People

Marianne Lopez, MD

Memorial Healthcare System

"Mapping Clinical Skill Experience Curves of High Acuity Low Occurrence Procedures: Mastery or Decay"

Samuel Chiacchia, MD

Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

"NextGen Artificial Intelligence for Predicting Organ Support Needs From the Emergency Department"

Samuel Chiacchia, MD, is a postgraduate year two (PGY2) in the Stanford Emergency Medicine Residency Program. He grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado and is a graduate of Princeton University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Chiacchia’s research interests are at the intersection of emergency medicine, critical care, and informatics, where he hopes to develop clinical decision support tools that improve risk stratification among critical and peri-critical patients in the emergency department. He plans to pursue a fellowship in critical care and practice academic emergency and critical care medicine while pursuing a career in grant funded research as a physician scientist. He is grateful for the generosity of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation (SAEMF), whose support through the SAEMF/RAMS Resident Research Grant will work to advance his career aspirations in science and medicine. 

Sean Brown, MD, MBA, ScM

Mass General Brigham

"Gender Disparities in Point-of-Care Ultrasound"

Sean Brown, MD, MBA, ScM, is an emergency medicine resident at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency (HAEMR) program, based at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Dr. Brown earned his medical degree and Master of Business Administration from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and the Fox School of Business at Temple University. Prior to that, he completed his undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, where he also obtained a Master of Science.

Dr. Brown is committed to enhancing clinical practices to ensure all patients receive high-quality, equitable care. The SAEMF/RAMS grant supports his research into inequities in point-of-care ultrasound use in the emergency department.

Sara Hurley, MD

The Ohio State University

"Elder Mistreatment Radiographic Biomarkers in Emergency Department Patients With Rib Fractures"

Manoj Arra, MD, PhD

The Washington University

"Characterizing Time of Day Variation in Human Neutrophil Inflammation and Metabolism"

Manoj Arra, MD, PhD, is a third-year emergency medicine resident at Washington University in St. Louis, aiming for a career in academic emergency medicine and critical care. His research focuses on developing novel biomarkers and therapeutics to enhance patient outcomes in sepsis.​

Dr. Arra completed his undergraduate degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and earned his MD-PhD from Washington University School of Medicine. His doctoral research in Molecular Cell Biology, under the mentorship of Yousef Abu-Amer, PhD, explored the relationship between inflammation, metabolism, and oxidative stress in chondrocytes, contributing to osteoarthritic changes.

Currently, Dr. Arra is investigating biological rhythms in cellular metabolism and inflammatory responses of myeloid cells, a project supported by the SAEMF Resident Research Grant Award. ​

In addition to his research, Dr. Arra was selected for membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society in 2023.

William Reis, MD, MS

University of Pennylvania

"Pulseless Electrical Activity in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Understanding Etiologies and Outcomes"

William Reis, MD, MS, is a fourth-year emergency medicine resident at the University of Pennsylvania with a dedicated focus on improving outcomes for patients experiencing cardiac arrest, particularly those presenting with pulseless electrical activity (PEA). PEA is a subset of cardiac arrest characterized by electrical activity without a detectable pulse, known for its increasing incidence and high mortality rate, yet lacking specific treatments.

Dr. Reis earned his undergraduate degree from Emory University before obtaining his medical degree from the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. He is currently completing his residency training in emergency medicine at Penn Medicine.

Dr. Reis’s research aims to clinically define phenotypes of PEA and identify treatments for idiopathic PEA—cases without an identifiable reversible cause. By distinguishing idiopathic PEA from cases with known etiologies, he seeks to enhance understanding of PEA's underlying mechanisms and determine the prevalence of idiopathic instances. For PEA cases with identifiable causes, the standard approach involves addressing the reversible etiology. However, for idiopathic cases, current treatment options are limited to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which has low survival rates.

To advance this critical area of resuscitation research, Dr. Reis plans to pursue a research fellowship focused on repurposing existing therapeutics for the treatment of idiopathic PEA.

Hannah Edelson, MD, MPH

The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles

"Measuring Emergency Physician Attitudes and Adoption of Syphilis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing"

Hannah “Claire” Edelson, MD, MPH, is a third-year emergency medicine resident physician at the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned a medical degree and a master’s in public health in global environmental health at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her interests include simulation in medical education, emergency department-led initiatives to improve equitable, high-quality care for socially vulnerable patients, and strengthening global health systems. Outside of work, Claire enjoys hiking, skiing, cycling, swimming, and gardening. 

