AEUS Candidate Statements

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President-Elect Candidate(s)

 

  • Kristin Dwyer, MD, MPH

    President-Elect

    Brown University

    My name is Kristin Dwyer, and I currently work as the Brown Emergency Medicine Ultrasound fellowship and division director. I am writing to accept my nomination for AEUS president-elect. After residency, I completed a two-year ultrasound fellowship at Brigham & Women’s hospital while earning an MPH in quantitative methods. I then transitioned to core faculty at Brown University, where as the ultrasound fellowship director I have worked to reinvigorate the fellowship through developing a curriculum which is tailored to a range of specialties and learners with different career goals. I have trained numerous fellows in this time, ranging from EM to IM to PEM to non-clinical fellows, and I obtained a three-year EUFAC accreditation for Brown. After taking over the fellowship, I was subsequently promoted to division director where I have managed to grow the division to ten faculty-expanding our PEM group and adding both POCUS education and research directors. In addition, I started a new POCUS course and curriculum at the medical school, mentored multiple residents on POCUS quality improvement projects, redesigned the clinical POCUS workflow, updated coding and billing processes, revised our credentialing policies, and overhauled the division POCUS policies. I believe these institutional/administrative changes demonstrate my collaborative nature and track record to make process changes. In addition, I have led and published research studies with the goal to advance our field, and I have been recognized for this work through multiple SAEMMY nominations and awards. I am currently the PI for multiple research projects which continue to advance and innovate the field of POCUS including POCUS sex and gender and social EM projects.

    I have had the opportunity to serve our community through national leadership serving as AEUS secretary (lead: AEUS stock photo image project), ACEP subcommittee chair, and SCUF treasurer. I find serving our national community to be extremely enjoyable and rewarding. I hope that my experience and contribution to POCUS education, research, administration, and national leadership make me a qualified candidate and deserving of your vote for AEUS president.

  • Meera Muruganandan, MD

    President-Elect

    Boston Medical Center

    Dr. Meera Muruganandan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Boston Medical Center, Boston University and also the Director of Ultrasound. She completed residency and a dual fellowship in Emergency Ultrasound and Global Health at Brown University and has been serving as faculty at Boston Medical Center for over 10 years. In her roles within the ultrasound section she has overseen residency education, served as medical student ultrasound clerkship director, AEMUS fellowship director and is currently the director of ultrasound. Dr. Muruganandan is passionate about sharing knowledge and expanding the use of POCUS to as many providers as possible. Her interest in the use of POCUS in resource limited settings has allowed her to work with a number of NGO’s internationally, developing ultrasound curricula and training programs for physicians, residents and midwives in Sierra Leone, Uganda, Haiti and Rwanda.

  • Laura Oh, MD

    President-Elect

    Emory University

    My name is Laura Oh. I am an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Emory University. I graduated from medical school at University of Michigan before completing residency at University of Virginia and US Fellowship at Carolinas Medical Center. My leadership experiences in POCUS include the creation and directorship of a four year vertically-integrated US curriculum at Loyola Medical School, serving as US Director of the Atlanta VA ED, and serving as Director of Residency Emergency Ultrasound at Emory University. I am the PI of a Department of Defense (DoD) funded clinical trial studying the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in blunt abdominal trauma. My activities within the Academy include co-chairing the SAEMMIES Research Awards Committee, mentoring researchers through the AEUS Grant Development Program, and helping to create content for SonoGames as a station lead.

    My interests include educational innovation, emerging tech, US research, and faculty development.

    As president-elect I would focus on the following priorities:

    1. Building an inclusive culture where all members feel valued

    2. Creating developmental opportunities for fellows and junior faculty

    3. Catalyzing grant funded research

    4. Facilitating collaboration and sharing of educational resources across academic sites

    5. Communicating with membership on emerging issues, member accomplishments, and
    opportunities for engagement

    Specific examples of how these priorities can be addressed include:

    1. Proactively creating space and opportunity for more senior members of the community
    to network with junior members at national meetings

    2. Increasing didactic submissions by developing an AEUS leadership-driven didactic
    agenda that Academy members can sign up for in addition to member-initiated
    proposals; maintaining and building existing speaker bureaus

    3. Creating a “Grant Bank,” a library of donated past grants, and hosting mock panel
    reviews with faculty from the SAEM Grantwriting Workshop for applicants of the SAEMF
    Grant.

