H, Berkman M, Greene S. Cost of an Acting Intern:
Clinical Productivity in the Academic Emergency Department. J Emerg Med 2014; 47(2):216-22. - Greene S, Harris C, Singer J. Gastrointestinal Decontamination of the Poisoned Patient.
Pediatr Emerg Care 2008; 24:176-186. PMID: 18347499 - Greene SC, Brooks DE, LoVecchio F. Effect of Activated Charcoal on Citalopram-Induced QT
Prolongation. Ann Emerg Med 2007; 50:593 - Rice N, Greene S. Don’t get burned by hydrofluoric acid toxicity. EM Resident 2019 Available
at https://www.emra.org/emresident/issue-page-folder/latest-articles/19302 - Greene S. Think you Know about Copperhead Envenomations? Think Again. Wild Snakes: Education
and Discussion. Available at https://wsed.org/seriousness-of-copperhead-envenomations/ - Greene S. Coral Snake Envenomations. Wild Snakes: Education and Discussion. Available at https://wsed.org/coralsnake-envenomations/
- Greene S. Pre-hospital Management of Snakebites. Wild Snakes: Education and Discussion.
Available at https://wsed.org/snakebite-management-pre-hospital/ - Greene S. In-hospital Management of Snakebites. Wild Snakes: Education and Discussion.
Available at https://wsed.org/snakebite-management-in-hospital-pit-vipers/ - Greene S. Synopsis of Snakebite Cases in the Houston, Texas Area in 2016. SWCHR Bulletin
2016; 6(4):74-6. - Web-based continuing education. Walter FG, Crounse D, Greene S, Shirazi F, Munger B, Meislin
HW: “Basic Hazmat Life Support (BHLS),” 2011. - Web-based continuing education. Walter FG, Crounse D, Greene S, Shirazi F, Munger B, Meislin
HW: “Basic Hazmat Life Support (BHLS),” 2010. - Greene S. Antivenom. In: Petty, MR, A Primer on Reptiles and Amphibians. Elm Grove, LA:
Louisiana Exotic Animal Resource Network; 2018 - Liu J, Greene S. Unusual Complications of Alcohol Withdrawal. emDocs. May 2018. Available at
http://www.emdocs.net/unusual-complications-of-alcohol-withdrawal/ - Greene S, Tucci V. Is that Skin Lesion an Infection or an Envenomation? In: Mattu A,
Chanmugam AS, Swadron SP, Woolridge D, Winters M, eds. Avoiding Common Errors in the Emergency Department.
Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2017 - Greene S. Hydroxocobalamin for Cyanide Poisoning. In: Aaronson EL, Antonsen EL, Venkatesh
AJ, eds. Emergency Medicine Evidence: the Practice Changing Studies. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2015 - Greene S. Cnidaria Envenomation. Medscape Reference. Updated February 03, 2015. Available
at: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/769538-overview - Greene S, O’Connor A. Carbamazepine Poisoning. Up-to-date. Last updated February 2019
- Rosenfeld E, Greene S, Naik-Mathuria B. Bites. In: Holcomb GW, Murphy JP, St. Peter SD, eds.
Holcomb and Ashcraft’s Pediatric Surgery, 7th ed. Elsevier 2019 - Bush SP, Cohen JP, Greene S. Widow spider envenomations. Medscape Drugs & Diseases.
Updated May 28, 2020. Available at: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/772196-overview - Greene S, Bush SP. Snakebites. Medscape Drugs & Diseases. Updated May 8, 2020. Available
at: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/168828-overview - Greene SC, Brandehoff NP. Comment on “Failure of a Mexican antivenom on recovery from
snakebite-related coagulopathy in French Guiana”. Clin Toxicol. 2020; doi: 10.1080/15563650.2020.1800722 - Greene S, Ruha AM, Campleman S, Brent J, Wax P. Epidemiology, clinical features, and
management of Texas coral snake (Micrurus tener) envenomations reported to the North American Snakebite
Registry. J Med Toxicol. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-020-00806-3 - Greene S, Sekhon N. Loperamide-induced stercoral colitis. Vis J Emerg Med.
