NEWSLETTERNewsletter of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine July/August 2003 Volume XV, Number 4

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

SAEM – What IsUpcoming

Over the years, I have readmany President’s messages in thisNewsletter. Some are inspirational– encouraging efforts in the read-er’s personal life, professional life,or in a more ephemermal way.Other messages are informational– offering details on the Society,our specialty, opportunities in edu-

cation or research, or in other domains. In early May, I beganpondering how I would approach this opportunity to commu-nicate to our members. Recognizing that many will stopreading after a few sentences (I have committed this act afew times!), I struggled over how to proceed. For this firstpiece, I choose an informational approach. If you get‘inspired’ by this, all the better!

For our Society to best serve the members, we need twobasic things: A ‘roadmap’ that operationalizes our missionand vision; and, the resources to achieve the things desiredfrom the aforementioned map or plan.

Currently, SAEM is in the last year of the current “FiveYear Plan”, created in 1998 and implemented in 1999. Thisplan has guided the Board of Directors and the staff in everyaspect of leading and managing the Society. Beginning thissummer, the Board will begin to craft the next “Five YearPlan”, building on the success of the past and looking towardthe opportunities available in the future. Our mission – toimprove the care of emergently ill and injured patientsthrough creation of knowledge (research) and disseminationof knowledge (education) – is noble. However, in theabsence of clear, pragmatic guides – a ‘plan’ – we run therisk of drifting into areas where success is not likely, invest-ing our resources in areas unrelated to our mission, or sim-ply becoming stagnant. In ‘my own world’ – A UniversityDepartment – tasks without a clear path and timetable rarelyare completed.

After defining a plan, the Society needs resources toachieve things in the plan. Our human resources continue tobe the strength of SAEM. These include those who join,attend meetings, read the Web/Newsletter/Journal, serve onCommittees/Task Forces/Interest Groups/Publication bod-ies, and run the office. I hope for this to continue to grow –more people are involved at more levels than ever before,and the products are all better than 5 years ago. Our grantsprogram offers new opportunities to help our junior members

Donald M. Yealy, MD

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SAEM NEWSLETTER

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Web Editor AppointedRoger J. Lewis, MD, PhDSAEM Past PresidentHarbor - UCLA

SAEM is pleased to announce that David Nicolaou, MD,MS has been appointed to the position of Web Editor for theSAEM website (www.saem.org). While SAEM has had anactive and growing website for a number of years, it hasbeen maintained primarily by the Society’s staff with editori-al decisions being made either by the executive director,Mary Ann Schropp, or by the Board of Directors. For someperiod of time, the SAEM Board has recognized that thewebsite has become an increasingly important resource foracademic emergency physicians and, with the growingquantity of information available at the site, there was a needto restructure the website to increase its user-friendliness.

Nominations for the position of SAEM Web Editor weresought via an announcement in the March/April andMay/June issues of the SAEM Newsletter. A number ofhighly-qualified candidates were nominated and, afterreview of each nominee’s qualifications, contact with refer-ences, and interviews, the SAEM Board of Directors select-ed Dr. Nicolaou to fulfill this role.

Dr. Nicolaou is currently an Assistant Professor and theDirector of Medical Informatics in the Department ofEmergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore,Maryland. Dr. Nicolaou also holds the rank of AssistantProfessor within the Division of Health Sciences Informaticsat the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr.Nicolaou holds a Masters of Science degree in informationsystems and technology from the Johns Hopkins WhitingSchool of Engineering, which he received in 2000. In addi-tion, to his membership in a number of traditional emergencymedicine organizations, including SAEM, Dr. Nicolaou is amember of the American Medical Informatics Association.The Board of Directors is extremely pleased to be able tohave someone with Dr. Nicolaou’s technical expertise to ful-fill this important role for the Society.

Dr. Nicolaou is currently in the process of assessing boththe current information available on the SAEM website, aswell as the needs of our members. He will be working in thenext several months to develop a strategic plan for improvingthe consistency of the layout and user-friendliness of thesite, and for identifying potential projects to bring new func-tionality and services to our members. Any member whohas suggestions for additional content or functionality for thesite should contact Dr. Nicolaou directly atdnicolao@jhmi.edu.

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President’s Message (Continued)

achieve academic success by focusingon training. However, to continue to fuelthe maturation of the specialty, our fiscalresources must grow. To date, SAEMhas run efficiently – creating all theproducts and opportunities enjoyed byour members based on limited revenuestreams. The latter are predominatelyfrom dues, meeting fees, and donations.There are practical limits to trying to tapthe first two streams more; although theglobal fiscal environment is a challengeto fund raising, we believe it offers anopportunity previously not developed.

We hope to increase fund raising to helpus train the current and future educatorsand researchers; to do this, we need toexplore new options without losing ‘whowe are’.

The Board has hired a consultant tohelp us devise a fund raising plan thatwill achieve the growth desired withinthe ideals and values of the organiza-tion. I ask you to help us in this process– not by donating (though that would begreatly appreciated), but by offering yourinsight and expertise about the organi-zation, emergency medicine, or

fundraising.You will hear more of these two

efforts – the next “Five Year Plan” andfund raising - over the ensuing year. AsPresident, I will work with the outstand-ing Board you have chosen and the ded-icated staff to identify a path that opti-mizes the chance for success in thefuture. I hope you will support SAEM inthese efforts, offering your thoughts andaid. Write or call the SAEM office, anyBoard member, or me to share.

Thanks for reading – and moreover –thanks for participating.

Call for PapersThe AEM Editorial Board announces the AEM Consensus Conference 2004:

Using Information Technology to Improve ED Patient Care

The use of information technology(IT) in the ED is bound to increase.Information technology has the poten-tial to quickly provide data that can beused to study essential topics relatedto the practice of emergency medi-cine. The questions that could beanswered with good ED IT are nearlyendless, and include how to reducemedical errors, assure quality andequal ED care, document and monitorED overcrowding, identify emerginginfectious diseases or bioterrorism,and mend the unraveling safety net.However, there are currently no stan-dards for ED IT. There is no definitionof essential components of an ade-quate information system, of universalminimum requirements for data collec-tion, of common language to allow

information exchange. Unless theemergency medicine academic com-munity has input into these issues, wewill lose the chance to design andimplement this powerful clinical tool inthe way best suited to our needs.

The 2004 AEM ConsensusConference will be held May 15, 2004as a pre-day session before the 2004SAEM Annual Meeting in Orlando,Florida. The conference will addressthe issues of developing ED IT stan-dards for design, implementation, datarecording, information exchange andIT research; developing an ED ITresearch agenda; determining howsystems issues and clinical practicepatterns need to be considered indeveloping good ED IT; and determin-ing how ED clinical IT can impact ED

residency training.We issue this Call for Papers relat-

ed to the 2004 AEM ConsensusConference on

“Using IT to Improve ED PatientCare.” Original contributions describ-ing relevant research or concepts inthis topic area will be considered forpublication in the Special Topics issueof AEM, November 2004, if receivedby April 1, 2004. All submissions willbe peer reviewed by guest editorswith expertise in this area. If you havequestions, please contact MichelleBiros at biros001@umn.edu. Watchthe SAEM newsletter and the AEMand SAEM websites for more informa-tion about the Consensus Conference.

SAEM Medical Student Web Site UpdatedWendy C. Coates, MDHarbor - UCLAChair, SAEM Undergraduate Education Committee

The SAEM Medical Student website http://www.saem.org/inform/02med.htm is a valuable resource for medical studentsinterested in Emergency Medicine, and for faculty memberswho advise them. Information on student related activities atSAEM meetings, helpful original articles, and links to otherweb sites are provided. Medical students can access theVirtual Advisor Program and the “Rotations in EM” catalogfrom this site.

Three new articles written by members of the 2002-2003SAEM Undergraduate Education committee have been postedon the site. “Emergency Medicine Patient Presentations: AHow-To Guide for Medical Students” by Kerry Broderick, DavidManthey, and Wendy Coates outlines the unique nature of EDpresentations for senior level students http://www.saem.org/

inform/present.pdf. A companion article, “Presenting YourPatient” by Tamara Howard and Kerry Broderick is an intro-ductory article that gives student at all levels the details nec-essary to gather pertinent, focused information in the H&P andrelate this to the faculty in their presentationshttp://www.saem.org/inform/patient.pdf. “The Unique Value ofEmergency Medicine Student Interest Groups” by Cory Pitredescribes the educational and career-planning values of EMinterest groups in medical schools http://www.saem.org/download/aaemmsf.pdf.

The Undergraduate Education Committee welcomes yourcontribution of relevant articles for the SAEM medical studentwebsite. Please contact SAEM at saem@saem.org for furtherdetails.

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Annual Business Meeting Held on May 31The 2003 Annual Meeting in Boston attracted 1873 regis-trants, a record number for the SAEM Annual Meeting. Forcomparison, there were 1720 registrants at the 2000 AnnualMeeting, 1713 in 2001 and 1628 in 2002.

During the Annual Business, Dr. Roger Lewis announced theresults of the annual elections. The election was held by mailballot and approximately 28% of the active members cast bal-lots. The results were:

President-ElectCarey D. Chisholm, MD, Indiana University

Board of DirectorsLeon Haley, MDEmory University

James Hoekstra, MDWake Forest University

Resident Member of the Board Valerie DeMaio, MDUniversity of North Carolina

Nominating Committee Cathy Custalow, MD, PhDUniversity of Virginia

Adam Singer, MDState University of New York, Stony Brook

Constitution and Bylaws Committee Craig Newgard, MDOregon Health and Science University

In addition, Steve Hargarten, MD, MPH, and Sue Stern, MD,were appointed to the Board of Directors by incomingPresident, Don Yealy, MD, to fill unexpired terms that resultedfrom the election results.

Dr. Lewis announced to the membership that all proposedConstitution and Bylaws amendments had been overwhelm-ingly approved by the active membership through the mail bal-lot. The proposed amendments were published in theMay/June issue of the Newsletter.

Dr. Lewis introduced Robert Neumar, MD, PhD, who intro-duced the recipient of the 2002 Hal Jayne AcademicExcellence Award recipient, Blaine C. White, MD. Dr. Lewisintroduced Adam Singer, MD, who introduced the 2003 HalJayne Academic Excellence Award recipient, Judd Hollander,

MD. Dr. Lewis introduced Jeff Kline, MD, who introduced the2003 Leadership Award recipient, E. John Gallagher, MD.Each of the award recipients addressed the SAEM member-ship.

Dr. Lewis introduced the 2003 Young Investigator Award recip-ients: Daniel Davis, MD, Edward Jauch, MD, MS, and PaulKlawitter, MD, PhD. Dr. Lewis also introduced the recipients ofthe SAEM Grants Program: James Holmes, MD (ResearchTraining Grant), Mark Angelos, MD (Institutional ResearchTraining Grant), Daniel Morris, MD (Scholarly SabbaticalGrant), Carin Van Gelder, MD (EMS Research FellowshipGrant), and Selim Suner, MD (Neuroscience ResearchFellowship Grant). Each of these grant and award recipientswere profiled in the May/June issue of the Newsletter.

Ellen Weber, MD, introduced the 2002 Annual MeetingPresentation Awards: Debra Weiner, MD, PhD, (FacultyClinical Science), Richard Summers, MD (Faculty BasicScience), Daniel Rusyniak, MD (Young Investigator), Mark Su,MD, (Basic Science Fellow), Linda Papa, MD (Clinical ScienceFellow), Eric Savitsky, MD (IEME Exhibit), Joe Suyama, MD(Clinical Science Resident), Steven Bird, MD (Basic ScienceResident), and James Frederick (Medical Student).

Dr. Lewis honored Dr. Ellen Weber for her extraordinary serv-ice and support of SAEM by chairing the Program Committeeof the 2001, 2002, and 2003 Annual Meetings. Dr. Weber waspresented with a plaque to commemorate the gratitude of theSociety.

Dr. Lewis introduced David Nicolaou, MD, who has beenselected by the Board of Directors to serve as the SAEM WebEditor. See related article in this issue of the Newsletter.

Michelle Biros, MS, MD, Editor-in-Chief of AcademicEmergency Medicine provided a report to the membership onthe status of the Journal. She reported that 336 manuscriptshad been submitted during the period of January 1, 2003 toMay 22, 2003, which compared to the 255 manuscripts thathad been submitted during the same period in 2002. Dr. Birosalso reported that the average turnaround time for manuscriptssubmitted in 2003 was 25 days, which compared favorablywith the 46 days in 2002.

Dr. Lewis presented his President's Message entitled, "TheTragedy of the Commons" and introduced incoming President,Donald M.Yealy, MD. Dr.Yealy presented Dr. Lewis is a plaqueand thanked him for his service as the SAEM President.

AACEM Elections HeldThe Association of Academic Chairs

of Emergency Medicine (AACEM) heldits Annual Meeting and elections inBoston on May 28. During the meetingJerris Hedges, MD, MS, Chair of theDepartment of Emergency Medicine atthe Oregon Health and Science

University began his term as AACEMPresident, succeeding FrankCounselman, MD, Chair of theDepartment of Emergency Medicine atEastern Virginia University. Gabe Kelen,MD, Chair of the Department ofEmergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins

University was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Stephen Hargarten, MD,MPH, Chair of the Department ofEmergency Medicine at the MedicalCollege of Wisconsin was electedPresident Elect.

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Academic AnnouncementsSAEM members are encouraged to sub-mit Academic Announcements on pro-motions, research funding, and otheritems of interest to the SAEM member-ship. Submissions should be sent tosaem@saem.org by August 5, 2003 tobe included in the September/Octoberissue.

The following individuals have beenelected to serve on the ABEM Board ofDirectors: Carol D. Berkowitz, MD, Co-Director of the Craniofacial Clinic atHarbor/UCLA; Joel M. Geiderman, MD,Co-Chair of the Department ofEmergency Medicine at Cedars-SinaiMedical Center; Debra G. Perina, MD,Director of the Department ofEmergency Medicine at the University ofVirginia Health Science System; andMark T. Steele, MD, Chief MedicalOfficer and Associate Dean at theTruman Medical Center.

Patrick Brunett, MD, has been namedDirector of the Emergency MedicineResidency Program at Oregon Health &Science University beginning July 1. Dr.Brunett has previously served asAssociate Director.

David Cheng, MD, will assume theposition of Associate Director of theEmergency Medicine ResidencyProgram at the University of Arkansasbeginning on July 1.

The following individuals have beenappointed as item writers to generatetest questions for the ABEM writtenexaminations: Francis Counselman,MD, Professor, Chair, and ResidencyDirector at Eastern Virginia MedicalSchool; Gary Giorgio, MD, Cllinical

Associate Professor of EmergencyMedicine at Northeastern OhioUniversities; Joseph Mueller, AssistantProfessor at Loyola University; andRobert Vissers, MD, AssistantProfessor and Residency ProgramDirector at the University of NorthCarolina, Chapel Hill.