    4. Facilitating the growth and development of collaborative educational communities of
    practice by scaling models of current successful residency and fellowship
    collaborations to a national level

    5. Increasing the accessibility and visibility of the work of the Academy, e.g. the Narrated
    Lecture Series and Probing the Literature Journal Club.


    As a longtime member of SAEM I have benefited tremendously from growth opportunities as an educator and researcher. I have had great mentorship and sponsorship from members in the Academy and would like the opportunity to reinvest what I have learned into the Academy and help develop our future US leaders. It would be an honor to serve you in the role of president-elect. Thank you for your consideration.

  • Hamid Shokoohi, MD, MPH

    President-Elect

    Massachusetts General Hospital

    I am deeply honored and committed to the Academy, its mission, and our ultrasound friends and members. With solid academy leadership and successful collaboration with other entities, our profession is well known for the highest professional fulfillment and solid instructional programs for ultrasound fellows and residents.

    As the Academy president, I plan to dedicate my time to developing highly academic directions for the future of our profession. I will work alongside the talented Academy staff to raise academic excellence in our profession with the highest level of personal and professional satisfaction.

    The current expansion of Ultrasound fellowship programs in part due to the recent accreditation plans that attract more fellows with the potential to expand multi-institutional projects including research and innovation nationwide. Our profession continues to confront instructional and legislative challenges to include clinical sonographers from other subspecialties, including PEM, IM, and Critical Care programs in the accreditation and FDP programs that need proper planning ahead.

    There are no easy solutions for many challenges faced by our academic subspecialty, but to the role of president, I bring a background of leadership and extensive experience in Academic Clinical Ultrasound. I have served the Academy throughout my career as a member of several committees, being involved in Sonogames in different roles, and currently chair of the Professional Development task force. In the past 15 years, I have served as the ultrasound fellowship director at GW, MGH, and Mass General Brigham. I have published more than 140 peer-reviewed articles and presented numerous abstracts and didactics at SAEM and ACEP. I have received several awards, including the Academy Faculty of the Year for Research in 2013 and 2019, the Distinguished Service Award in 2019, the Most Prolific Researcher in 2020, and the Faculty of the Year for Ultrasound Education in 2022.

 

Treasurer Candidate(s)

 

  • Andrew Goldsmith, MD, MBA

    Treasurer

    Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School

    Dr. Andrew Goldsmith is an Instructor at Harvard University, Chief of Emergency Ultrasound at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Medical Director of UltraSight. After attending both medical school and business school at the University of Connecticut, he completed his residency at Harvard-Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency (HAEMR) followed by an ultrasound fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. He has been a member of SAEM for over 7 years and has presented several abstracts and didactics including one on POCUS and Machine Learning in 2022. Dr. Goldsmith has been an active member of the AEUS academy meetings, volunteering for SonoGames and has won a prestigious SAEMMIE award.

  • Gregg Helland, MD

    Treasurer

    Emory University

    I am the Director of Emergency Ultrasound and an Assistant Professor of both Emergency Medicine and Radiology and Imaging Services at Emory University. I interested in running for the position of Treasurer of AEUS. I completed my Emergency Medicine residency and US fellowship training at the University of Massachusetts under David Blehar and Romolo Gaspari way back in 2012 and hold an ABEM Focused Practice Designation in Advanced Emergency Ultrasound.

    My previous academic US leadership experience includes Director of Ultrasound CME programming for UMass and the Ultrasound Section Director at the University of Chicago, before joining Emory University. As the Section Director for Emory, I am actively involved in all aspects of our sections mission. From medical student rotations and electives, residency education, fellowship training, research, and of course the administrative oversight of our four emergency departments. I am also involved in the systemization of POCUS among multiple different departments throughout the Emory Healthcare System.

    I am currently the Councilor for the ACEP Ultrasound Section which has re-energized my interest in organized medicine. As a long-time AEUS member who has mostly observed in the past, I have seen all the amazing growth of this section over the years. From the development of the Narrated Lecture Series and Asynchronous Ultrasound Curriculum to the constant growth and innovation of the ever-popular SonoGames. Now it’s my turn to step up and get more involved, and I think the 2-year commitment of the AEUS Treasurer is an excellent way to start. I want to further the research and education missions of AEUS as well as continue the expansion of our amazing educational offerings on the website, especially as we grow our international footprint. I am committed to supporting the growth of AEUS as we build on the foundation of our outstanding previous leaders.