2020;21:100828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visj.2020.100828 - Greene S, Cheng D, Vilke GM, Winkler G. How should native crotalid envenomation be managed
in the emergency department. J Emerg Med. 2021 - Cohen N, Mathew M, Davis A, Brent J, Wax P, Schuh S, Freedman SB, Froberg B, Schwarz E, Canning J, Tortora L,
Hoyte C, Koons AL, Burns MM, McFalls J, Wiegand TJ, Hendrickson RG, Judge B, Quang LS, Hodgman M, Chenoweth
JA, Algren DA, Carey J, Caravati EM, Akpunonu P, Geib AJ, Seifert SA, Kazzi Z, Othong R, Greene
SC, Holstege C, Tweet MS, Vearrier D, Pizon AF, Campleman SL, Li S, Aldy K, Finkelstein Y; ToxIC Pediatric Opioid
Exposure Study Group. Predictors of severe outcome following opioid intoxication in children. Clin
Toxicol (Phila). 2022 Mar 25:1-6. doi: 10.1080/15563650.2022.2038188. PMID: 35333145 - Gerardo CJ, Godfrey AW, Greene SC. Antivenom does not cause snakebite complications, withholding it
does. Am Surg. 2022; doi: 10.1177/00031348221082289 - Basse J, Ruha AM, Baumgartner K, Mullins ME, Greene S, Wax PM, Brent J, Campleman S, Schwarz
ES. Clinical Presentations, Treatments, and Outcomes of Non-native Snake Envenomations in the United States
Reported in the North American Snakebite Registry. J Med Toxicol. 2022; https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-022-00912-4 - Greene SC, Cue K, Khan R, Gilbert MB, Rahimi J. Captive Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)
Bite Leading to Respiratory Failure. J Emerg Med. Published online January 15, 2023 - Greene SC, Wyatt K, Cates A, Weiss S. Anticonvulsant fatalities reported to the American
Association of Poison Control Centers 2000 – 2019. Seizure-Eur J Epilep. 2023; published online Jan 16, 2023 - Greene S, Gilbert M, Wolk B, Campleman S, Ruha AM, ToxIC Snakebite Study Group. Geographic variation in the
clinical features of Mohave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) envenomations reported to the North American
Snakebite Registry. Toxicon: X. 2023 Nov 10:100171. - Levine M, Brent J, Wiegand T, Maguire B,
Cohen N, , David Vaerrier, Michael Beuhler, Jerrold B. Leikin, Michael Ganetsky, Samuel Stellpflug,
Anne-Michelle Ruha, Jennifer Carey, Ann-Jeannette Geib, Dazhe James Cao, Kurt Kleinschmidt, Rais Vohra,
Brad D. Riley, Phillip Moore, Evan Schwarz, Mark Neavyn, Daniel E. Rusyniak, Spencer Greene, Joshua
Nogar, Alex Manini, Mary Wermuth, Anthony Pizon, Robert G. Hendrickson, Matthew Griswold, Kim Aldy, Paul
Wax, Meghan Beth Spyres, Sharan Campleman, Erin Macdonald, Yaron Finkelstein & on behalf of the
Toxicology Investigators Consortium (2023) Lipid emulsion therapy during management of the
critically-ill poisoned patient: a prospective cohort study, Clinical Toxicology, DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2023.2248372 - Greene S, Teshon A. Acute adverse reactions in two pit viper antivenoms. Toxicol Commun. 2024 Dec
31;8(1):2395687. - Greene S, Teshon A. Efficacy and safety of two Antivenoms in the treatment of eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon
contortrix) envenomations in Southeast Texas. JACEP Open. 2024;5:e13310 - Greene S, Anderson A, Warpinski G, Campleman S, Ruha AM on behalf of the Toxicology Investigator’s Consortium
Snakebite Study Group. Once, twice, three times a bite victim: recidivism in snake envenomation. Clin
Toxicol. 2025; https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2025.2516131 - Bonney C, Greene S. Response to Rohl S, Meredith M, Anderson T, et al. Comparing the Use of
Crotaline-Polyvalent Immune Fab (Ovine) Versus Observation in Children. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2024; 40 (11):
e270-e276. Pediatric Emergency Care. 2024 Dec 6:10-97 - Greene S, Anderson A, Wilcken M, Jehle D, Varney S. Regional Differences in Systemic Toxicity Following Texas
Coral Snake (Micrurus tener) Envenomations. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/10806032251327124 - Glaser T, Culbreth R, Liebelt EL, Ruha AM, Greene S, Campleman S, Spyres MB. Analysis of Acute Hypersensitivity Reactions by Antivenom Type and Geographic Location in the North American Snake Bite Registry (NASBR). J Med Toxicol. 2025 May 13:1-8.