Charles Emerman, MD, has been pro-moted to Professor, Department ofEmergency Medicine at Case WesternReserve University.

Lewis Goldfrank, MD, has been pre-sented with the Distinguished TeachingAward at the New York University. Of2600 full-time faculty, Dr. Goldfrank wasone of five professors to be selected forthe award.

Teri Gunnarson, MD, has been namedthe Assistant Director of the EmergencyMedicine Residency Program atRegions Hospital in Minneapolis.

Benjamin Honigman, MD, Professorand Head, Division of EmergencyMedicine at the University of ColoradoSchool of Medicine has been namedDirector of the Colorado Center forAltittude Medicine and Physiology.

Nadine Levick, MD, MPH, has beenhonored as the 2003 Women’sLeadership Award from the Society ofAutomotive Engineers. Dr. Levick is thefirst physician to receive the award. Dr.Levick is the principal investigator ofPEDNET (Pediatric EmergencyDepartment North East Team), a feder-ally funded multi-center pediatric emer-gency care research infrastructure. It isthe largest of four centers that comprise

the national federally funded PediatricEmergency Care Applied ResearchNetwork (PECARN), which Dr. Levickalso serves as one of five principalinvestigators.

Thomas Lukens, MD, has been pro-moted to Associate Professor,Department of Emergency Medicine atCase Western Reserve University.

Stephen Meldon, MD, has been pro-moted to Associate Professor,Department of Emergency Medicine atCase Western Reserve University.

C. Keith Stone, MD, has been namedchairman of the Department ofEmergency Medicine at Texas A&MUniversity System Health ScienceCenter College of Medicine. Dr. Stone isan Assistant Professor at Texas A&MUniversity.

Timothy C. Stallard, MD, has beennamed Director of the EmergencyMedicine Residency Program at TexasA&M University. Dr. Stallard is anAssistant Professor at Texas A&MUniversity and previously served asAssistant Program Director.

Michael J. VanRooyen, MD, MPH, hasbeen honored by the American MedicalAssociation as the recipient of one offour “Pride in the Profession” awards.Dr. VanRooyen is the Vice Chair of theDepartment of Emergency Medicine atJohns Hopkins Hospital and AssociateProfessor at the Johns Hopkins Schoolof Medicine and the Johns HopkinsSchool of Public Health.

Geriatrics Education Grant Recipients AnnouncedLowell Gerson, PhDNortheastern Ohio University College of MedicineSAEM Geriatrics Interest Group

Three emergency physicians wereamong the recipients of the AmericanGeriatrics Society "Geriatrics Educationfor Specialty Residents (GESR)"awards. This initiative supports curricu-lar innovations at individual institutionsby providing a two-year grant of $32,000to support specialty-specific programsdesigned to increase education for resi-

dents in the geriatrics aspect of theirdisciplines.

The emergency medicine winnersand their projects are:

Kennon Heard, MD, University ofColorado, "Decreasing inappropriatedrug prescribing for elderly patients inthe Emergency Department by provid-ing education and physician feedback."

Joseph LaMantia, MD, North ShoreUniversity Hospital, "A NovelEducational Approach for EmergencyMedicine Residents Caring for theGeriatric Patient Population."

Stephen Meldon, MD, and WilliamFallon, MD, MetroHealth MedicalCenter, "Geriatric Trauma Care:Roadside to Bedside."

The SAEM Program Committee is pleased to announce therecipients of the Presentation Awards for the 2003 AnnualMeeting. Recipients will be recognized during the AnnualBusiness Meeting at the 2004 SAEM Annual Meeting inOrlando. The awardees and their associated abstract citations(including title and co-authors) are listed below:

Faculty Clinical Science PresentationIan G. Stiell, MD, MSc, FRCPC, University of OttawaIan G. Stiell, George A. Wells, Lisa P. Nesbitt, Daniel W. Spaite,Graham Nichol, Valerie J. DeMaio, Donna Cousineau, JoseeBlackburn, Doug Munkley, Lorraine Luinstra Toohey, BrianField, Tony Campeau, Eugene Dagnone, Marion Lyver:Relative Calue of the Four Links in the Chain of Survival forOut-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Controlled Clinical Trial.Acad Emer Med 2003 10: 423

Faculty Basic Science PresentationLawrence D. Sherman, MD, University of Pittsburgh Lawrence D. Sherman, Aron Flagg, Clifton Callaway, JamesMenegazzi: Angular Velocity: A New Method to PredictVentricular Fibrillation Duration. Acad Emer Med 2003 10: 504

Young Investigator Clinical PresentationNathan I. Shapiro, MD, MPH, Beth Israel DeaconessMedical CenterNathan I, Shapiro, Richard E. Wolfe, Richard Moore, Sharon B.Wright, David W. Bates: Who needs a Blood Culture? AProspectively Derived and Validated Clinical Prediction Rule.Acad Emer Med 2003 10: 435-436

Young Investigator Basic PresentationDaniel P. Davis, MD, University of California, San DiegoDaniel P. Davis, Satoki Inoue, Paul J. Kelly, Dan J. Cole, JohnC. Drummond, Piyush M. Patel: Decoy Molecules MayContribute to Neuronal Ischemic Preconditioning.Acad Emer Med 2003 10: 438

Clinical Science Fellow PresentationChristian Vaillancourt, MD, MSc, FRCPC, University ofOttawaChristian Vaillancourt, Ian G. Stiell, George A. Wells, Valerie J.DeMaio: Mathematical Model Predicting the Potential Impactof Various Community Bystander CPR Rates on OverallSurvival from Cardiac Arrest. Acad Emer Med 2003 10: 503-504

Clinical Science Resident PresentationChristopher Kabrhel, MD, Brigham and Women'sHospital/Massachusetts General HospitalChristopher Kabrhel, Andrew T. McAfee, Samuel Z. Goldhaber:Prospective Evaluation of the Canadian Pulmonary EmbolismScore in an Undifferentiated Emergency DepartmentPopulation. Acad Emer Med 2003 10: 559-560

Clinical Science Medical Student PresentationJason McMullan, Medical University of South CarolinaJason McMullan, Frederick H. Veser: Emergency DepartmentVolume and Patient Acuity as Factors in Patients LeavingWithout Treatment. Acad Emer Med 2003 10: 528

Basic Science Medical Student PresentationCedric Lefebvre, BS, Thomas Jefferson UniversityCedric Lefebvre, Bernard L. Lopez, Theodore A. Christopher,Xin-Liang Ma: Anti-Apoptotic Effects and Its Mechanisms of aPeroxisome Proliferator-Activated Recetor-g Agonist inHypercholesterolemic Rabbits Subjected to MyocardialIschemia and Reperfusion. Acad Emer Med 2003 10: 559

Innovations in Emergency Medicine Exhibit (IEME)Presentation: Michael A. Gisondi, MD, Stanford UniversityMichael A. Gisondi, MD, Swaminatha V. Mahadevan, MD,Shannon S. Sovndal, MD, Gregory H. Gilbert, MD: EmergencyDepartment Orientation Utilizing Web-Based Streaming Video(to be published in a future issue of AEM)

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Annual Meeting Presentation Awards Announced

During the 2003 Annual Meeting in Boston a Visual DiagnosisContest was open to all residents and medical students inattendance. The following winners are to be congratulated ontheir excellent diagnostic skills:

Medical Student Winners: Ryan Chuang, Harvard University

Resident Winner: Shkelzen Hoxhaj, MD, Christiana Care

The recipients will be awarded a one-year membership inSAEM, including a subscription to Academic Emergency

Medicine, a free registration to the 2004 Annual Meeting, amajor Emergency Medicine textbook, a subscription to theSAEM Newsletter, and an SAEM coffee mug.

The Program Committee is already making plans for nextyear’s contest and members are encouraged to submit poten-tial cases and photos. SAEM would like to thank the followingindividuals who contributed to this year's photo contest. It is asignificant commitment of time and intellect to develop theever-popular Photo Display. Please refer to the 2004 Call forPhotographs that is published in this issue of the Newsletter.

Recipients of Visual Diagnosis Contest Announced

Photography Display ContributorsSAEM would like to recognize and thank the following individuals who contributed to this year's Clinical Pearls and VisualDiagnosis Contest entries. It is a significant commitment of time and intellect to develop the ever-popular Photo Display.

Evan Alpert, MDNathan R. Andrew, MDTom Ashar, MDAlexander B. Baer, MDRobert Blankenship, MDBrian Boesiger, MDWilliam Browder, MDGar Chan, MDJustin C. Chang, MDGregory Christiansen, DO

Troy P. Coon, MDChad S. Crystal, MDG. Patrick Daubert, MDDan R. Dockham, MDAmy Drendel, DOMary Eberhardt, MDJason W. Edsall, MDBrian Euerle, MDJason Gardner, MDGus M. Garmel, MD

Diane Gorgas, MDKadeer M. Halimi, DOAlan Heins, MDDavid C. Hindle, MDThea James, MDAbu N.G.A. Khan, MDKevin J. Knoop, MDDavid C. Lee, MDValerie R. Lint, COParis Lovett, MD

Anuradha Luke, MDBilly J. Miller, MDD. Scott Moore, DOJamie M. Patel, MDLaurie Pemberton, DOLloyd Pena, MDErin Doherty-Phrampus, MDFloriano Putigna, DO

David G. Reiley, MDMichael Reit, MDJacob A. Roberts, DOMary Ryan, MDSteven A. Seifert, MDChu Lin Tsai, MDBrian Wexler, MDGeorge P. Whitehead, MD

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Boston Highlights

2002 Annual Meeting poster/paper award recipients whoreceived formal acknowledgement during the Annual BusinessMeeting. (L-R) Richard Summers, MD, Daniel Rusyniak, MD,Mark Su, MD, Steven Bird, MD, James Frederick, BA, DebraWeiner, MD, PhD. (Not pictured: Linda Papa, MD, CM, CCFP,Eric Savitsky, MD, Joe Suyama, MD)

The core of SAEM'spublications: (L-R)

Michelle Biros, MS,MD, Editor-in-Chief,

AEM; DavidNicolaou, MD, newlyselected Web Editor;

and David Cone, MD,Editor of the SAEM

Newsletter.Ellen Weber, MD, Annual Meeting Program Chairand Judah Folkman, MD, the Keynote Speaker at theSAEM Banquet.

Newly elected SAEM members: (L-R) Jim Hoekstra, MD (Board ofDirectors), Valerie DeMaio, MD (Board of Directors), Adam Singer, MD(Nominating Committee), Cathy Custalow, MD (Nominating Committee),Carey Chisholm, MD (President-Elect), Leon Haley, MD (Board ofDirectors), and Craig Newgard, MD (Constitution and Bylaws Committee)

Dr. Yealy congratulates Judd E. Hollander, MD,the recipient of the 2003 Hal Jayne AcademicExcellence Award.

2002-2003 AACEM Executive Committee and Dr.Drew Richardson, the featured speaker at theAACEM meeting. (L-R, Steve Hargarten, MD,MPH, John Gallagher, MD, Frank Counselman,MD, Jerris Hedges, MD, MS, and Dr. Richardson)

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2003-2004 SAEM Board of Directors. Front Row L-R:Valerie DeMaio, MD, Susan Stern, MD, Leon Haley, MD andKatherine Heilpern, MD. Back Row L-R: Jim Hoekstra, MD,Don Yealy, MD, Roger Lewis, MD, Carey Chisholm, MD and Glenn Hamilton, MD. Not pictured: Steve Hargarten, MD andJim Adams, MD.

Dr. Yealy is pictured with the 2003 Young InvestigatorAward recipients: (L-R) Paul F. Klawitter, MD, PhD, Dr.Yealy, Edward Jauch, MD, MS, and Daniel Davis, MD.

Ellen Weber, MD was recognized for her service chairingthe 2001-2003 Annual Meeting Program Committees.She is shown with Roger Lewis, MD, PhD, ImmediatePast President, and Don Yealy, MD, President.

The Program Committee did an excellent job planning the 2003 Annual Meeting. (Front L-R) Terry Vanden Hoek, MD, ChrisBarton, MD, Ellen Weber, MD (Chair), Jeffrey Kline, MD, Sean Henderson, MD, Cathy Custalow, MD, PhD, Alan Heins, MD,David Cone, MD, M. Christopher Decker, MD, Debra Houry, MD, MPH, Richard Shih, MD, Susan Promes, MD, David Guss,MD, David Lee, MD, Gary Vilke, MD, Mary Jo Wagner, MD, Leonard Friedland, MD, John Kelly, MD. Not pictured: BrianEuerle, MD, Diane Gorgas, MD, Lewis Nelson, MD, and Stewart Wright, MD.

Jordan Cohen, MD, President of the AAMC wasthe plenary speaker at the AEM ConsensusConference on Disparities in EM Healthcare andis pictured with Michelle Biros, MS, MD, AEMEditor-in-Chief and Lewis Goldfrank, MD,Coordinator of the Consensus Conference.

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Dr. Yealy congratulates E. JohnGallagher, MD, the recipient of the2003 SAEM Leadership Award.

James Holmes, MD, the recipient ofthe Research Training Grant, is congratulated by Dr. Yealy.

Three members have completed theirterms on the Board (L-R): Judd Hollander, MD, Don Kosiak, MD andMarcus Martin, MD.

Robert Niskanen fromMedtronic Physio Control andDon Yealy, MD, congratulate Carin VanGelder, MD, the recipient ofthe EMS Research Fellowship Grant. The fellow-ship is funded by MedtronicPhysio Control.

New departmental chairs recognized byAACEM (L-R): Joseph Clinton, MD,

University of Minnesota, Mark Langdorf,MD, University of California, Irvine, Mara

McErlean, MD, Albany Medical Center,and James Hoekstra, MD, Wake Forest

University.

SAEM President Don Yealy congratu-lates the 2002 Hal Jayne Academic Excellence Award Recipient, Blaine C.White, MD.

Mark Angelos, MD, the recipient ofthe Institutional Research Grant, is congratulated by Dr. Yealy.

Selim Suner, MD, the recipient of theNeuroscience Research Fellowship Grant, is congratulated by Dr. Yealy.

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New England Regional Meeting ReportJohn Burton, MDTania Strout, RNMaine Medical CenterCo-Chairs, SAEM New England Regional Meeting

This year’s 7th Annual New EnglandRegional SAEM meeting was held onApril 9, 2003 in Shrewsbury, MA. Themeeting was hosted by the EmergencyMedicine Residency Program at MaineMedical Center, Portland, Maine.

The eight Emergency MedicineResidency Programs from the six NewEngland States participated in the con-ference. This conference was the largestto date with 210 registered participants.A total of 88 abstracts were presentedwith 80 poster and 8 oral presentations.

