AAAEM Candidate Statements
Secretary Candidates
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Frank Jurkiewicz, MBA
Secretary
University of Florida, College of Medicine - Gainesville
I am grateful for the opportunity to be considered for the executive committee. With over 15 years of experience in leadership roles within academic and community healthcare, especially in emergency medicine, I am committed to supporting AAAEM’s mission through strategic initiatives that elevate clinical care, education, and research while ensuring financial and operational integrity. My background includes an MBA and an Academic Emergency Medicine Administration Certification, and in my current role as Executive Administrator/Vice Chair for Administrative Affairs, I work closely with department and system leaders to foster a thriving healthcare environment.
As the chair of AAAEM’s Education and Professional Development Committee, I focus on promoting knowledge-sharing through “hot topic” sessions that address current challenges and opportunities. My service on the Benchmark Committee, as well as previous experience chairing the Communication Committee, has helped me understand the value of data-driven insights and effective communication in strengthening our collective efforts. Outside of AAAEM, I am deeply committed to mentoring future leaders and was involved in creating a 2-year Healthcare Administrative Fellowship at the University of Florida.
If elected, my goal is to contribute to a dynamic, forward-thinking AAAEM that remains supportive, engaging, and welcoming to all members, especially newcomers. By continually enhancing our events and fostering a sense of connection, we can inspire excitement and a feeling of belonging across our membership. It would be a privilege to bring new perspectives and work alongside colleagues to uphold and advance our shared mission.
Thank you for considering my nomination. -
Shannon Hughen-Giger, MHA
Secretary
University of Virginia
I am submitting my application for serving on the executive leadership committee. In the past I have served AAAEM leading the communications committee while also serving on the education committee simultaneously. I had taken a brief pause the past two years due to my workload increasing from the loss of our chair and my recent relocation and job change, now working in Charlottesville, VA at UVA in a new position. I am ready to get back serving and would very much appreciate your consideration!
Member-at-Large Candidates
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Cali Myers, MHA
Member-at-large
University of Alabama at Birmingham
My leadership experience extends beyond my professional roles, as I currently serve as the Communications Committee Chair for AAAEM and contribute to community service through the Junior League of Birmingham. If elected to the Board, I will bring my collaborative approach, financial acumen, and strategic vision to help AAAEM members advance their departments' patient care, education, and research missions. I look forward to continuing to support the professional growth of our field and its leaders.
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Diane C. Lee, DBA, MBA
Member-at-Large
Jefferson Einstein Hospital
I am the Administrator for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Einstein Hospital, a safety net healthcare hospital serving over 120,000 patients annually at emergency departments in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania. In addition to providing leadership for strategic planning, financial oversight, program development, and business opportunities, my administrative responsibilities extend to support for the department divisions and management of emergency medical services contracts, ultrasound sonography, toxicology services, clinical research studies, and medical education programs. In addition, revenue cycle management has been a keen operational initiative focusing on billing education and high-quality documentation. The successful partnership with our external coding company has served as a model strategy to adopt for emergency medicine clinical shared services in the larger health system.
Civic engagement is paramount for an academic community medical center situated in North Philadelphia, serving one of the most diverse and disadvantaged communities in the US. Our work with Vot-ER, a nonpartisan organization committed to bringing voter registration into health care settings, has galvanized the patients to be active participants on policies impacting their lives.
Our Emergency Dept is also impacted by the considerable number of trauma patients we treat, especially young adults. As a Level 1 Trauma Center, we care for nearly 2000 trauma victims each year with a broad range of mechanisms including gunshot wounds, falls, blunt trauma, and penetrating injuries. To address these needs in providing a support system, a Trauma Intervention Program was established to provide intensive follow-up care to young people aged 14-30 who have been treated for violence related injuries. The program aims to help these patients recover from the substantial social and psychological effects of violence. Driving innovative health solutions for underserved populations has also involved supporting community health opioid use disorder programs.
With over 20 years’ experience in diverse healthcare environments including primary and specialty care services, community health centers, academic hospital based ambulatory sites and private practices, I led key organizational initiatives involving implementation of system processes to optimize operational and financial performance with a continued focus on employed population health management to impact health outcomes. However, it has been the complexity of emergency medicine healthcare management that has afforded the most rewarding experience in the coordination of delivery of services, quality and safety, people, volume/growth, finance, and academics.
I earned a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.
My doctoral research that focused on the adoption of medical patient portals for an underserved population utilizing the emergency department for medical care and medical information provided insight for the daily work of the clinical team to promote a positive patient experience.
My active AAAEM membership for the past seven years and part of the Executive Committee as a Member-at Large has shaped my professional trajectory in emergency medicine tremendously. Working in the discipline lends itself to immeasurable professional opportunities, but it is the work of the Executive Committee leading the organizational team with cross boundary group collaboration that is most illuminating. Planning for the annual retreats, setting operational guidelines and standards, seeking to make the Academy stronger through Committee initiatives are all benefits of serving on the Leadership team. Further, my participation on the IDEA Committee reinforces the Academy’s priority as an inclusive supportive organization for professionals in emergency medicine. I am honored to have served and feel even more prepared to leverage my experience and contribute to ideas and strategies for garnering engagement in furthering the goals that align with the Academy’s mission. -
Kashwayne Williams, MBA, MHA
Member-at-Large
Washington University
My educational background includes holding a master’s in business administration and master’s in healthcare administration. I’m also a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. I have an established background working in academic medicine, having spent ten (10) years working for Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) in various roles spanning clinical operations, education and research. In 2014, I moved from Atlanta to St. Louis to join Washington University, in St. Louis School of Medicine (WUSM) as the executive management fellow in the Dean’s Office and since had several roles leading to my current role in emergency medicine (nearly another 10 years). The past two decades of working in academic medicine has been extremely rewarding both personally and professionally.As part of my commitment to community health, I have served as board member for the National Association of Healthcare Services Executives (NAHSE) St. Louis Chapter and as fund allocations committee member for the United Way of St. Louis. Also intricately involved in education and the field of healthcare management and serve as an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University (SLU) where I teach healthcare economics and analytical methods in healthcare.I joined the Academy of Administrators in Academic Emergency Medicine (AAAEM) in March 2022 and have since currently serve on both the Strategic Planning Committee and the Education Committee. My first impressions of AAAEM having worked in three other specialties was total admiration and respect for the work the Academy does for the field of emergency medicine. The dedication and camaraderie of the members was extremely welcoming as a new member. I had the fortunate opportunity of meeting several members within my first two weeks in my current role at the annual retreat in March 2022.My first involvement with the Strategic Planning Committee was a good way to get insights and understanding of the academy. I actively participated in the reviewing and updating of the then current strategic plan as a charge from the Executive Committee. Having the opportunity to review what our current strategic initiatives were and what our future goals are was immensely beneficial for me personally, and a huge thanks to all the committee members and committee chairs (Andrew and Ambrosya) for this.As mentioned, I’m also involved with the Education Committee and already see how the opportunities with targeted educational sessions and repository for learning materials in the field has been an added benefit for the Academy. I’ve enjoyed the work with this committee and hope to serve more in this area and look forward to the exceptional work and educational sessions that are upcoming.Over the past year I’ve had the privilege of serving as Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee and has thoroughly enjoyed the work, exposure and the intricate nature of how the work our academy does is serving the provider community within our emergency medicine practice. I hope to carry on some of the work initiated through leadership that is on-going but not yet complete. I believe my work with the Strategic Planning Committee, Education Committee and my experience as Member-at-Large for the past year will allow me the background, knowledge and context to further assist with advancing the academy goals and furthering the mission and core principles of the Academy.