In March, Assistant Professor Cheyenne Falat, MD, was featured in a Time article about situations that scare ER doctors the most. Dr. Falat shared insight about the realities of drowning in young children. Although drowning is the leading cause of death in children from ages 1 to 4, it is preventable. Dr. Falat recommends families enroll their children in swimming lessons and install barriers to prevent children from accessing pools or open water.
In a time when the challenges facing the medical profession seem greater than ever, Clinical Professor David Marcozzi, MD, MHS, expressed hope regarding the future of medicine with Becker’s Hospital Review. Specifically, Dr. Marcozzi cited the potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) to the healthcare community.
Adjunct Professor and former Department Chair Brian Browne, MD, was recently honored by the Baltimore Scouting Association for his decades of service to the Baltimore Area Council Scouts.
In the 1990s, Dr. Browne worked with the Baltimore Area Council of Scouting America to conceive of the Health Services Luncheon, an opportunity to recognize distinguished healthcare professionals in Baltimore while raising funds for local Baltimore scouts.
The luncheon is now one of the largest gatherings of the greater Baltimore medical community, with more than 250 medical professionals from across the city in attendance every year. Since its inception, the luncheon has raised more than $1 million to supporting Baltimore scouts.
Last month, Associate Professor Dan Gingold, MD, MPH, educated readers in Prevention about potential presentations of appendicitis. Alongside national medical experts in family medicine and colorectal surgery, Dr. Gingold encouraged readers to trust their instincts—and seek emergency medical guidance if they felt pain throughout their abdomen or brain fog or confusion, as these symptoms can be associated with appendicitis.
On April 22, Assistant Professor Neeraja Murali, DO, MPH, alongside Chief Resident and Risk Management Fellow Lucy Martin, MD, led a Journal Court session for the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s medical students.
The session, held at the University of Maryland-Baltimore’s Francis King Carey School of Law, featured a medical malpractice mock trial, with medical students serving as key witnesses, attorneys, and jury members.
The goal of the exercise was to introduce students to the complexities of medical malpractice, which affects, on average, three out of every four physicians in their careers.
Last month, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) hosted its annual Scientific Assembly in Seattle.
At the conference—one of the largest national events focused on the specialty of Emergency Medicine—AAEM recognized the outstanding contributions of Department faculty, including
Additionally, Professor Laura Bontempo, MD, was re-elected to serve the AAEM Board of Directors as an At-Large Member.
Department faculty also participated robustly in conference presentations. Out of 200 total presentations at AAEM’s Scientific Assembly, Department staff delivered 23—or more than 12%— of all presentations.
Clinical Associate Professor Kyle Fischer, MD, MPH, was featured alongside colleagues from UMSOM’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in a recent WBALTV-11 segment on male support groups for Baltimore’s gun violence survivors.
The segment highlights the value of peer support, community, and personal transformation in overcoming traumas associated with gun violence.
Dr. Fischer is the Department’s fellowship director in Health Policy and Leadership—a two-year fellowship program for physicians seeking to enhance their medical training with policy experience and research.
This year, Department faculty were well-represented at the Maryland Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians’ 2026 Educational Conference and Annual Meeting.
Numerous faculty were recognized for their outstanding contributions to Emergency Medicine in the State of Maryland. Award recipients include
Beyond these honors, a wide range of faculty and residents presented at the conference, including
Assistant Professor Sarah Sommerkamp, MD, coordinated the conference as a member of the Maryland ACEP Chapter’s Education Committee. On the Education Committee she was joined by Associate Professor Sarah Dubbs, MD; Clinical Associate Professor Jason Adler, MD; and Professor Michael Bond, MD, who all contributed to this year’s successful gathering.
Today on National Doctors’ Day, I’d like to take a moment and recognize the exemplary care, compassion, and skill our Faculty and Residents bring to our patients and our Emergency Departments every day.
When I consider all we do, I am reminded that practicing Emergency Medicine is both a science and an art. Being a great emergency physician requires us all to stay up to date with the literature, analyze a breadth of information, and understand the complex factors affecting the patients who walk into our Departments. But it also requires much more than that. In the ED, we must constantly think on our feet, provide assurance and support to our patients and their families, and collaborate with colleagues across the entire hospital system.
The theme for this year’s celebration of National Doctors’ Day is “Honor the Calling.” Being an emergency physician is so much more than a profession. It is a calling to work that demands all of us, every day, whether we’re in the Emergency Department or not. One of the realities of our work is that being an emergency physician isn’t a job we can “log out” of. We work around the clock. And I know that all of us, even when we’re not at the hospital, are thinking about patients and working tirelessly to improve our skills as a clinician, educator, and leader.
Today, I hope we all take a moment to reflect on the positive experiences we’ve had in the past year with patients and their families. What we do is not easy. Being an emergency physician is a high-stakes, high-pressure career. But it also comes with some of the greatest rewards…saving lives, navigating complex and challenging situations across all ages, genders, and conditions, and providing a safety net of care to patients who would otherwise have none.
Today on National Doctors’ Day, may we all “honor the calling” of serving as emergency physicians. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for what you sacrifice. Thank you for your contributions to our Department—and the entire field of Emergency Medicine.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Mike
On March 16, Associate Professor Kinjal Sethuraman, MD, MPH, was quoted in The New York Times' article on hyperbaric oxygen treatment and potential longevity impacts.
Dr. Sethuraman, who also serves as Medical Director for the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Center for Hyperbaric and Dive Medicine, emphasized that research on hyperbaric treatment is still developing. She also encouraged readers to seek treatment only at facilities accredited by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society—such as UMMC’s hyperbaric chamber.