  • Zachary Lewis, MD

    Treasurer

    University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

    I am an academic EM attending with advanced formal training in emergency ultrasound. My interest firmly lies in the hands-on education and inspiration of the future generations of healthcare providers. As a faculty member within the ultrasound division, our team manages point-of-care ultrasound within the UAMS emergency department, while also instructing a multidisciplinary team on the ways point-of-care ultrasound can be used to improve patient care. I would hope to learn about the board and SAEM/AEUS workings, while contributing to our future.

  • Mark A. Magee, MD

    Treasurer

    Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

    I am honored to accept a nomination for the position of treasurer on the AEUS Executive Committee. If elected, I look forward to the opportunity to support the academic mission of the AEUS and its members.

    Having completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Temple University Hospital in 2017, I had the great fortune of training in Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasonography at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. There I honed my ultrasound skills while developing a love for ultrasound education, lecturing and providing hands-on education to a broad array of learners including students in the medical school, nurses in our ED, and residents and faculty throughout the health system. It was this interest in education that drove my desire to become involved at a more national level, with lectures and scientific presentations delivered at annual meetings for AAEM, ACEP and AIUM, and assisting as a judge at SonoGames.

    In 2018, I was elected to serve as the President of the Emergency Ultrasound Section of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, and joined the Board of Directors for SCUF later that year. It was my great honor to work with these groups during the final year of our application to the ABMS and the early development of the certification process for the FPD in AEMUS. The time I spent with AAEM and SCUF highlighted the importance that our national boards serve in the development of AEMUS and now drive my desire to re-engage at the national level with AEUS.

    If elected, I look forward to supporting the mission of AEUS in fostering educational and research opportunities in emergency ultrasound for our members. I hope to assist in the continued success of SonoGames and provide opportunities to highlight the achievements of our members and support the development of the many rising stars within the field. Finally, I look forward to the opportunity to work collaboratively with partnering boards in Emergency Medicine to continue to progress the field of Advanced Emergency Ultrasonography for the benefit of our patients.

  • Michael Secko, MD

    Treasurer

    Stony Brook University

    My name is Michael Secko. I am a Clinical Associate Professor, Ultrasound Division, and Advanced EM Ultrasound Fellowship Director at Stony Brook University Hospital. I completed my medical school (2004), residency (2008), and ultrasound fellowship (2009) training at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Hospital. I was the ultrasound division and fellowship director at Kings County/SUNY Downstate from 2012-2016. Since my academic move to Stony Brook University, I have developed and maintained a successful CUAP certified ultrasound division, and EUFAC accredited Advanced EM fellowship. I have lectured and taught multiple POCUS courses and workshops at the Institutional, local, regional, national, and international level. I have multiple publications in prestigious Emergency medicine journals. My leadership experience stems from being a systemwide co-director, ultrasound division, and AEMUS fellowship director at Stony Brook University. Furthermore, I have gained experience as secretary elect for SCUF as well as a lead organizer of Windward Island Ultrasound Group, which is a consortium of multiple academic institutions providing POCUS educational experiences to the islands of St. Lucia and Dominica. Working with the consortium has given me experience in planning, budgeting, and financing these educational courses and trips. I am running for the treasurer position of AEUS as I’m looking to help the AEUS executive committee in financial planning and budgeting as well as fundraising to bring all the wonderful educational experiences to our academic ultrasound community.

 

Research Officer Candidate(s)

 

  • Youyou Duanmu, MD, MPH

    Research Officer

    Stanford University

    Hi! I am Youyou Duanmu, Co-Director of the ultrasound fellowship at the Stanford University Department of Emergency Medicine. After attending medical school at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and emergency medicine residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, I completed an ultrasound fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as well as an MPH concentrating in Quantitative Research Methods at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

    I have been an active member of SAEM for 11 years and have also been heavily involved in AEUS endeavors, including leading a Sonogames Round 2 station, being a recipient of an AEUS SAEMF research grant and winning two SAEMMIES. Over the past three years, I have been a part of the SAEM Research Committee where I have been subcommittee lead for three objectives focusing on promoting membership understanding of federal research funding and optimizing SAEM research focused didactics. I currently review for AEM Education & Training. My areas of research interest include ultrasound education, critical care ultrasound and clinical trials. I have collaborated with multiple AEUS members from across the country on POCUS focused publications, presentations, lectures, and panel discussions, and have experience with research partnerships across departments including Internal Medicine, Trauma and Computer Science.