The conference began with openingremarks by John Burton, MD, ResearchDirector from Maine Medical Center.Following the introductory comments,the conference keynote speaker, PeterRosen MD, addressed the conferenceparticipants.

The remainder of the morning sessionconsisted of four oral presentations, fol-lowed by the morning poster session. Amedical student luncheon was given byTamas Peredy, MD, from Maine MedicalCenter.

The afternoon session began with thesecond poster session followed by the

remaining oral presentations. The dayconcluded with an award ceremony andclosing remarks given by Dr. Burton.

The following oral presenters receivedExcellence in Research Awards:

� Yale University School of Medicine,Henry Lin, MDA Randomized Trial Using Helioxwith Continuous Albuterol Nebulizerfor the Treatment of Severe Asthmain the ED

� Harvard University School ofMedicine, Yi-Mei Chng, MDEmergency Medicine Residents'Skill Development in AirwayManagement: Analysis of 8,367Intubation Attempts

� Beth Israel Deaconess MedicalCenter, Kaushal Shah, MDUtility of Performing LumbarPuncture in the Afebrile ElderlyPatient with Altered Mental Status

� University of MassachussetsMemorial Medical Center/Universityof Massachusetts School ofMedicine, David Lovesky, EMT-PEffect of a Paramedic PainManagement Training Program onPre-hospital Analgesic Use

� Maine Medical Center, Kate W.Drummond, DOEmergency Department ElectricalCardioversion of Patients with AtrialFibrillation: A Multi-InstitutionalExperience

� Boston Medical Center/BostonUniversity School of Medicine,Jeffrey Evans, MDPredictors of Clinically SignificantDiagnostic Nasogastric Aspirate

� Baystate Medical Center, JeannetteWolfe, MDDoes Body Mass Index Affect theInterpretation of NoncontrastAbdominal Pelvic CT Scans?

� Rhode Island Hospital/BrownUniversity School of Medicine,Daren Girard, MDAlcohol and Nicotine Dependence inElderly Emergency DepartmentPatients: Rates, Health, and MedicalCare Utilization.

The 8th Annual New England RegionalSAEM meeting will be hosted byBaystate Medical Center’s Departmentof Emergency Medicine. The conferencewill return to Shrewsbury, MA for the2004 meeting.

Western Regional Research ConferenceSusan Gin-Shaw, MDMaricopa Medical Center

The SAEM Western RegionalResearch Conference sponsored byMaricopa Medical Center was held April4-5 in Scottsdale at the Mayo Clinic.Over 75 abstracts were presented.Arizona ACEP hosted an opening dayreception.

Highlights were keynote lectures bySAEM President Roger Lewis and pastPresident Jerris Hedges. Dr. Lewisspoke on “The Tragedy of theCommons” a commentary on the utiliza-tion of finite resources such as researchtime and dollars as well as medical care.Dr. Hedges’ lecture “Everything in

Moderation” addressed techniques andpreparation for moderating oral presen-tations and poster sessions.

Didactic lectures by Drs. BrianTiffany, Kimberlie Graeme, and EvanLeibner complemented the diverseabstract presentations. Dr. Tiffany’s lec-ture addressed research issues underthe new HIPPA regulations. Questionsregarding HIPPA waivers and consentswere frequently asked. Dr Graemespoke about “Therapeutic FabFragments” which resulted in a fewapprehensive glances at the surround-ing spring desert landscape. Dr. Leibner

presented an update on current ultra-sound research.

The most successful aspect of themeeting was the group discussions ofthe research projects. Participants wereenthusiastic about the chance to inter-act with the many experienced investi-gators in attendance. In a relaxedatmosphere, advice on statisticalmethodology, presentations, and futuredirections for investigations abounded.The smaller venue of the regional con-ferences lends itself well to such inter-actions.

10

Board of Directors UpdateThe SAEM Board of Directors meets

each month via conference call, as wellas face-to-face meetings during theSAEM Annual Meeting, the ACEPScientific Assembly, and the CORDNavigating the Academic WatersConference. This article includes thehighlights of the Board of Directors con-ference call meetings on April 15 andMay 13, as well as the May 28 and May30 Board meetings in Boston.

The Board approved a proposal fromDr. Michelle Biros to increase the num-ber of editorial pages in AcademicEmergency Medicine. It was noted thathe increase in pages was necessary toaccommodate the increasing number ofmanuscript submissions and to ensurethat the lag time between submissionand publication is not increased.

The Board approved the final versionof the Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) between SAEM and theDepartment of Health and HumanServices. The MOU provides for thedevelopment of four working groups todevelop initiatives and projects in the fol-lowing areas: substance abuse, accessto care, injury prevention, and respirato-ry. The activities of the MOU will becoordinated through the Healthy People2010 Task Force which will be co-chaired by Brent Asplin, MD, and LindaDegutis, MD, DrPH.

The Board agreed to participate in amulti-organizational task force to devel-op an undergraduate curriculum. Theeffort was developed by ACEP and willbe facilitated by ACEP. TheUndergraduate Curriculum Task Forcewill include two representatives fromeach of the following organizations:AACEM, AAEM, ACEP, CORD, andSAEM. The Board selected WendyCoates, MD, and Stephen Thomas, MD,to serve as the SAEM representatives.

The Board appointed DavidNicolaou, MD, to the position of SAEMWeb Editor. The Board agreed that theSAEM Web Site was a third and veryimportant component of the Society'spublication efforts, including AcademicEmergency Medicine and the SAEMNewsletter. More details regarding Dr.Nicolaou are published in this issue ofthe Newsletter.

The Board approved a proposal tono longer allow non-SAEM educationalsessions to be held in conflict with theeducational sessions of the SAEMAnnual Meeting. The Board will developmore specific guidelines, which will be

widely disseminated to lessen confusionor misunderstandings.

The Board approved the MedicalStudent Educators Handbook devel-oped by the Undergraduate Committeeand members of the Medical StudentEducators Interest Group. Dr. Coates,chair of the Undergraduate Committee,will work with the authors to develop aplan for publication and dissemination ofthe Handbook.

The Board approved a number ofinterest group Newsletter articles andagendas that were published in theSAEM Newsletter in advance of theAnnual Meeting in Boston. All interestgroups are invited and encouraged todevelop periodic announcements andupdates for publication in theNewsletter.

Sue Fish, PharmD, was selected bythe Board to attend an April 7 confer-ence entitled, "Integrity andAccountability in Clinical Research."The conference has been postponeduntil the fall of 2003 and a report on theconference will be published in a futureissue of the Newsletter. In addition, Dr.Robert Woolard was selected to repre-sent SAEM at a May 7 conference enti-tled, "Terrorism and Mental Health,"however the conference was cancelled.

The Board approved hiring Ms. NanJefferys to conduct a feasibility study inregards to future Society fund raising tosupport the Society's grant programs.The feasibility study will take approxi-mately four months and it is expectedthat the Board will review the feasibiltystudy by the end of the summer.

The Board approved funding to editthe first draft of the Medical StudentQuestion and Answer Bank, which isbeing developed by a task force chairedby Stephen Thomas, MD. The Boardapproved funding to co-sponsor a paneldiscussion with AACEM to be held dur-ing the AAMC Annual Meeting inNovember in Washington, DC. TheBoard approved funding to develop ahard copy of the Consulting ServiceHandbook.

The Board agreed to name a liaisonto the Emergency Cardiac CareCommittee of the American HeartAssociation. The Board will review a listof proposed liaisons and forward a slateof candidates to Dr. Robert O'Connor.

The Board reviewed a report fromJanet Williams, MD, regarding the ACEPRural Emergency Medicine Task Forceand the summit that was held in

Albuquerque. Dr. Williams' report waspublished in the May/June issue of theNewsletter.

The Board approved a proposal torecognize Ellen Weber, MD, at theAnnual Business Meeting. The Boarddeveloped a plaque to thank Dr. Weberfor her three year tenure as the chair ofthe Program Committee of the 2001,2002, and 2003 Annual Meetings.

The Board approved the develop-ment of the annual MembershipDirectory, which was distributed to themembership during the Annual Meetingin Boston, and will be mailed to all activemembers in June. Hugh Mickel, MD,was selected by the Board to becomean emeritus member of SAEM.

The Board noted that the proposedPediatric Emergency Medicine PositionStatement has been approved byAACEM, AAEM, ACEP and CORD, aswell as the Ambulatory PediatricAssociation and the American Academyof Pediatrics. The Board will submit it forconsideration of publication in AcademicEmergency Medicine.

The Board approved a proposal toinvite the current SAEM President andthe Editor-in-Chief of AcademicEmergency Medicine to serve as co-moderators of the plenary session at theAnnual Meeting. The Board approved aproposal to develop printed materialabout William Spivey, MD, to be distrib-uted each year to the attendees of theSpivey Lecture.

The Board approved the GrantsCommittee's recommendation to selectKevin Gibson, MD, as the recipient ofthe 2003 Geriatric Grant. Details werepublished in the May/June issue of theNewsletter.

The Board elected James Hoekstra,MD, to serve as the Board member ofthe Nominating Committee. The SAEMConstitution and Bylaws requires thatthe Nominating Committee include thepresident-elect as chair, the immediatepast president, three elected members,and a member of the Board.

The Board approved a request fromAmerican Health Consultants to send areporter to the Annual Meeting to writearticles from highlighted sessions at theAnnual Meeting. The resulting article(s)will be posted on the American HealthConsultants web site and an e-mail willbe sent to the membership to allowSAEM members to access the informa-tion at no charge.

11

Semi-Final CPC Competition ResultsOn May 28, fifty Emergency Medicine Residency Programs competed in the Thirteenth Annual Semi-Final CPC Competition.

A resident from each participating program submitted a challenging unknown case for discussion by an attending from anotherresidency program. The faculty discussant had 20 minutes to develop a differential diagnosis and explain the thought processleading to the final diagnosis.

Winning presenters and discussants were selected from each of five tracks and these individuals will represent those tracks atthe national competition. The CPC finals will be held at the ACEP Scientific Assembly in Boston on October. It is not necessaryto register for the Scientific Assembly if you plan only to attend the CPC. The CPC Competition is sponsored by ACEP, CORD,EMRA and SAEM. Congratulations to the 2003 winners!

Division ABest Presenter (L), Daniel Minior, MD, Lincoln Medical andMental Health CenterBest Discussant (R) , Michael Hocker, MD, Duke UniversityBest Presenter Runner-Up: Frederic MacArthur Jones, MD,Duke UniversityBest Faculty Runner-Up: Esther Chen, MD, University ofPennsylvania

Division BBest Presenter (L), Jessica Goldstein, MD, University ofIllinois at ChicagoBest Discussant (R), Marie Mullen, MD, University ofMassachusettsBest Presenter Runner-Up: Tina Rosenbaum, MD, GeorgeWashington UniversityBest Faculty Runner-Up: Thomas Rebbecchi, MD, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson

Division DBest Presenter (L), Catherine McLaren, MD, Stanford/KaiserBest Discussant (R), Alan Heffner, MD, Naval Medical Center,PortsmouthBest Presenter Runner-Up: Elizabeth S. Atkinson, MD,Indiana UniversityBest Faculty Runner-Up: Jill Ripper, MD, University ofConnecticut

Division CBest Presenter (R), John Kim, MD, Christ Hospital andMedical CenterBest Discussant (L), David FE Stuhlmiller, MD, Case WesternReserve UniversityBest Presenter Runner-Up: Moneesh Bhow, MD, AlbertEinstein at Beth Israel Medical CenterBest Faculty Runner-Up: Saadia Akhtar, MD, Albert Einsteinat Beth Israel Medical Center

Division EBest Presenter (L), Alice Mitchell, MD, CarolinasMedical CenterBest Discussant, (R) Jeffrey Suchard, MD, Universityof California, IrvineBest Presenter Runner-Up: Robert F. Erickson, MD,University of California, IrvineBest Faculty Runner-Up: D. Matthew Sullivan, MD,Carolinas Medical Center

12

SAEM Receives ResponsibleResearch Grant

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)has announced the recipients of the second round of awardsunder an AAMC-Office of Research Integrity (ORI)Cooperative Agreement. The AAMC and ORI entered intothe cooperative agreement to make awards to academicsocieties to undertake acativities aimed at promoting theresponsible conduct of research. Eleven grants were fundedand SAEM is pleased to have received one of them. SAEMreceived an award in the amount of $4,870 to fund a full-daycourse on responsible research, which will be held duringthe 2004 Annual Meeting. The conference will be coordinat-ed by Sue Fish, PharmD under the auspices of the ProgramCommittee. Further details will be outlined in future issuesof the Newsletter.

The AAMC represents the 126 accredited U.S. medicalschools; the 16 accredited Canadian medical schools; about400 major teaching hospitals, including VeteransAdministration medical centers; more than 105,000 faculty in96 academic and scientific societies; and the nation's 66,000medical students and 97,000 residents.

The ORI promotes integrity in biomedical and behavioralresearch supported by the Public Health Service at about4,000 institutions worldwide. ORI monitors institutionalinvestigations of research misconduct and facilitate theresponsible conduct of research through educational, pre-ventive, and regulatory activities. ORI is located in the Officeof Public Health and Science within the Department ofHealth and Human Services.

SAEM

Call for Abstracts2004 Annual Meeting

May 16-19, 2004Orlando, Florida

Deadline: January 6, 2004

The Program Committee is accepting abstracts forreview for oral and poster presentation at the 2004SAEM Annual Meeting. Authors are invited to submitoriginal research in all aspects of EmergencyMedicine including, but not limited to: abdominal/gas-trointestinal/genitourinary pathology, administrative/health care policy, airway/anesthesia/analgesia,CPR, cardiovascular (non-CPR), clinical decisionguidelines, computer technologies, diagnostic tech-nologies/radiology, disease/injury prevention, educa-tion/professional development, EMS/out-of-hospital,ethics, geriatrics, infectious disease, IEME exhibit,ischemia/reperfusion, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry/social issues,research design/methodology/statistics, respirato-ry/ENT disorders, shock/critical care, toxicology/envi-ronmental injury, trauma, and wounds/burns/orthope-dics.

The deadline for submission of abstracts isTuesday, January 6, 2004 at 3:00 pm Eastern Timeand will be strictly enforced. Only electronic sub-missions via the SAEM online abstract submissionform will be accepted. The abstract submission formand instructions will be available on the SAEM website at www.saem.org in November. For further infor-mation or questions, contact SAEM atsaem@saem.org or 517-485-5484 or via fax at 517-485-0801.

Only reports of original research may be submitted.The data must not have been published in manu-script or abstract form or presented at a nationalmedical scientific meeting prior to the 2004 SAEMAnnual Meeting. Original abstracts presented atnational meetings in April or May 2004 will be con-sidered.

