AAAEM Member-at-Large Candidate Statements

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  • Sara Engel, MBA

    AAAEM Member-at-Large Candidate

    Medical College of Wisconsin

    It is my honor to be considered to serve on the AAAEM Executive Committee as member-at-large. It has been one of the greatest pleasures of my career so far to be part of this group and I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting my colleagues, learning as part of the CAEMA program, and serving on both the benchmark and the education committees over the last few months. I believe my combination of education (MBA), healthcare industry experience ( and leadership experience (12 years, 10 of which in management roles) have equipped me well to serve this great organization as we continue to grow and expand. I hope to be able to bring useful outside perspective as I am new to Emergency Medicine, but have worked in the department of medicine and especially in internal medicine prior to joining emergency medicine. My goal would be to help further the goals of the board and especially continue to engage current and future members. I would hope to engage organizations that are not currently members, showcasing the benefits of membership as I have experienced them. Thank you for your consideration.

  • Diane C. Lee, DBA, MBA

    AAAEM Member-at-Large Candidate

    Jefferson Einstein Hospital

    I am currently the Administrator for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Einstein Hospitals (JEH), a safety net hospital, now part of Jefferson Health System providing a leadership role in alignment of health services operations and processes across all sites, outreach, financial oversight, strategic planning, research, program development and clinical service delivery. Additional core responsibilities extend to support for the department divisions to include emergency medical services, informatics, ultrasound sonography, toxicology services, clinical research studies, and medical education programs. Revenue cycle management has been another key area of focus building a collaborative infrastructure to provide direction in support of billing education and high-quality clinical documentation. I explore opportunities for partner relationships, oversee grants and contracts to ensure timely completion of promised deliverables and communication with funders. Most interesting has been civic engagement and the opportunity to work with Vot-ER, a nonpartisan organization that works to bring voter registration into health care settings with the goal of giving patients a voice in the policies that directly impact them. Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia was an early adopter as a model site for registering underrepresented patients through the emergency department. I have held positions in diverse healthcare environments involving varied disciplines. Among my significant accomplishments are implementing monitoring systems and processes to optimize operational and financial performance and collaborative strategies to enhance the delivery of patient centered care; organizational initiatives employing population health management as a key strategy to enhance patient centered care delivery, control cost of care, and impact health outcomes; and identified care transition coordination opportunities to improve patient care and services between hospitals and community service providers to improve quality of care. Driving innovative health solutions for underserved populations has also involved supporting community health opioid use disorder programs and trauma intervention services. 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. I have been an active member of AAAEM for the past six years benefiting greatly from participation at the annual retreats, utilizing data from the benchmark surveys, and serving on the IDEA Committee. These activities have promoted my professional growth and have allowed me to make positive contributions in the decision-making process at my institution on various projects. This past year as a Member-at -Large of the Executive Committee (EC), I had the opportunity to participate in leadership and strategic initiatives of the Academy. Serving a second year will be even more valuable. I am more prepared and equipped to participate to a higher degree having gained experience in setting priorities that align with the Academy mission in maintaining a community forum for dissemination of information and exchange of ideas among administrators within emergency medicine academic programs. I would be honored to serve another year in EC leadership fulfilling the Academy mission and contributing to the success of committee and project related activities.


  • Kashwayne Williams, MBA, MHA, FACHE

    AAAEM Member-at-Large

    Washington University in St. Louis - SOM

    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.