    I am a passionate advocate for ultrasound research and hope to serve as Research Officer of AEUS to help advance the collaborative and innovative potential of POCUS research. If elected, I hope to grow and amplify awareness of the endeavors of our academy, including resources for research methods and statistics, navigating IRB submissions, finding supportive mentorship, and applying for grants. I would like to expand our support of research partnerships so that we can increase the impact of EM POCUS research by generating more large scale, multi-center trials. I would also love to grow our research mentorship network to improve the diversity of our academic pursuits. I would like to see the process of becoming a grant funded ultrasound researcher become more feasible and approachable for our members. I especially enjoy encouraging the academic ambitions of trainees and would like to encourage resident and fellow submissions for SAEM presentations and funding. Above all, I am passionate about supporting the field of academic emergency ultrasound and all those who love it. Thank you for your consideration!

  • Jason Matthew Fields, MD

    Research Officer

    Thomas Jefferson University

    Hi my name is Matt Fields and I am the ultrasound director at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. I am excited to run for a position with the SAEM AEUS Executive Committee as the Research Officer. I have been involved with the SAEM ever since residency. I served as the AEUS secretary from 2011-2013 and as the President in 2014-15. During my year as president I was thrilled to witness the initiation of the AEUS Research Grant, which has gone on to fund many amazing projects. Since then I have been amazed to watch the momentum continue. Advancing quality research within EM and POCUS is an ongoing passion of mine. I've had the opportunity to conduct my own unfunded and funded POCUS (vascular access, critical care, education) as well as non-POCUS research and have received funding many sources including industry, the Emergency Medicine Foundation, the patient centered outcome research institute (PCORI) and the City of Philadelphia Dept of Public Health. I've also had the opportunity to serve as a reviewer for multiple EM/POCUS journals, GEL Podcast and serve as an ultrasound section editor for WJEM. I spent two years as the research director of the Health Design Lab at Thomas Jefferson University, where I learned to help manage research projects of multiple different methodologies, specialties and goals on a macro level. My hope is to leverage my collective experience conducting and reviewing research, grant writing and reviewing with my passion to continue to elevate the Academy's support of POCUS research.

  • Tobias Kummer, MD

    Research Officer

    Mayo Clinic, Rochester

    I am very excited to submit my application for the position of AEUS research officer.

    After residency and fellowship at Brown University, I was the associate ultrasound fellowship director. After my move to Minnesota, I took over my current position as the medical director for Emergency Ultrasound at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. We have an active US research division and have served as a research mentor for medical students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty. Since the beginning of my career, I have been actively involved in national EM and US societies, and I am the current chair of the AIUM POCUS community as well as a member of the AIUM Board of Governors.

    Every year, I am amazed at the ingenuity of the AEUS community and the innovations in ultrasound the members present. As AEUS research officer, I aim to actively support SAEM’s pivotal role in high-quality ultrasound research by bringing creative minds together to exchange ideas, foster collaborations, and connect mentees with mentors.

  • Lynn Roppolo, MD

    Research Officer

    John Peter Smith Hospital

    I’m a recently retired Professor of EM from the University of Texas Southwestern (UTSW) and now the Assistant Ultrasound Director at John Peter Smith Hospital. At UTSW, I did about 50 research studies, coordinated summer research programs and the “Shark Tank”. Some US activities include SAEMMIES judge, AEUS research resources webpage, research related articles for the ACEP US section, involved in Delphi study to improve US research reporting, and the steering committee for Probing the Literature. I am involved in SAEM’s Research Learning Series and Senior Editor for the Journal of Emergency Medicine. I am very excited and so grateful to be the recipient of this year's AEUS SAEMF research grant and looking forward to completing our multi-institutional study to determine longitudinal learning curves for the eFAST ultrasound exam. As AEUS Research Officer, I have several ideas for improving and expanding upon the resources that already exist and increasing research collaboration.