Abstracts accepted for presentation will be publishedin the May issue of Academic Emergency Medicine,the official journal of the Society for AcademicEmergency Medicine. SAEM strongly encouragesauthors to submit their manuscripts to AEM. AEM willnotify authors of a decision regarding publicationwithin 60 days of receipt of a manuscript.

Call for Abstracts13th Annual Midwest Regional

SAEM MeetingSeptember 19, 2003

Saginaw Cooperative Hospitals, Inc.Saginaw, MI

The Program Committee is now accepting abstracts forreview for oral and interactive poster presentations. Themeeting will take place September 19, 2003, 8:00 am –5:00 pm, at Curtis Hall on the campus of Saginaw ValleyState University, Saginaw, Michigan.

The deadline for abstract submission is Monday, July14, 2003, by 3:00 p.m. EDT. Only electronic submissionsvia the SAEM online abstract submission form atwww.saem.org will be accepted. Acceptance notificationswill be sent in late July.

Registration forms are available from Melinda Wardin,Department of Emergency Medicine, Saginaw CooperativeHospitals, Inc., 1000 Houghton Avenue, Saginaw, MI48602. E-mail contact is mwardin@schi.org

Registration Fees: Faculty--$75; Residents/Nurses--$30;EMTs/Students—No Charge. Late fee after September 12,2003: add $25.

Visit our website for updated information: www.schi.org

13

CORD Meets in BostonThe Council of Emergency Medicine

Residency Directors (CORD) met inBoston on May 30 and Steve Hayden,MD, began his two-year term as presi-dent. During the CORD BusinessMeeting Pam Dyne, MD, from OliveView-UCLA Medical Center was electedPresident Elect, Mary Jo Wagner, MD,from Saginaw Cooperative Hospitals,

Inc. was elected Secretary-Treasurer,and Michael Beeson, MD, from SummaHealth was elected to a three-year posi-tion on the Board of Directors. SarahStahmer, MD, was appointed to theBoard to complete Dr. Wagner's unex-pired term on the Board. The CORDFaculty Teaching Award was presentedto Swaminatha Mahadevan, MD, from

Stanford University. The CORDResident Academic Achievement Awardwas presented to H. Bryant Nguyen,MD, from Henry Ford Hospital. The nextCORD meeting will be held during theACEP Scientific Assembly in Boston onOctober 13.

2003-2004 CORD Board of Directors: (L-R) Steve Hayden, MD,Debra Perina, MD, Pam Dyne, MD, Mike Beeson, MD, Mary JoWagner, MD, and Louis Binder, MD. Not pictured: SarahStahmer, MD

The 2003 CORD Impact Award recipient,Michael Beeson, MD, was recognized forthe development of the CORD Questionand Answer Bank.

Swaminatha Mahadevan,MD, recipient of theCORD 2003 Faculty

Teaching Award is congratulated by

ChristopherLewandowski, MD.

Debra Perina, MD, outgoing CORD presi-dent congratulates Sam Keim, MD, who hascompleted his tenure on the CORD Boardof Directors (1995-2003)

Debra Perina, MD,CORD immediate

past presidentcongratulates

incoming CORDpresident, Steve

Hayden, MD

H. Bryant Nguyen, MD, MS, recipient of theCORD 2003 Resident Academic AchievementAward congratulated by Gus Garmel, MD.

14

Palliative Care and the Emergency Physician: Finding our WayTammie E. Quest, MD Emory University School of MedicineJean Abbott, MD Denver Health Medical CenterSAEM Ethics Committee

“Remember Mr. Jones with CHF, always in here for shortness of breath? He finally died last week.” - ED Break room Staff

The average American will live three years with chronic,progressive, fatal disease prior to his or her death. Forpatients with dementia, non-curative cancer, end stage con-gestive heart failure, HIV/AIDS, death may be close – days,weeks or hours-- or much further off, months or years.Patients and families who struggle with unwanted, intolerable,and often nearly refractory symptoms from these ongoing con-ditions may seek physical and psychological relief in the emer-gency department. They present with agitation, delirium,severe pain, nausea/vomiting, and dyspnea. Frequently, whatthey seek is palliative care. The World Health Organizationdefines palliative care as the

“active total care of patients whose disease is notresponsive to curative treatment. Control of pain, ofother symptoms and of psychological, social and spiri-tual problems is paramount. The goal of palliative careis achievement of the best quality of life for patients andtheir families….palliative care affirms life and regardsdying as a normal process…neither hastens or post-pones death…provides relief from pain or other dis-tressing symptoms…offers a support system to helppatients live actively as possible until death…[and]offers a support system to help the family cope duringthe patient’s illness and in their own bereavement”.

What does all of this have to do with Emergency Medicine?It is quite true and appropriate that, in an emergent situation,action comes first, and questions, diagnosis, and communica-tions frequently follow stabilization and intervention. But mostof our patients do not come in emergently. Even the 93 yearold woman with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm may beable to be stabilized temporarily – giving her and her familytime to discuss whether surgery is a reasonable option, givensocial, psychological, and practical burdens and pleasures inher life that we are unable to assess. The Alzheimer’s patientwith pneumonia who hasn’t recognized his family or been outof bed for months does not require antibiotics if we determinethat the best way to honor the family’s goal of comfort is toavoid prolonging the dying process.

Patients near the end of life will and should present to theED with the expectation that high quality palliative care will beprovided. Their complaints, such as “weakness”, “poor eat-ing”, and “abdominal pain for months: worse today” are difficultto pigeonhole, and may be assigned to lower acuity triage cat-egories based on their chronicity. For the emergency provider,

time is of the essence. The niceties of conversation, nuanceresponse, and careful delineation of varied goals of care maybe difficult, if not impossible. But the truth is that the emer-gency physician is, knowingly or not, constantly providing pal-liative care – care directed at patient comfort. The question ishow to become more proficient in providing comfort, especial-ly with patients in whom “cure” is not possible, and quality oflife becomes paramount.

One must ask, how do we adequately care for the patientneeding palliative symptom management in the ED setting?Do we try to clarify the patient’s goals of care, or do we just letthe primary care provider (if one exists) patch up or undo theED heroics that the patient perhaps didn’t want? The explosionof technological “opportunities” gives us a wide variety of toolsthat we need to use when indicated. How do we decide whenthey are indicated for a patient with chronic, or possibly termi-nal disease? How do we honor the patient’s goals for livingand for dying? How do we synchronize our care with thedesires of the patient and her long-term provider? Our spe-cialty needs to begin to answer these and other importantquestions related to caring for chronically ill, dying patients.

As we explore a difficult set of issues surrounding palliativecare, several nationwide physician educational initiatives havedrawn attention to the needs for provision and teaching of pal-liative care at the end of life. Resources emergency physiciansmay find helpful include: 1) the End-of-Life EducationResource Center (www.eperc.mcw.edu), 2) the Education forPhysicians on End-of-Life Care Project (EPEC) and 3) theNational End-of-Life Residency Training Project. In particular,the EPEC curriculum contains several modules appropriateand necessary to ED care such as: how to assess the wholepatient, how to communicate bad news, managing symptomsincluding pain at the end of life, and eliciting patient “goals ofcare.” (www.epec.net) Future critical questions for the aca-demic EM community include: 1) what is appropriate and highquality palliative care in the ED setting, 2) what are the corecompetencies for emergency medicine trainees regarding carefor patients that present to the ED at or near the end-of-life,and 3) what special ethical issues arise for the EP regardingcare for patients at the EOL. If our goal is to work with patientsand their physicians, we need to be actively involved in helpingpatients establish and fulfill their goals when living and dyingwith chronic diseases. “Caring” for patients requires more thanjust performing the latest heroic procedures.

ErratumIn the May/June issue of the SAEM Newsletter Dana Telem was incorrectly listed as Dan Telem. Ms. Telem is the recipientof one of the EMF/SAEM Medical Student Grants which provide $2,400 in funding. Also, in the May/June issue, Dr. DanielMorris reported to have completed an Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Morris completedan Emergency Medicine residency at Michigan State University/Sparrow Hospital Program. Dr. Morris is the recipient of the2003-04 SAEM Scholarly Sabbatical Grant. SAEM regrets these errors.

Everything in ModerationJerris R. Hedges, MD, MSOregon Health & Science University

IntroductionScientific meetings offer the acade-

mician the opportunity to learn moreabout their profession and to share theirknowledge with others. Serving as amoderator at a scientific session is oneimportant venue for this knowledgeexchange and career development.Unfortunately, there is little written aboutthe role of the scientific session moder-ator, goals of an effective moderator,how to prepare for the task, or distinc-tions between moderating oral versusposter sessions. This article reviewsthese important issues as a means ofenhancing both the job of the moderatorand the wisdom that is shared duringmoderated scientific sessions.

Moderator RolesIf you accept an invitation to serve as

a scientific session moderator, you willneed to simultaneously serve asContent Expert, Session Coordinator,and Program Liaison. As a ContentExpert, you are best suited for the taskwhen the assigned topics in the sessionto be moderated are consistent withyour prior experience and academicinterest. Even then you should refreshyourself regarding the topics covered inthe session. As a Content Expert, theyou should be comfortable with the top-ics and have fun with the role.

As a Session Coordinator, youmust introduce structure into the ses-sion. Unless a member of the programcommittee reviews the session formatwith the audience immediately beforeyou assume the role of SessionCoordinator, you should quickly intro-duce the speakers and audience to thesession’s structure. This is done bysummarizing the session mechanics(i.e., ground rules). Items to coverinclude session format (e.g., 10 minutepresentations with 5 minutes for ques-tions and answers), method by whichspeakers will be notified of the timedeadline, and the responsibility of themoderator to keep the session on time.Meeting with the speakers in advance ofthe session and reviewing the groundrules for time limit warnings and plansfor the noncompliant is valuable. Ideally,you will introduce the session, eachspeaker, and the topic, and also overseethe question and answer period.

As a Program Liaison, you shouldunderstand how your moderated ses-sion fits into program. There may besimilar topics discussed that extend or

clarify points to be made during yourcurrent session. You should draw theseconnections for the audience and referthem to later sessions (and highlightrelated prior sessions). You should helpthe speakers prepare for the session.The audience will recognize a well-mod-erated session if they know you arethere to help the speaker and the audi-ence connect. You should make thespeakers feel comfortable and a valu-able part of the session. After all, it wasthe speakers’ work that was selected forpresentation and not your own past orcurrent work. As a facilitator, you shouldknow the evaluation process used bythe program committee and contributeevaluations from your session.

Moderator GoalsThe goals of the moderator are sum-

marized by “five E’s”. You shouldEducate, Entertain, Empower (the audi-ence), Expedite (the session), andEvaluate (the speakers).

The moderator can Educate theaudience in several ways. As notedabove, the audience is educated aboutthe process of information exchange atthe session when you disseminate thepresentation mechanics. More impor-tantly, you should help the audiencesynthesize the different presentations.You should bring out similaritiesbetween presentations within a session.You should contrast perspectives, studydesign, findings, and conclusions. Youshould place issues and study findingsin larger context and make the sessionmore than the sum of its parts.

It is important that the moderatorEntertain the audience. Science sticksif it is entertaining. Speakers are neverin the mood to have their work takenlightly. Presenting in a public forum isserious business and is done at greatrisk to the speaker’s ego. Hence, anyhumor raised as moderator should notdirectly focus on the speaker or her/hiswork. It is best that you target recentnational events, public figures, or your-self when attempting a humorousremark or introducing sarcasm after apresentation. On the other hand, youshould not shrink from controversywhen a presentation raises issues out-side the mainstream or which otherwisebeg for comment. When addressingsuch controversial issues, it is best notto “blind side” speakers. Whenever pos-sible these difficult issues should beidentified well in advance of the speak-

er’s presentation and the speaker put onnotice that you intend to ask them aboutthe issue. Providing the speaker with alist of potential questions they should beprepared to answer is a useful methodof improving the speaker’s presentation,as they may partially address the issueswithin the talk. It also enhances thesubsequent question and answer peri-od.

The effective moderator Empowersthe audience to ask perceptive ques-tions of the speaker. Moderators whoknow their craft well encourage theiraudience to ask the questions. While itmay be helpful for you to ask an initialquestion while waiting for the audienceto become engaged during the questionand answer period, you must avoid thetemptation to create an ongoing dia-logue with the speaker. Dominating thediscussion in that manner will discour-age rather than encourage audienceparticipation and may intimidate speak-ers. It is better to prime the question &answer period with questions plantedwithin the audience. This practiceencourages other members of the audi-ence to become involved in the informa-tion exchange. You should be cautiousto prime, but not flood the pump in thismanner. It is crucial that interestedaudience members be given the oppor-tunity to bring their own questions intothe discussion.

While audience participation is to beencouraged, you must effectively blockpersonal attacks on the speaker andallow the audience to equitably partici-pate in the discussion. Common pitfallsare when audience members wish togive secondary presentations from thefloor or who seek to engage the speak-er in one-on-one dialogues. In bothcases, you must be prepared to inter-rupt and ask, in fairness to others seek-ing to ask questions, that more extend-ed discussions be reserved for the inter-mission and that each audience mem-ber limit themselves to one question.Setting these session rules in advancefacilitates their use when audiencemembers exhibit selective amnesia.

To allow all speakers their due and tomaximize audience participation, it iskey that the moderator Expedite thesession. The moderator and the speak-ers must stick to a timeline. Start andend each session on time. Although Ifavor introducing the speakers and theirtopics for audience members who may

(continued on page 15)15

16

have wandered into the wrong sessionor left their program elsewhere, theintroductions should be brief. It sufficesto give the name of the speaker and thestudy title. The speaker can recognizeher/his own co-investigators. Warningspeakers of impending presentation clo-sure is wise. More important is to estab-lish nonverbal clues that will be usedtwo minutes in advance of the sum-uptime and notification that a verbal warn-ing will be used one minute prior to clo-sure. Finally, if the speaker does notclose at the expected time, you must beprepared to direct closure and instructthe audience that the questions andanswer period will be abbreviated due tothe length of the presentation. If thespeaker is aware of this action plan andstill fails to close in a timely manner, it isonly fair that she/he bear the conse-quences (mild embarrassment). Thesubsequent question and answer periodis best coordinated through your identifi-cation of audience members with ques-tions. Seasoned speakers will oftenmove into that process on their own.You should only reclaim the processwhen the pitfalls discussed above ariseor it is time to close the question andanswer period.

