Department Blog

“Revisiting ‘Left Without Being Seen’ Metrics in the ED: The current system drives problematic decisions regarding how care is allocated,” a commentary by Assistant Professor Gregory Jasani, MD, appeared May 20, 2024, in MedPage Today. Dr. Jasani proposes “a more balanced LWBS metric” that distinguishes between high- and low-acuity patients.

“Observation at Home: A Virtual or Actual Solution to Emergency Department Crowding?” is an editorial by Associate Professor Dan Gingold, MD, MPH, published online May 1 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Associate Professor Kinjal Sethuraman, MD, MPH, and coauthors from Dartmouth and the University of Utah have published “Patient-reported outcome measures following hyperbaric oxygen therapy for radiation cystitis: early results from the Multicenter Registry for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy” in the Journal of Urology. 2024 June;211(6):765-774. Radiation cystitis develops in about 10 percent of patients with prostate and other pelvic cancers after radiation treatment.

At SOM graduation exercises May 16, Assistant Professor Ryan Spangler, MD, director of undergraduate medical education, won a Student Council Faculty Award. Winners are chosen by the Class of 2024 as its “most effective teachers in the preclinical and clinical years, as well as exemplary role models for the class.” 

Members of the Class of 2024 who received awards and honors include four incoming EM interns: 

Tara Balasubramanian, MD, received the Robert R. R. Roberts, MD Memorial Prize in medicine and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Award for excellence in emergency medicine. She is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.  

Priya Patel, MD, received the American College of Emergency Physicians Medical Student Professionalism and Leadership Award. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism honor societies. 

Emma Silverman, MD, received the Faculty Gold Medal for outstanding qualifications for the practice of medicine, the Leonard M. Hummel Memorial Award for excellence in internal medicine, and the Leonard Tow Humanitarianism in Medicine award. She will begin her combined EM/IM residency next month. 

William Zhu, MD, received the Carolyn J. Pass MD ’66 and Richard M. Susel MD ’66 Academy Student Teaching Fellows Award.

Clinical Assistant Professor and Fellowship Director in Health Policy and Leadership Kyle R. Fischer, MD, MPH, and Greg Jackson are the authors of “Community Violence Intervention as a Strategy for Reducing Gun Violence,” published in the downloadable book Reducing the Health Harms of Firearm Injury (Washington, DC: Aspen Institute, 2024). Mr. Jackson is Deputy Director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and a special assistant to President Biden.

Professor Michael Bond, MD, is this year's recipient of the Robert McNamara Award, bestowed by the AAEM in recognition of his outstanding contributions to AAEM in matters of academic leadership. Dr. Bond received the award at the organization's 30th anniversary dinner on Tuesday evening, April 30. 

Earlier that day, the education programs and meetings featured: 

• Dr. Bond presented a track session on “Back Pain that Kills—Deadly Causes that Can’t Be Missed” 
• Assistant Professor Jason Adler, MD, moderated a Breve Dulce session with Assistant Professor Kathleen Stephanos, MD. 
• Associate Professor and Residency Program Director Sarah Dubbs, MD, co-moderated a Breve Dulce session. 
• Dr. Stephanos was a facilitator for the “Pediatric EKGs Workshop” small group clinic. 

On the assembly's last day, May 1: 

• Assistant Professor Gregory N. Jasani, MD, presented a session titled “When the Unthinkable Happens: Acute Radiation Syndrome.” 
• Dr. Bontempo gave a talk on “Head Hole Hemorrhage.”

At the AAEM Assembly in Austin, on April 28:

• Professor and Vice Chair Mike Winters, MD, and Associate Professor Laura Bontempo, MD, MEd, presented MyEMCert Prep, a recertification course. 
• Professor and Vice Chair Amal Mattu, MD, co-directed the Advanced Electrocardiography Workshop and presented a plenary session on “Emergency Cardiology 2024: The Articles You’ve Got to Know!”
• Dr. Bontempo moderated a track session with presentations on 4 aspects of emergency diagnoses and treatments. 
• Dr. Winters co-led a plenary session on “Recent Resuscitation and Critical Care Articles You’ve Got to Know!”  
• Associate Professor Mak Moayedi, MD, taught a small group workshop on Esophageal Variceal Tamponade Balloon (Blakemore) and Pigtail Chest Tube. Workshop facilitators included Clinical Instructors Bobbi-Jo Lowie, MD, Gabriella Miller, MD, and Rachel Wiltjer, DO, and Assistant Professors Lauren S. Rosenblatt, MD, and Cheyenne Falat, MD.

On April 29: 

• Assistant Professor Jason Adler, MD, presented a track session on “Reimbursement Updates: What’s New and Lessons Learned from the Guideline Transition.” 
• Dr. Bontempo delivered a Breve Dulce talk on “Tricky Trachs.”

More presentations from UMEM faculty to the AAEM Assembly will be featured in a future entry.

EM faculty presented and led numerous classes, presentations, and workshops throughout AAEM24, the 30th Scientific Assembly of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, April 27-May 1 in Austin, TX. On every day of the assembly, our faculty members taught courses, directed workshops, and moderated discussions for the national audience of more than 1,000 emergency physicians, residents, and students. 

On April 27: 

• Assistant Professor Alexis Salerno, MD, hosted the Sim SonoSleuthing Case Competition, in which teams were challenged to use ultrasound in their examinations of patient models and arrive at a correct diagnosis. 
• Professor Mike Winters, MD, MPH, directed a full-day course on “Resuscitation for Emergency Physicians,” with help from Assistant Professor Kami Hu, MD, as faculty for sessions on “Mastering ED Mechanical Ventilation,” “Critical Interventions in Sepsis Resuscitation,” and “Caring for the Critically Ill ICU Boarder.”

The next blog entries will highlight UMEM activities at the assembly from April 28 to May 1.

First-year resident Robert Dunn, MD, delivered a talk titled “Drop the Mic #1: The Patient-Payer Relationship” at the national ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC, on April 14. The talk was part of the conference's Health Policy Primer, presented by the ACEP Young Physicians Section and the Emergency Medicine Residents Association.

EM/Peds resident Taylor Lindquist, DO, was named Best Resident Presenter at the Clinical Pathologic Case Competition (CPC) national semifinals at the Council of Residency Directors (CORD) meeting in New Orleans, LA, on March 28. She will compete in the final round at the ACEP24 scientific assembly in September. Instructor Rachel Wiltjer, DO, and resident Robert Iannaccone, MD, were among the CPC runners-up. Assistant Clerkship Director Kathleen Stephanos, MD, served as a judge in other divisions of the competition.