Most scientific sessions have a pro-gram committee that rewards excellentpresentations. The moderator shouldbe prepared to Evaluate the presenta-tion on behalf of the program commit-tee. Each organization will have its ownmetric for evaluating the presentation.Generally, the presentations are evalu-ated on the basis of scientific content(i.e., the quality of the science) and thespeaker’s delivery and response toquestions. The moderator should alsoprovide feedback to those speakers whorequest feedback after the session.Immediately after the session, it is bestto share only the positive aspects of thepresentation with the speaker. I recom-mend that if requested, you only sharenegative aspects of the presentation ata later time divorced from the meeting.Indeed, it is often best to have that infor-mation delivered through an intermedi-ary who knows the speaker well andwho can chose the best time and meansfor objective critique. Remember thatthe speaker is most vulnerable to evenmild criticism immediately after the pres-entation.

Preparing for the Role It can be said that a moderator’s

work is never done. There is always

more that you can do to prepare for therole. Despite having content expertise,it is crucial to strengthen your knowl-edge. You should know the content areaissues, prior study methodologies, andthe current session presentations.

The content background is built uponyour existing perspective and expertise.But don’t stop there. Speak with yourcolleagues (local & national) regardingtheir impression of knowledge gaps,practice and research controversies,and the relevance of each speaker’sefforts (both current and future). As astrong moderator, you will know thestudy methodologies used within thefield. You will perform a literature reviewand review the study methods and limi-tations - not just the results and conclu-sions - of prior studies. You will knowthe types of future studies needed to fillknowledge gaps.

As a prepared moderator, you willknow more about the current session’spresentations than what is in theabstract. You will have asked foradvance copies of the manuscriptand/or presentation. You will havereviewed each speaker’s published workon the selected presentation topic. Youwill know the methods that the speakersand their co-investigators used and beprepared to address limitations of thecurrent and prior work by these specificinvestigators. Your preparation shouldallow you to postulate how the speakers’data can be applied or steps to be takenbefore the work can guide our practiceor future research efforts.

Knowing what should be brought outin discussion does not mean you shouldmonopolize the discussion. As modera-tor, you should stimulate an active inter-change between the audience andspeaker. The moderator is the catalyst,not the fuel, for an exciting and educa-tional post-presentation discussion. Inorder to “be the catalyst” you must pre-pare both the speaker and the audi-ence. Preparing the speaker requiresthat you identify those areas you want tocover in the post-presentation discus-sion. As noted above, it is best to sharethe anticipated questions if they are like-ly to be complex or controversial.Preparing the audience may require theuse of a plant in the audience as dis-cussed previously. This approach isbest if the question will be somewhatcontroversial.

Remember that the moderator’sspaking role is limited. As moderatoryou should provide a brief introduction

to the session and each speaker, inter-ject direction when needed to maintainthe tempo of each presentation and itsfollowing discussion, encourage audi-ence questions, and when time permitsprovide a summary statement.

The brief summary statement shouldaddress the relevance of the presentedresearch (i.e., answer the “so what?”question) and provide contextual infor-mation. This is not needed if similarsummary information was covered dur-ing the audience discussion or if the dis-cussion was lengthy.

Oral versus Poster SessionModeration

Moderation of poster sessions isquite similar to moderation at oral ses-sions in regards to the role of the mod-erator, goals of moderation, and thepreparation required. In general, postermoderation is less formal and allowsgreater interaction with the crowd. Thephysical proximity of the speaker, mod-erator, and crowd overcomes a numberof artificial barriers inhibiting interactionsduring oral sessions. Consequently, youmust be even more prepared to controlthe discussion should it turn personal,become tangential, or appear to bedominated by one member of the audi-ence.

Another important difference is thatthe poster itself is the focus of the pres-entation and can serve as a prop duringdiscussion by the speaker, moderator,and audience. It is crucial that the mod-erator review the poster in advance ofthe session to be certain that key talkingpoints can be located on the poster. It isimportant to determine if any changesfrom the abstract have occurred sincethe time of submission. Finally, themoderator has the ability to link con-cepts by comparing and contrastinginformation on posters at specific ses-sions.

Summary Pitfalls to AvoidDon’t forget to prepare. Don’t forget

to provide structure for the audienceand speaker. Don’t forget to entertain.And don’t monopolize the discussion. Ifyou can avoid those pitfalls, you will bea memorable session moderator whowill impress speaker and audience alike.

Presented at the April 2003, SAEMWestern Regional Research Forum,Scottsdale AZ.

Everything in Moderation (Continued)

17

2003 SAEM Medical Student Excellence Award WinnersListed below are the recipients of the 2003 SAEM Medical Student Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award. This award is

offered to each medical school in the United States to honor an outstanding senior medical student. This is the tenth year thisaward has been made available. Recipients receive a certificate and one-year membership to SAEM, including subscription tothe SAEM Newsletter and Academic Emergency Medicine. Information about next year's Excellence in Emergency MedicineAward will be sent to all medical school dean's offices in February 2004.Arizona College of Osteopathic MedicineTimothy O'Neill

Baylor UniversityKrista Dawn Caldwell

Brown UniversityMichelle McMahon-Downer

Case Western Reserve UniversityChristian Chisholm Halloran

Central del CaribeWilfredo J. Cordero

Chicago College of OsteopathicMedicineJayson L. Eversgerd

Dalhousie UniversityAaron Kent Sibley

David Geffen School of Medicine atUCLAGelareh Zargaraff

Des Moines University - OsteopathicMedical CenterAaron M. Heiar

Denver Health Medical CenterMette Adkisson

Drexel UniversityRichard Dagrosa

Duke UniversityChristopher R. Reynolds

East Carolina UniversityMaria Russell

Eastern Tennessee State UniversityJohn Galt Robinson

Eastern Virginia Medical SchoolCarolyn K. Holland

Emory UniversityJerry Keith Hall

Georgetown UniversitySarah Elizabeth Andrus

Harvard Medical SchoolMaurice V. Jeter

Howard UniversityNelsson H. Becerra, II

Indiana UniversityWilliam Swigart IV

Johns Hopkins UniversitySara Bradshaw Hazlett

Kirksville College of OsteopathicMedicineAlisa Roberts

Loma Linda UniversityJason Schultz

Louisiana State University, New OrleansTimothy Ellender

Louisiana State University, ShreveportNickles Bergeron

Loyola UniversityJeremy Hoenig

Mayo Medical SchoolEdwin G. Wells, III

Medical College of GeorgiaCory T. Carpenter

Medical College of OhioMichelle T. Quinn

Medical College of WisconsinAmy Elizabeth Zosel

Meharry Medical CollegeJuantina M. Johnson

Memorial University of NewfoundlandMichael Peddle

Michigan State University College ofHuman MedicineSteffen D. Genthe

Michigan State University College ofOsteopathic MedicineJamil Rizqalla

New York Medical CollegeTurandot Catanese

New York UniversityTamika Clark

Northeastern Ohio UniversitiesAlex Michael Reodica

Nova Southwestern University Collegeof Osteopathic MedicineTimothy J. Huber

Oregon Health & Science UniversityMichael Kremkau

Penn StateGwendolyn M. Lewis

Philadelphia College of OsteopathicMedicineJoshua M. Baron

Ponce School of MedicineYonaida Santoni

Queen's UniversityMarc Francis

Saint Louis UniversityScott M. Schepker

Southern Illinois UniversityMari Bethlene Baker

St. George's UniversityLisa Keough

State University of New York, StonyBrookPatricia Daly

State University of New York, DownstateLaura McPeake

State University of New York, SyracuseAnna Olson

Temple UniversityAndrew G. Wittenberg

Texas TechJason Charles Enz

Thomas Jefferson UniversityTiffany Gillis

Tulane UniversityAaron Pessl

Uniformed Services University of theHealth SciencesMatthew Wolf

UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical SchoolChintu Shah

UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson MedicalSchoolMark Reiter

University of Alabama at BirminghamJeremy S. Rogers

University of AlbertaMohammad Naveed Alam

University of ArizonaAnita J. L'Italien

University of ArkansasJonathan Christopher Townley

University of BuffaloJennifer L. Wiler

University of CalgaryDavid Lendrum

University of California, DavisJenny K. Bottomly

University of California, IrvineBethesda Y. Gee

University of California, San DiegoMamata Kene

University of California, San FranciscoJoanne Feldman

University of CincinnatiWilliam Knight

University of Florida Carroll Browd

University of HawaiiJason Nomura

University of Health SciencesPatricia B. Manhire

University of KansasWilliam Featherston

University of KentuckyJarrett Greer

University of LouisvilleRussell Hunter Louis

University of ManitobaLeah Watson

University of MarylandSean Fox

University of MiamiPreeti Jois

University of MichiganCemal Sozener

University of MinnesotaMartin Richards

University of Mississippi Katie Fokakis

University of Missouri, ColumbiaJohn Jeffery Willis

University of Missouri, Kansas CityChristopher Asandra

University of NebraskaKevin Ahlers

University of NevadaVittorio Raho

University of New England College ofOsteopathic MedicineAdam M. Ray

University of New MexicoAmber Rollstin

University of North Carolina, Chapel HillJennifer Lipkowitz Eaton

University of North Dakota Jason M. Schenck

University of North Texas, Fort WorthScott Young

University of PennsylvaniaMeghan E. McGrath

University of PittsburghRobert Joseph Sobehart

University of RochesterDavid Neubert

University of South AlabamaKaira Kathryn King

University of South CarolinaWilliam Jennings

University of South FloridaCorey A. McLeod

University of Texas, GalvestonMonica Lisa Carvajal

University of Texas, HoustonThomas Luton

University of Texas, San AntonioRobert C. Waller

University of Texas Southwestern, DallasAmy Benay Baldwin

University of UtahJodi C. Booth

University of VermontLaurel Barkell

University of WisconsinSydney R. Leach

Virginia CommonwealthAngelo Guanzon

Wake Forest UniversityKim L. Askew

Washington UniversityAdit Arun Ginde

Wayne State UniversityTheresa Terlecki

West Virginia School of OsteopathicMedicineWilliam Lee Massie

West Virginia UniversityRobert Edward Buckner, II

Western University of Health SciencesAndrew Wong

Wright State University Melissa Anne Schloneger

Yale UniversityGabriel Pearce Simon

18

Researcher Profile: James Quinn, MDGerard X. Brogan, Jr., MDSAEM Research CommitteeNorth Shore University Hospital

As part of the Research Committee's continuing series ofprofiles of successful EM researchers, Dr. Gerard Broganinterviewed Dr. James Quinn from the University of California,San Francisco.

Dr. Quinn, after graduating from medical school at theUniversity of Western Ontario, did his residency at theUniversity of Ottawa where he began his research career.Dr. Quinn credits Dr. Ian Stiell with helping to jumpstart hisresearch career by serving as a role model and mentor. Whilea resident, Jim started working with early tissue adhesivessuch as Histocryl as it compared to sutures for wound closure.As a result of his research and subsequent publication in theAnnals of Emergency Medicine, Jim was awarded the Annals’Best Resident Paper. In 1992, he also was presented with anSAEM award at its national meeting for outstanding pediatricpresentation. This initial study was funded by both industryand support from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

After his residency, Jim stayed on at Ottawa General underthe guidance of chairman Dr. Adam Cwinn. During his fiveyears at Ottawa General, he continued his research with tissueadhesives, expanding into multi-centered trials. He thenmoved to the University of Michigan. Jim credits Dr. Bill Barsanas being an incredibly supportive chair and promoting an envi-ronment that was very fertile for research. In addition, Jimfound that there was great institutional support for emergencymedicine, and specifically for EM research.

Jim subsequently moved to the University of California, SanFrancisco. It was there that Jim wrote his first federal grant, aK23 grant. The K23 grant is a mentor-based career develop-ment grant award, which involves education, research, andteaching programs that provide for the resources a researcherneeds to become an independent investigator. When askedwhat he thought an ED doc’s chances were of getting a K23research grant, Jim was very positive and optimistic, a trait thatclearly has served him well as he’s navigated the arduouswaters of academic medicine Jim states that “your chancesare probably better than you think. Somewhere between 25%and 30% of K23 grants are funded. It was very helpful toreview copies of old applications and to understand what agood grant is all about”. Jim offered the following advice forapplying for a K23 grant.

1. Write a good grant. This sounds simple, but be sure to readthe goals of the grant and requirements of the fundingagency. “Make sure it has all the components necessaryand addresses all of the questions in the application. Payclose attention to the fundamentals. There is a skill andstyle to writing grants. Have others read your grant andstrongly consider attending a grant writing course. Getstarted early, avoid making excuses and delays for gettingstarted, and write and re-write several times.”

2. “Probably one of the most helpful things is to have a goodmentor. Remember the K-23 is mentor based. This personwill help you both in writing the grant and understandingwhich section of the NIH would be the most appropriate tohandle the grant,” or, as Jim puts it, to find a good home foryour grant. Here Jim credits Dr. Steve Cummings, whomentors him at UCSF and helped Jim to find an appropri-ate contact in the NIH to do this. Jim adds, “you don’t nec-essarily have to stay within your specialty with regard toyour mentor, and because the NIH has no institute specifi-cally for emergency medicine research, it is helpful to havea mentor who has a track record in the NIH section to whichyou submit your application. Don’t hesitate to look outsideyour specialty for a mentor when there is appropriate over-lap with the work that you’re looking to do. There is noslight against emergency medicine, but due to the relative-ly young age of our specialty there are very few faculty inemergency medicine who would meet criteria to act asmentors on federally funded grants.”

3. For career development awards, you don’t necessarilyneed to have a track record of being able to secure grantdollars, but you “should have some track record of publica-tion and research in the section you plan to submit. In addi-tion to respect for your mentor and his/her abilities, theagency reviewing the grant will need to have some respectfor your previous work before they invest in you or yourplan.”

4. Jim stated, "it is very helpful to meet with your mentor andyour contacts at the NIH, so that they could put a face to thename.” Many people write good grants, but without a con-tact at the agency who is supportive of your application, itcan easily get lost among many other good applications.

What most impressed me about my interview with Dr.Quinn, and a point that he made several times throughout theinterview, was his desire to use the K23 grant to improve hisability to become a mentor himself. Part of the K23 award wasto do a masters in health service research. Jim stated thatalthough he has always been very willing to spend time withother researchers curious about tips for securing federal grantdollars, he feels that his K23 grant has definitely allowed himto take his career to the next level and provide more meaning-ful mentoring to other colleagues.

In closing, and a great summary to Dr. Quinn’s perspectiveon academic emergency medicine, he stated that “many peo-ple have been very generous in helping me out and guidingme through the academic waters. I am indebted to all thosewho helped me and the best way to give back to those peopleis by becoming a mentor myself. By my own definition of agood mentor I am not quite there yet. When I am able to actas a successful mentor, I truly will have completed the loopand made a successful journey through academic medicine”.

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OHSU Announces the Formation of the Center for Policy and Research in Emergency Medicine

The Oregon Health & ScienceUniversity has announced the formationof the Center for Policy and Research inEmergency Medicine. The CPR-EMwas established to promote severallong-term goals: (1) to partner with poli-cy-makers locally, statewide, andnationally in identifying areas in whichhigh-quality research can contribute toimportant health policy issues; (2) toincrease the contribution of EM facultymembers to important health policyissues facing our community, the state,and the nation; and (3) to enhance theresearch activities of the Department ofEmergency Medicine, seeking externalfunding to facilitate this goal.

The CPR-EM has been identi-fied as one of four centers within theOregon Health Policy Institute (OHPI),along with the Substance Abuse PolicyCenter, the Center for Health andDisability Policy, and the Center forEnvironmental Health. OHPI, which hasreceived more than $22 million in grantsand contracts in the last five years,includes faculty and staff at OHSU,Portland State University, and OregonState University.

Some of the studies already under-way through direct support of the CPR-EM include a look at the cause of over-crowding in the ED related to overca-pacity in the hospital, the impact on EDs

from budget cuts to the Oregon HealthPlan (Oregon’s state Medicaid pro-gram), and whether the public can betrained to use automatic external defib-rillators on the scene of cardiac arrests.

The CPR-EM is led by Robert A.Lowe, MD, MPH. Three additional facul-ty with unique areas of expertise are K.John McConnell, MS, PhD, an econo-mist and health services researcher,and Craig Newgard, MD, MPH, a healthservices researcher and emergencyphysician. For more information aboutOHSU’s CPR-EM studies, contact Dr.Lowe at lowero@ohsu.edu or 503 494-7134.

Call for SubmissionsInnovations in Emergency Medicine Education Exhibits

2004 Annual MeetingDeadline: February 11, 2004

The Program Committee is accepting Innovations in Emergency Medicine Education (IEME) Exhibits for consideration ofpresentation at the 2004 SAEM Annual Meeting, May 16-19, 2003 in Orlando. Submitters are invited to complete an appli-cation describing an innovative new educational methodology that they have designed, or an innovative educational appli-cation of an existing product. The exhibit should not be used to display a commercial product that is already available andbeing used in its intended application. Exhibits will be selected based on utility, originality, and applicability to the teachingsetting. Commercial support of innovations is permitted but must be disclosed. IEME exhibits will not be published inAcademic Emergency Medicine with other abstracts, but will be published in the on-site program. However, if submittershave conducted a research project on or using the innovation, the project may be written up as a scientific abstract and sub-mitted for scientific review in the appropriate subject category by the January 6 deadline.

The deadline for submission of IEME Exhibit applications is Wednesday, February 11, 2004 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time.Only online submissions using the form on the SAEM web site at www.saem.org will be accepted. For further informationor questions, contact SAEM at saem@saem.org or 517-485-5484 or via fax at 517-485-0801.

Important Notice to Current and Former ABEM DiplomatesEmergency Medicine ContinuousCertification (EMCC) will begin in 2004.

All diplomates who want to maintaintheir certification with ABEM beyond thecurrent expiration date must participatefully in the EMCC program.

Effective 2004, the licensure require-ment for all diplomates will change.Diplomates will be required to continu-ously maintain a current, active, valid,unrestricted, and unqualified license inat least one jurisdiction in the UnitedStates, its territories, or Canada, and in

each jurisdiction in which they practice.Inactive medical licenses voluntarilyheld by physicians are in compliancewith the Policy on Medical Licensure.

Physicians eligible for ABEM recertifica-tion under current rules will maintain eli-gibility under EMCC. The written recer-tification examination as it currentlyexists will be offered for the last time onNovember 2, 2003.

A special option will be available onlyfrom 2004-2006 for former diplomates toregain their diplomate status through

participation in EMCC. Former diplo-mates must begin their participation inEMCC in 2004 to take advantage of thisoption.

A full description of EMCC includingdetails of diplomates’ participationrequirements are available on theABEM website http://www.abem.org.Questions should be directed to:American Board of EmergencyMedicine, 3000 Coolidge Road, EastLansing, MI 48823, or call 517-332-4800 or emcc@abem.org.

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Committee/Task Force Members

Constitution and Bylaws CommitteeChair: Linda Spillane, MD, University of Rochester,

Linda_Spillane@urmc.rochester.eduCatherine A. Marco, MD, St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center

CORD/SAEM Diversity Task ForceCo-Chair: Amin Antoine Kazzi, MD, University of California, Irvine,

akazzi@uci.eduCo-Chair: Marcus L. Martin, MD, University of Virginia Health

System, mlm8n@virginia.eduKumar Algappan, MD, Long Island Jewish Medical CenterMervin Ishmael Griffin, MD, University of Mississippi Sheryl L. Heron, MD, MPH, Emory UniversityLynne D. Richardson, MD, Mt. Sinai Medical Center

Education Research Task ForceChair: Gloria J. Kuhn, DO, PhD, Wayne State University,

gkuhn@med.wayne.eduMichelle H. Biros, MS, MD, Hennepin County Medical CenterScott Compton, PhD, Wayne Sate UniversityKaren Cosby, MD, Cook County HospitalPatrick Croskerry, MD, PhD, Dartmouth General HospitalBlaine C. White, MD, Wayne State University

Ethics CommitteeChair: Terri Schmidt, MD, Oregon Health & Science University,

schmidtt@ohsu.eduJean T. Abbott, MD, University of ColoradoJoel M. Geiderman, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterJason A. Hughes, MD, Texas Tech School of Medicine*Catherine X. Johnson, MD, University of Chicago Hospitals*Katie B. McClure, MD, Oregon Health & Science UniversityMary Patricia McKay, MD, Brigham and Women's HospitalJunaid A. Razzak, MD, Emory UniversityDavid Salo, MD, PhD, Newark Beth Israel Medical CenterRaquel Marie Schears, MD, MPH, St. Mary's HospitalRobert C. Solomon, MD, West Virginia School of Osteopathic

Medicine

Faculty Development CommitteeChair: Francis L. Counselman, MD, Eastern Virginia Medical

School, fcounsel@infionline.netChris Barton, MD, University of California, San FranciscoYvette Calderon, MD, Jacobi Medical CenterTheodore A. Christopher, MD, Thomas Jefferson University HospitalKathleen J. Clem, MD, Duke UniversityGregory P. Conners, MD, MPH, University of RochesterGus Michael Garmel, MD, Stanford UniversityDave A. Holson, MD, MPH, Harlem Hospital CenterJames H. Jones, MD, Indiana UniversityRobert L. Muelleman, MD, University of NebraskaLatha Ganti Stead, MD, Mayo Clinic

Fellowship Training Task Force Chair: Robert W. Neumar, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania,

rneumar@mail.med.upenn.eduJill M. Baren, MD, University of PennsylvaniaTheodore R. Delbridge, MD, MPH, University of PittsburghFrank LoVecchio, DO, Good Samaritan Regional Poison CenterJohn G.Younger, MS, MD, University of Michigan

Financial Development CommitteeChair: Brian J. Zink, MD, University of Michigan, bzink@umich.edu*Richard J. Bruno, MD, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Francis L. Counselman, MD, Eastern Virginia Medical SchoolSteven C. Dronen, MD, Covington HealthMark Hauswald, MD, University of New Mexico*Christopher S. Lai, MD, University of PittsburghJoseph A. Salomone, III, MD, Truman Medical CenterFrank L. Zwemer, Jr., MD, MBA, University of Rochester

Graduate Medical Education CommitteeChair: Michael S. Beeson, MD, Akron City Hospital,

beesonm@summa-health.orgSteven H. Bowman, MD, Cook County HospitalEsther H. Chen, MD, University of Pennsylvania*Michael L. Hochberg, MD, Jacobi/MontefioreDavid S. Howes, MD, University of ChicagoSharhabeel Jwayyed, MD, Summa Health SystemTrevor J. Mills, MD, Charity HospitalUsamah Mossallam, MD, Henry Ford Hospital*William E. Northington, MD, University of PittsburghJennifer A. Oman, MD, University of California, IrvineScott E. Rudkin, MD, University of California, IrvinePeter Shearer, MD, Mount SinaiCarl D. Stevens, MD, Harbor-UCLAJoe Suyama, MD, University of PennsylvaniaRaffi V. Terzian, MD, MPH, University of Pennsylvania

Grants CommitteeChair: Clifton W. Callaway, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh,

callawaycw@msx.upmc.eduEvaline A. Allesandrini, MD, The Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiaJoel E. Fein, MD, The Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiaJason Scott Haukoos, MD, Harbor-UCLAE. Brooke Lerner, PhD, EMT-P, University of RochesterMarc S. Rosenthal, PhD, DO, Yale UniversityRawle Anthony Seupaul, MD, Indiana University*Benjamin C. Sun, MD, HarvardKevin Terrell, DO, Indiana UniversityRobert O. Wright, MD, MPH, HarvardKelly D.Young, MD, Harbor-UCLAJohn G.Younger, MS, MD, University of Michigan

Healthy People 2010 Task ForceCo-Chair: Brent Asplin, MD, Regions Hospital,

brent.r.asplin@healthpartners.comCo-Chair: Linda C. Degutis, DrPH, Yale University,

linda.degutis@yale.eduEdward Bernstein, MD, Boston UniversityRita K. Cydulka, MD, MetroHealth Medical CenterGail D'Onofrio, MD, Yale UniversityLowell W. Gerson, PhD, Northeastern Ohio UniversitiesStephen Hargarten, MD, MPH, Medical College of WisconsinArthur L. Kellermann, MD, MPH, Emory UniversityGregory Luke Larkin, MD, MS, MSPH, University of Texas,

SouthwesternRobert Augustus Lowe, MD, MPH, Oregon Health and Science

UniversityMichael S. Radeos, MD, Lincoln Medical and Mental Health CenterLynne D. Richardson, MD, Mt. Sinai Medical CenterRobert Hodges Woolard, MD, Brown University

Leadership Development Task ForceChair: John A. Marx, MD, Carolinas Medical Center,

jmarx@carolinas.orgLouis S. Binder, MD, MetroHealth Medical CenterLewis R. Goldfrank, MD, Bellevue Hospital Center

The 2003-04 Committee/Task Force members are listed below, including many resident members noted with an *. The committee/taskforce appointments run from May 2003-May 2004. Committee/Task Force objectives may be viewed at: www.saem.org/newsltr/2003/May-June/comtfobj.pdf.

21

Arthur B. Sanders, MD, University of ArizonaDavid P. Sklar, MD, University of New Mexico

National Affairs CommitteeChair: Robert W. Schafermeyer, MD, Carolinas Medical Center,

rschafermeyer@carolinas.orgMichael R. Baumann, MD, Maine Medical CenterDavid F. Brown, MD, Massachusetts General HospitalTheodore R. Delbridge, MD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh*Ankur A. Doshi, MD, University of PittsburghJonathan M. Glauser, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation*Marc D. Haber, MD, Albert Einstein, New YorkMark C. Henry, MD, State University of New York Stony BrookKenneth V. Iserson, MD, MBA, University of ArizonaAmin Antoine Kazzi, MD, University of California, Irvine*Donald Koziak, Jr., MD, Mayo Clinic*Tyler F. Vadeboncoeur, MD, University of California, San DiegoAmit Wadhwa, MD, Howard University

Program CommitteeChair: Judd E. Hollander, MD, University of Pennsylvania,

jholland@mail.med.upenn.eduBrigette M. Baumann, MD, Cooper Health SystemAndra L. Blomkalns, MD, University of CincinnatiDavid C. Cone, MD, Yale UniversityRichelle Cooper, MD, UCLA - Olive ViewCathy B. Custalow, MD, PhD, University of VirginiaElizabeth Datner, MD, University of PennsylvaniaM. Christopher Decker, MD, Medical College of WisconsinDeborah B. Diercks, MD, University of California, DavisBrian Euerle, MD, University of MarylandGregory Garra, DO, State University of New York, Stony BrookRobert T. Gerhardt, MD, MPH, Brooke Army Medical Center*Daniel A. Handel, MD, MPH, University of Cincinnati*Alan Heins, MD, University of MarylandSean O. Henderson, MD, University of Southern CaliforniaDebra Houry, MD, MPH, Emory UniversityAlan E. Jones, MD, Carolinas Medical CenterJohn J. Kelly, DO, Albert Einstein Medical CenterJeffrey A. Kline, MD, Carolinas Medical CenterTerry Kowalenko, MD, University of MichiganO. John Ma, MD, Truman Medical CenterJames C. McClay, MD, University of Nebraska Antonio E. Muniz, MD, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityCraig D. Newgard, MD, Oregon Health and Science UniversitySusan B. Promes, MD, Duke UniversityKevin G. Rodgers, MD, Indiana UniversityAdam J. Singer, MD, State University of New York, Stony BrookTerry L. VandenHoek, MD, University of ChicagoGary M. Vilke, MD, University of California, San DiegoMary Jo Wagner, MD, Saginaw Cooperative HospitalsChris S. Weaver, MD, Indiana University David W. Wright, MD, Emory UniversityStewart W. Wright, MD, University of Cinicinnati

Research CommitteeChair: Mark G. Angelos, MD, Ohio State University,

angelos.1@osu.eduAndrew K. Chang, MD, University of California, IrvineD. Mark Courtney, MD, Northwestern Memorial HospitalJohn Eric Duldner, Jr., MD, Akron General Medical CenterJames F. Holmes, Jr., MD, University of California, DavisMargaret Hsieh, MD, University of PittsburghAlan E. Jones, MD, Carolinas Medical CenterAmy H. Kaji, MD, Harbor - UCLADavid J. Karras, MD, Temple UniversityShahram Lotfipour, MD, University of California, IrvineJames R. Miner, MD, Hennepin County Medical CenterBrian J. O'Neil, MD, Wayne State University

James E. Olson, PhD, Wright State UniversityJames Victor Quinn, MD, University of California, San FranciscoNiels K. Rathlev, MD, Boston UniversityRichard Eric Rothman, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins HospitalHarold K. Simon, MD, Emory University*Jill D. Teplensky, MD, PhD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityT. Paul Tran, MD, University of NebraskaSteve Trzeciak, MD, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Undergraduate Education CommitteeChair: Wendy C. Coates, MD, Harbor-UCLA,

coates@emedharbor.edu*Keith D. Bricking, MD, Indiana UniversityKerry B. Broderick, MD, Denver Health Medical Center*Michael S. Canter, MD, Jacobi Medical Center*Natalie M. DiGioia, MD, State University of New York at Stony

BrookSusan E. Farrell, MD, Brigham and Women's HospitalMarianne R. Haughey-Barrios, Jacobi Medical CenterCherri D. Hobgood, MD, University of North CarolinaRichard Ismach, MD, Emory UniversityMichelle Lin, MD, University of California, San FranciscoDavid E. Manthey, MD, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical

CenterSteven A. McLaughlin, MD, University of New MexicoCharissa B. Pacella, MD, University of PittsburghIris M. Reyes, MD, University of PennsylvaniaDavid A. Wald, DO, Temple UniversityErnest E. Wang, MD, University of Texas SouthwesternLori A. Weichenthal, MD, University of California San Francisco -

Fresno

Undergraduate Question Bank Task ForceChair: Stephen H. Thomas, MD, Harvard,

thomas.stephen@mgh.harvard.eduMichael Filbin, MD, Brigham and Women's / Massachusetts

General HospitalJonathan Fisher, MD, Albert Einstein Medical CenterJennifer L. Isenhour, MD, Carolinas Medical CenterAnnie Tewel Sadosty, MD, Mayo Clinic*Emily Senecal, MD, Brigham and Women's / Massachusetts

General Hospital

Newsletter SubmissionsWelcomed

SAEM invites submissions to the Newsletter per-taining to academic emergency medicine in the fol-lowing areas: 1) clinical practice; 2) education of EMresidents, off-service residents, medical students, andfellows; 3) faculty development; 4) politics and eco-nomics as they pertain to the academic environment;5) general announcements and notices; and 6) otherpertinent topics. Materials should be submitted by e-mail to saem@saem.org. Be sure to include thenames and affiliations of authors and a means of con-tact. All submissions are subject to review and edit-ing. Queries can be sent to the SAEM office or direct-ly to the Editor at david.cone@yale.edu.

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FACULTY POSITIONSIOWA: BC/BE Emergency Medicine or Family Physician needed to join groupcovering 285 bed regional referral and teaching center. Community of 40,000people located between Minneapolis, Minnesota and Des Moines, Iowa.Thirteen 12-hour shifts per month. Twenty-five visits annually. Comprehensivebenefits and competitive compensation. Contact Jerry Hess, Mercy MedicalCenter-North Iowa, 1000 4th Street SW, Mason City, Iowa 50401, phone - (888)877-5551; fax - (641) 422-6495 or email hessj@mercyhealth.com.

KENTUCKY: The Department of Emergency Medicine at the University ofKentucky is recruiting full-time faculty members at the assistant or associate pro-fessor level. The desired individual must be BE/BC in emergency medicine.Academic tenure track and non-tenure track positions available. The EM resi-dency has full accreditation. The Emergency Department at UK Hospital is aLevel I trauma center, regional referral center, with 40,000 annual visits. Thedepartment has nine full-time faculty and provides medical direction to AirMedical and Hyperbaric Oxygen Programs. Contact: Roger Humphries, MD,Acting Interim Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, University ofKentucky Medical Center, 800 Rose St., Room M-53, Lexington, KY 40536-0298: phone 859-323-5908; fax 859-323-8056; or E-mail rlhump0@uky.eduWe are an EOAAE.

LEHIGH VALLEY HOSPITAL - position immediately available for EM Residency-trained physician to join cohesive faculty of 33 BC physicians evaluating morethan 100,000 patients in the three sites of 700-bed Lehigh Valley Hospital. LVHis academic, tertiary hospital with Level I trauma center, 9-bed Burn Center and10 freestanding, fully-accredited residency programs, including one in EM.Eligibility for faculty appointment at Penn State/Hershey. Resident and medicalstudent teaching, and clinical research. LVH located in the beautiful LehighValley, with 700,000 people, excellent suburban public schools, safe neighbor-hoods, moderate cost of living, 10 colleges and universities and many culturaland recreational organizations. And close -- but not too close -- to two greatcities; Philadelphia is 60 miles south and Manhattan is 75 miles east. Emailcover letter and CV c/o Rick MacKenzie, MD, Vice Chair, EM, tokatherine.adams@lvh.com. Fax (610) 402-7014. Phone (610) 402-7008.

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: Assistant/Associate or Full Professor.Established residency training program. Level 1 Trauma center. Nationally rec-ognized research program. Clinical opportunities at OSU Medical Center andaffiliated hospitals. Send curriculum vitae to: Douglas A. Rund, MD, Professorand Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University,169 Means Hall, 1654 Upham Drive, Columbus, OH 43210, emailConway.70@osu.edu, or call (614) 293-8176. Affirmative Action/EqualOpportunity Employer.

OREGON: The Oregon Health & Science University, Department of EmergencyMedicine is conducting an ongoing recruitment campaign for talented facultymembers. Entry-level clinical faculty members at the instructor and assistantprofessor level. Preference given to those with fellowship training (especially inpediatric emergency medicine) or equivalent experience. Knowledge of emer-gency medicine as a faculty discipline is expected. Please submit a letter ofinterest, CV, and the names and phone numbers of three references to: JerrisHedges, MD, MS, Professor & Chair, OHSU Department of EmergencyMedicine, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, CDW -EM, Portland, OR 97239-3098.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Assistant Professor of Anesthesia / Emergency Medicine. Aposition is available for a Board certified or Board prepared EmergencyMedicine physician to provide patient care in the Emergency Rooms at theMedical University of South Carolina and Charleston Memorial Hospitals, andparticipate in student and resident teaching for Emergency Medicine. Qualifiedcandidates should contact: Brenda Dorman, MBA, Business Manager,Emergency Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, 169 AshleyAvenue, PO Box 250300, Charleston, SC 29425, Telephone (843) 792-9709, Fax(843) 792-9706, e-mail: dormanb@musc.edu

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE is recruiting for a Research Director.Appointment as Associate or Professor in Clinical Scholar series anticipated.Substantial protected time. Board certification in EM required. MPH, PhD orresearch fellowship/training strongly desired. UCI Medical Center is a 472-bedtertiary care hospital with all residencies. The ED is a progressive 33-bed LevelI Trauma Center with 46,000 patients, in urban Orange County. Collegialrelationships with all services. Excellent salary and benefits with incentive plan.Send CV to Mark Langdorf, MD, MHPE, FACEP, UCI Medical Center, Route 128.101 City Drive, Orange, CA 92868, or contact me at this meeting beeper (714)506-6111. UCI is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellencethrough diversity.

The University of Texas is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer.Minorities and women are strongly encouraged to apply. This is a security-sensitive

position and thereby subject to Texas Education code §51.215.

Fellowship OpportunityEmergency Medicine/NeurologyThe Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Neurology -Stroke Program at The University of Texas-Houston Medical School are jointlyoffering a two-year fellowship to Emergency Medicine Residency graduates.This is part of an NIH-funded fellowship training program to develop clinician-scientists who are expert in the acute care of stroke patents. During the two-year training period, the trainee will work as part of a multidisciplinary StrokeTeam in evaluating and treating acute stroke patients at four regionalEmergency Centers, and will participate in ongoing clinical activities thatinclude prehospital care, emergency treatment, acute brain imaging, neurosonol-ogy, endovascular therapy, neuro-critical care and outcomes assessment.Participation in ongoing clinical research protocols is and important part of theprogram, and the development of new research initiatives by the trainee will beencouraged through enrollment in a specialized program in clinical researchtraining. Clinical duties will also include a limited number of ED shifts eachmonth. Positions are available starting either July 1st, 2003 or July 1st, 2004.

Send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference to:

David J. Robinson, MD, MS, FACEP, University of Houston Health ScienceCenter at Houston, Department of Emergency Medicine, 6431 Fannin,Suite JJL 433, Houston, TX 77030. Office: (713) 500-7875, Fax: (713) 500-7884, Email: David.J.Robinson@uth.tmc.edu.

The University of Texas is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer.Minorities and women are strongly encouraged to apply. This is a security-sensitive

position and thereby subject to Texas Education code §51.215.

Faculty Opportunity

Department of Emergency MedicineThe University of Texas Houston Health Science Center is seekingcandidates for a full-time faculty position immediately available inthe Department of Emergency Medicine. The department hasresponsibility for two emergency centers. Memorial HermannHospital is located within the Texas Medical Center. This emergency department has an annual census of 55,000 patient visitsand is one of only two Level I trauma centers in Houston.Additionally, Memorial Hermann is a regional burn center, anationally recognized stroke center, and a comprehensive cardiaccare center. The Lyndon Banes Johnson Hospital has an annualcensus of 85,000 visits and is a Level III trauma center. Qualifiedapplicants will be board certified/prepared in EM and possess interest/expertise in the clinical teaching of emergency medicine.Excellent salary and comprehensive benefits package, includingrelocation assistance.

Please forward your CV to:

Dr. Brent R. KingUniversity of Houston Health Science Center at HoustonDepartment of Emergency MedicineP.O. Box 20708Houston, TX 77030

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UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDAJacksonville and Gainesville

The University of Florida is seeking qualified can-didates for two (2) positions as Co-Directors ofResearch in the Department of EmergencyMedicine (one in Jacksonville and one inGainesville). Candidates must be BC/BE inEmergency Medicine. The Directors will conductand oversee research projects, mentor junior fac-ulty and residents research activities, and providesupport for clinical trials. Proven experience insecuring extramural grants and contracts ismandatory. Faculty appointments are available atthe rank commensurate with experience and pro-ductivity. Both departments are in urban hospitalswith a combined annual patient volume of140,000+. Excellent benefits package whichincludes health, life, and disability insurance, vaca-tion & sick leave, 403B retirement plan with imme-diate vesting, and sovereign immunity on medicalliability coverage. Mail letter of interest and CV (orfax 904/244-5666) to Dr. David Vukich, Professor &Chairman, Dept. of Emergency Medicine,University of Florida/HSC, 655 W. 8th Street,Jacksonville, Florida 32209. Will begin reviewingapplications on 4/1/03. Anticipated start date8/1/03 or sooner. EOE/AA employer.

EMERGENCY MEDICINE DEPARTMENT, REGIONS HOSPITAL

&HEALTHPARTNERS RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Research Investigator

The Emergency Medicine Department of Regions Hospital, in collabo-ration with the HealthPartners Research Foundation, announces anexcellent opportunity for a Research Investigator to join our team. TheEmergency Department of Regions Hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Centerwith 64,000 patient visits per year. The department has a dynamicemergency medicine residency program and is developing a researchprogram focused on health services research, the health care safety net,and access to essential care.

The work of the Foundation is considered public domain research.Presently, we have 300 active projects, supported by an eight million-dollar research budget and a research staff of 90. The research agendafor the Foundation includes a broad spectrum of work from basic andanimal research, clinical trials, applied clinical to health servicesresearch.

Responsibilities include: Designing and implementing health care relat-ed projects related to organizational delivery, hospital capacity, financ-ing of health care and publishing research findings.

Candidates must have a Master’s degree or Ph.D. (preferred) inEpidemiology, Health Services Research, Operations Management,Economics, or another health-related field.

HealthPartners offers a dynamic work environment with excellent ben-efits and a competitive salary. Please send or fax cover letter andresume to HealthPartners, Attn: LaVerne Sasser, Human Resources,P.O. Box 1309, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1309 or contact Brent Asplin,M.D. at (651) 254-5211 or Fax: (651) 254-5216. EO/AA Employer.

The University of California,San Francisco

Faculty Research Position

The Division of Emergency Medicine at the UCSF Medical Center isseeking candidates with a career goal of externally funded emergencymedicine research for a position in the In-Residence series at theassistant professor level. The Medical Center has the busiest teachinghospital inpatient service in San Francisco, 576,000 outpatient visits,and is rated by U.S. News & World Report as one of the ten best hos-pitals in the U.S. The Emergency Department is approaching 40,000visits a year not including urgent care patients seen in separate adultand pediatric clinics. The Emergency Department has extremely highacuity and complexity, 24-hour access to subspecialty consultation inmost disciplines, an established real-time web based patient clinicalresearch enrollment program, as well as being fully credentialed forultrasound use. A complete renovation of the physical plant is under-way. A residency in EM is planned for 2005 based at this hospital, andthis position has the potential of also assuming the role of researchdirector for the program. There is a long tradition of research and lead-ership in EM, and collaboration with other faculty in other departmentsCurrently two faculty members have NIH funding. Quality of the intel-lectual experience and resources are unmatched, as is the physicaland cultural environment of the Bay Area. The successful candidatewill have an existing track record of research and publication thatpromises similar funding in the first few years of appointment. UCSF isan affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. The Universityundertakes affirmative action to assure equal employment opportuni-ty for underutilized minorities and women, for persons with disabilitiesand for Vietnam-era veterans and special disabled veterans.

Contact Michael Callaham M.D. at Box 0208, University of CaliforniaSan Francisco, San Francisco CA 94143-0208 ormlc@medicine.ucsf.edu

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Our community counts on us becausewe count on professionals like you.

The Emergency Department Physician Group at Newark Beth IsraelMedical Center (NBIMC) is expanding to include physician coverage at afellow affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System – a 160-bedcommunity, non-teaching hospital just two miles away. This facility, whichoffers patient-centered care and is committed to the health of its community, houses a fast-paced Emergency Department which providescare to over 26,000 people annually. We are seeking a:

ME D I C A L DI R E C T O R

The opportunity to work clinically in the adult (54,000 visits) or pediatricED (28,000 visits) of NBIMC and/or the opportunity for teaching in theNBIMC ACGME - accredited EM residency.

Please forward your resume indicating position of interest to: Marc Borenstein, Chairman, Department of EM, Newark Beth Israel

Medical Center, 201 Lyons Avenue, Newark, NJ 07112. Fax: 973-282-0562 • E-mail: mborenstein@sbhcs.com

W W W . S B H C S . C O MEOE

NEWARK BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER

EXCITING ADVANTAGES

The ideal candidate will possess BC Emergency Medicine(EM) requiredwith EM residency training preferred. A minimum 4 years post-graduateEM experience required, previous administrative experience desirable. This is an exceptional opportunity to lead a superb Emergency Departmenthealthcare team committed to a patient-centered culture of service and clinical excellence.

Emergency Medicine at The Feinberg School of Medicine ofNorthwestern University

Due to continued expansion, applications are invited for full timeemergency medicine faculty at Northwestern University, FeinbergSchool of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital.Responsibilities include clinical practice, resident and studentteaching, and academic productivity. The expansive, modernemergency department serves about 73,000 patients each yearand is complimented by an additional 24 bed ED observationunit. A new, proximate 13,000 square feet of office space housesthe administrative, research, and educational functions. Theresidency program has enrolled its 29th class, currently 10residents in a pgy 1-4 format. Faculty applicants must hold amedical degree, be residency trained in emergency medicine andbe emergency medicine board certified or eligible. In addition,successful candidates must possess exceptional clinical skill andmust serve as an effective role model for residents and students.Women, minorities, and underrepresented groups areencouraged to apply. Salary is competitive. Proposed start date isflexible.To ensure full consideration, please send curriculum vitae,along with a brief description of career interests and goals, priorto October of 2003 to:

James Adams, MD Professor and Chief, Emergency Medicine

Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine676 N. St. Clair, Suite 2125, Chicago, IL 60611

Northwestern University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.

Our community counts on us becausewe count on professionals like you.

FULL TIME ATTENDING PHYSICIANS

Please forward your resume indicating position of interest to: Marc Borenstein, Chairman, Department of EM, Newark Beth IsraelMedical Center, 201 Lyons Avenue, Newark, NJ 07112. Fax: 973-282-0562. E-mail: mborenstein@sbhcs.com.

W W W . S B H C S . C O MEOE

NEWARK BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER

EXCITING ADVANTAGES

The ideal candidate must possess BC or BP Emergency Medicine. Excellent interpersonal skills and commitment to service excellence is required.

The opportunity to work clinically in the adult (54,000 visits) or pediatric ED (28,000 visits) of NBIMC and/or the opportunity forteaching in the NBIMC ACGME - accredited EM residency.

The Emergency Department Physician Group at Newark Beth IsraelMedical Center (NBIMC) is expanding to include physician coverage at afellow affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System – a 160-bedcommunity, non-teaching hospital just two miles away. This facility, whichoffers patient-centered care and is committed to the health of its community, houses a fast-paced Emergency Department which providescare to over 26,000 people annually.

We are seeking qualified professionals to join our team:

The SAEM Newsletter is mailed every other month to the5,500 members of SAEM. Advertising is limited tofellowship and academic faculty positions.

Deadline for receipt: August 1 (September/October),October 1 (November/December), December 1(January/February), February 1 (March/April), April 1(May/June) and June 1 (July/August). Ads received afterthe deadline can often be inserted on a space availablebasis.

Advertising Rates:Classified Ad (100 words or less)Contact in ad is SAEM member ..............................$100Contact in ad non-SAEM member ..........................$1251/4 - Page Ad (camera ready)3.5" wide x 4.75" high............................................$300

To place an advertisement, e-mail or fax the ad, alongwith contact person for future correspondence, telephoneand fax numbers, billing address, ad size, and Newsletterissues in which the ad is to appear to: Carrie Barber atcarrie@saem.org, via fax at (517) 485-0801. For moreinformation or questions, call (517) 485-5484.

All ads posted on the SAEM web site at no additional charge.

Call for AdvisorsThe inaugural year for the SAEM Virtual Advisor

Program was a tremendous success. Almost 300medical students were served. Most of themattended schools without an affiliated EM residencyprogram. Their “virtual” advisors served as theironly link to the specialty of Emergency Medicine.Some students hoped to learn more about a specif-ic geographic region, while others were anxious tocontact an advisor whose special interest matchedtheir own.

As the program increases in popularity, moreadvisors are needed. New students are applyingdaily, and over 100 remain unmatched! Please con-sider mentoring a future colleague by becoming avirtual advisor today. It is a brief time commitment– most communication takes place via e-mail atyour convenience. Informative resources and articles that address topics of interest to your virtual advisees are available on the SAEM medicalstudent web site. You can complete the short application on-line at http://www.saem.org/advisor/index.htm. Please encourage your col-leagues to join you today as a virtual advisor.

University of Alabama

Program Director Position

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is seeking anexperienced emergency medicine residency trained individual toassume leadership of its new residency training program in EM asprogram director. Simply, our vision is to be the very bestemergency medicine residency program possible. We have aPGY2-4 program with 6 residents each year, and we are justbeginning our 2nd group of 6 outstanding residents July 1. Thecandidate would join 18 faculty and fellows in the Department ofEmergency Medicine. UAB is a prestigious academic healthcenter and research institution, who's school of medicine visionis "top 10 by 2010". We are looking for a talented, collaborativeleader to join us in continuing our progress towards our goal.University of Alabama Hospital's ED evaluates ~48,000 highacuity (admit rate ~28%) patients annually. A new 950 bedhospital opens summer 2004, with a 3-fold expansion of the ED'sfootprint. Department operations are focused on Education,Clinical Operations, Research, EMS, and Disaster Preparedness.For more information on the residency program visit us at:http://www.uab.edu/emresidency/

Please send a letter or e-mail expressing your interest to:ThomasE. Terndrup, MD, Professor & Chair, Department of EmergencyMedicine,University of Alabama at Birmingham, 625 19th St. South; JTN 266Birmingham, AL 35249-7013, E-mail: tterndrup@uabmc.edu Fax:205.975.4662, Phone: 205.975.9358

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is an AffirmativeAction/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities areencouraged to apply.

25

26

The Top 5 Most-Frequently-Read Contents of AEM – May 2003Most-read rankings are recalculated at the beginning of the month. Rankings are based on hits received by articlesarchived on AEMJ.org.

Marc Rodger, Philip Wells, Dimitri Makropoulos, Ian G Stiell, Gwynne Jones, Pasteur Rasuli, Francois Raymond,Anne Marie Clement, Alan Karovitch, Helene Djunaedi, Christopher H Bredeson, Mark ReardonThe Bedside Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis (BIOPED) StudyAcad Emerg Med May 01, 2003 10: 502-502. (In "ABSTRACTS, PLENARY SESSION")

John T Nagurney, Orlando Heredia, Swati Sane, Sarah C Lewis, Ik Kyung ChangA Comparison of Three Methods for Defining Acute Myocardical InfarctionAcad Emerg Med May 01, 2003 10: 534-534. (In "RESEARCH METHODS")

Catherine E Creeley, Philip V Bayly, David F Wozniak, Lawrence M LewisMultiple Episodes of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Impair Cognitive Performance in MiceAcad Emerg Med May 01, 2003 10: 477-477. (In "TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY")

Kanwal Singh Gill, Eric Daniel Katz, Heather MahoneyEffect of Pharmaceutical Representatives on Prescribing Practices of an Emergency Medicine ResidencyAcad Emerg Med May 01, 2003 10: 424-424. (In "ABSTRACTS, PLENARY SESSION")

Peter A. McCullough, Judd E. Hollander, Richard M. Nowak, Alan B. Storrow, Philippe Duc, Torbjorn Omland, JamesMcCord, Howard C. Herrmann, Philippe G. Steg, Arne Westheim, Cathrine Wold Knudsen, William T. Abraham,Sumant Lamba, Alan H.B. Wu, Alberto Perez, Paul Clopton, Padma Krishnaswamy, Radmila Kazanegra, Alan S.MaiselUncovering Heart Failure in Patients with a History of Pulmonary Disease: Rationale for the Early Use of B-type Natriuretic Peptide in the Emergency DepartmentAcad Emerg Med Mar 01, 2003 10: 198-204. (In "CLINICAL INVESTIGATION

1111

2222333344445555

Call for PhotographsDeadline: February 18, 2004

Original photographs of patients, pathology specimens, gram stains, EKG’s, and radiographic studies or other visual dataare invited for presentation at the 2004 SAEM Annual Meeting in Orlando. Submissions should depict findings that arepathognomonic for a particular diagnosis relevant to the practice of emergency medicine or findings of unusual interest thathave educational value. Accepted submissions will be mounted by SAEM and presented in the “Clinical Pearls” sessionand/or the “Visual Diagnosis” medical student/resident contest.

No more than three different photos should be submitted for any one case. Submit one glossy photo (5 x 7, 8 x 10, 11 x14, or 16 x 20) and a digital copy in JPEG or TIFF format on a disk or by email attachment (resolution of at least 640 x 48).Radiographs and EKGs should also be submitted in hard copy and digital format. Do not send X-rays.The back of each photoshould contain the contributor’s name, address, hospital or program, and an arrow indicating the top. Submissions shouldbe shipped in an envelope with cardboard, but should not be mounted.

Photo submissions must be accompanied by a brief case history written as an “unknown” in the following format: 1) chiefcomplaint, 2) history of present illness, 3) pertinent physical exam (other than what is depicted in the photo), 4) pertinent lab-oratory data, 5) one or two questions asking the viewer to identify the diagnosis or pertinent finding, 6) answer(s) and briefdiscussion of the case, including an explanation of the findings in the photo, and 7) one to three bulleted take home pointsor “pearls.”

The case history must be submitted on the template posted on the SAEM web site at www.saem.org and must be sub-mitted electronically. The case history is limited to no more than 250 words. If accepted for display SAEM reserves the rightto edit the submitted case history. Submissions will be selected based on their educational merit, relevance to emergencymedicine, quality of the photograph, the case history and appropriateness for public display. Contributors will be acknowl-edged and photos will be returned after the Annual Meeting. Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), the official SAEM jour-nal, may invite a limited number of displayed photos to be submitted to AEM for consideration of publication. SAEM will retainthe rights to use submitted photographs in future educational projects, with full credit given for the contribution.

Photographs must not appear in a refereed journal prior to the Annual Meeting. Patients should be appropriately masked.Submitters must attest that written consent and release of responsibility have been obtained for all photos EXCEPT for iso-lated diagnostic studies such as EKGs, radiographs, gram stains, etc.

27

SAEM 2004 Research GrantsEmergency Medicine Medical Student Interest Group GrantsThese grants provide funding of $500 each to help support the educational or research activities of emergency med-icine medical student organizations at U.S. medical schools. Established or developing interest groups, clubs, orother medical student organizations are eligible to apply. It is not necessary for the medical school to have an emer-gency medicine training program for the student group to apply. Deadline: September 4, 2003.

Research Training Grant This grant provides financial support of $75,000 per year for two years of formal, full-time research training for emer-gency medicine fellows, resident physicians, or junior faculty. The trainee must have a concentrated, mentored pro-gram in specific research methods and concepts, and complete a research project. Deadline: November 3, 2003.

Institutional Research Training GrantThis grant provides financial support of $75,000 per year for two years for an academic emergency medicine pro-gram to train a research fellow. The sponsoring program must demonstrate an excellent research training environ-ment with a qualified mentor and specific area of research emphasis. The training for the fellow may include a for-mal research education program or advanced degree. It is expected that the fellow who is selected by the applyingprogram will dedicate full time effort to research, and will complete a research project. The goal of this grant is tohelp establish a departmental culture in emergency medicine programs that will continue to support advancedresearch training for emergency medicine residency graduates. Deadline: November 3, 2003.

Scholarly Sabbatical Grant This grant provides funding of $10,000 per month for a maximum of six months to help emergency medicine facultyat the level of assistant professor or higher obtain release time to develop skills that will advance their academiccareers. The goal of the grant is to increase the number of independent career researchers who may further advanceresearch and education in emergency medicine. The grant may be used to learn unique research or educationalmethods or procedures which require day-to-day, in-depth training under the direct supervision of a knowledgeablementor, or to develop a knowledge base that can be shared with the faculty member’s department to further researchand education. Deadline: November 3, 2003.

Emergency Medical Services Research FellowshipThis grant is sponsored by Medtronic Physio-Control. It provides $60,000 for a one year EMS fellowship for emer-gency medicine residency graduates at an SAEM approved fellowship training site. The fellow must have an in-depthtraining experience in EMS with an emphasis on research concepts and methods. The grant process involves areview and approval of emergency medicine training sites as well as individual applications from potential fellows.Deadline: November 3, 2003.

Neuroscience Research FellowshipThis grant is sponsored by AstraZeneca. It provides one year of funding at $50,000 for an emergency medicine res-ident, graduate, or junior faculty member to obtain a mentored research training experience in cerebrovascular emer-gencies. The research training may be in basic science research, clinical research, or a combination of both, and thementor need not be an emergency medicine faculty member. Completion of a research project is required, but theemphasis of the fellowship is on the acquisition of research skills. Deadline: November 3, 2003.

EMF/SAEM Medical Student Research GrantsThis grant is co-sponsored by the Emergency Medicine Foundation and SAEM. It provides up to $2,400 over 3months for a medical student to encourage research in emergency medicine. More than one grant is awarded eachyear. The trainee must have a qualified research mentor and a specific research project proposal. Deadline:February 6, 2004.

Geriatric Emergency Medicine Resident/Fellow GrantThis grant is made possible by the John A. Hartford Foundation and the American Geriatric Society. It provides upto $5,000 to support resident/fellow research related to the emergency care of the older person. Investigations mayfocus on basic science research, clinical research, preventive medicine, epidemiology, or educational topics.Deadline: March 5, 2004.

Further information and application materials can be obtained via the SAEM website at www.saem.org.

Board of DirectorsDonald Yealy, MDPresident

Carey Chisholm, MDPresident-Elect

James Adams, MDSecretary-Treasurer

Roger Lewis, MD, PhDPast President

Valerie DeMaio, MDLeon Haley, Jr, MD, MHSAGlenn Hamilton, MDStephen Hargarten, MD, MPHKatherine Heilpern, MDJames Hoekstra, MDSusan Stern, MD

EditorDavid Cone, MDDavid.Cone@yale.edu

Executive Director/Managing EditorMary Ann Schroppmschropp@saem.org

Advertising CoordinatorCarrie BarberCarrie@saem.org

“to improve patient care byadvancing research andeducation in emergencymedicine”

The SAEM newsletter is published bimonthly by the Society for Academic EmergencyMedicine. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and donot necessarily reflect those of SAEM.

Society for AcademicEmergency Medicine901 N. Washington AvenueLansing, MI 48906-5137

PresortedStandard

U.S. PostageP A I D

Lansing, MIPermit No. 485NEWSLETTER

Newsletter of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

SAEM NEWSLETTER

The Program Committee is inviting proposals for didactic sessions for the 2004 Annual Meeting. Thisyear the Program Committee would like to emphasize proposals on educational research methodol-ogy and leadership development (including advancement within academic departments, medicalschools and national organizations). Didactic proposals may be aimed at medical students, residents,junior faculty and/or senior faculty. The format may be a lecture, panel discussion, or workshop. TheProgram Committee will also consider proposals for pre- or post-day workshops or multiple sessionsduring the Annual Meeting aimed at in-depth instruction in a specific discipline.

Didactic proposals must support the mission of SAEM (to improve patient care by advancing researchand education in emergency medicine) and should fall into one of the following categories:

• Education (educational research methodology, education methodology, improving the quality ofeducation, enhancing teaching skills)

• Research (research methodology, improving the quality of research) • Career Development• State-of-the-Art (presentation of cutting-edge basic science or clinical research that has impor-

tant implications for further investigation or the future practice of emergency medicine, not areview of the literature or a summary of clinical practice)

• Health Care Policy and National Affairs

The deadline for submission is Wednesday, September 10, 2003 at 5:00 pm Eastern DaylightTime. Only online submissions will be accepted. To submit a proposal, complete the online DidacticSubmission Form at www.saem.org. For additional questions or information, contact SAEM atsaem@saem.org or call 517-485-5484 or send a fax to 517-485-0801.

Call for Didactic Proposals2004 Annual Meeting

May 16-19, 2004Orlando, Florida