Gabrielle Zuniga, MD, PhD

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

"Assess the Efficacy and Target Engagement of 3TC After Traumatic Brain Injury"

Gabrielle Zuniga, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist in the emergency medicine residency program at the University of Texas Health San Antonio. She earned a medical degree and a doctorate from the South Texas Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her work in the laboratory of Dr. Bess Frost focused on identifying mechanisms downstream of tau-induced neurodegeneration. Dr. Zuniga discovered that tau-induced deficits in ribonucleic acid (RNA) quality control are a novel pharmacologically targetable mechanism of neurodegeneration. She also played a key role in the development and completion of the clinical trial investigating the safety and feasibility of antiretroviral therapy in Alzheimer’s disease (ART-AD). Her current research interests are to elucidate tau-based mechanisms of neurodegeneration in the context of emergency medical care of patients after traumatic brain injury. 

Elaine Hsiang, MD

Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

"Emergency Department Avoidance and Hesitancy to Seek Care Among LGBTQ+ Young Adults"

Elaine Hsiang, MD, is a social emergency medicine fellow and clinical instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and completed her emergency medicine residency at UCSF, where she also served as chief resident.

Dr. Hsiang's research focuses on LGBTQIA+ health, particularly its intersections with substance use, health professions education, and emergency care.

Dr. Hsiang is an active member of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), contributing to the SAEM Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) LGBTQIA+ Committee and the SAEM Social Emergency Medicine and Population Health Interest Group. In recognition of her work, Dr. Hsiang received an SAEM Foundation Grant for her project on emergency department avoidance and hesitancy among LGBTQIA+ patients.

Rebecca Barron, MD, MPH

Baystate Medical Center

"Influence of a Sexual Assault Curriculum on TeleSAFE's Efficacy"

Rebecca Barron, MD, MPH, is an attending emergency physician at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, and serves as an assistant professor of emergency medicine at UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate.

Dr. Barron earned both her medical degree and Master of Public Health from Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Barron completed her emergency medicine residency followed by a fellowship in Sex and Gender in Emergency Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. During her fellowship, she also obtained a Post-Master's Certificate in Evidence-Based Teaching in the Health Professions from Johns Hopkins University.​

Dr. Barron is deeply committed to women's health, public health, and medical education. She has focused on enhancing acute sexual assault care through education, research, and local and regional initiatives. Currently, she is an Access Bridge fellow, aiming to improve reproductive health care and infectious disease follow-up from the emergency department.

In medical education, Dr. Barron contributes as a small group leader in the Early Clinical Learning course.

Robert Tennill, MD

Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University

"Education Project Grant"

Robert Tennill, MD, is the residency program director and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIUSOM).

Dr. Tennill earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis before obtaining his medical degree from SIUSOM. He completed his emergency medicine residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center. After residency, he practiced community emergency medicine at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, followed by positions at Memorial Medical Center and Passavant Area Hospital in central Illinois.

In 2019, Dr. Tennill transitioned to academic emergency medicine, joining SIUSOM’s emergency medicine faculty as assistant professor and clerkship director. He currently serves as the director of undergraduate medical education in emergency medicine and plays an active role in graduate medical education as core faculty and chair of the Clinical Competency Committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Illinois College of Emergency Physicians.

Dr. Tennill’s academic and research interests include medical education, curriculum development, simulation, and rural emergency medicine.

John Gaillard, MD

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

"Using Simulation to Improve Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Utilization and Initiation in the Emergency Department"

John Gaillard, MD, is an associate professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, holding appointments in the Department of Critical Care and the Department of Emergency Medicine. 

Gaillard earned his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine and completed his emergency medicine residency at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, followed by a critical care fellowship at the same institution. 

Dr. Gaillard's clinical and research interests include point-of-care ultrasound, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. He plays an integral role in Wake Forest's ECMO program, contributing to the development of an eCPR program for cardiac arrest patients.

Samita Heslin, MD, MBA, MPH, MA, MS

Stony Brook University - The Research Foundation for the State University of New York

"Artificial Intelligence Medication Reconciliation for Older Adults in the Emergency Department"

Samita Heslin, MD, MBA, MPH, MA, MS, is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. She earned a medical degree, a master’s in business administration, and a master’s in public health from Stony Brook University, as well as a master’s in clinical informatics from Oregon Health & Science University. She also earned a Master of Arts from Harvard University. Dr. Heslin completed her emergency medicine residency at Stony Brook University, where she also served as chief resident. Dr. Heslin’s current research focuses on integrating emergency care operations and informatics. 

Walid Farooqi, MBBS

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

"Analyzing Bystander Intervention for Cardiac Arrest in a Low-Middle Income Country"

Derek Lubetkin, MD

Mainehealth - Pen Bay Medical Center

"Understanding Barriers and Opportunities of a Rural Nepal Police-Based Basic Life Support Program"

Derek Lubetkin, MD, earned his undergraduate degree from McGill University and obtained his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. ​Dr. Lubetkin completed his residency in emergency medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where he participated in the Emergency Medicine Global Health Track and the Brown Residency International/Global Health Training Pathway (BRIGHT).

Following residency, Dr. Lubetkin pursued the Coastal Maine Global Health Fellowship, focusing on building emergency care capacity by developing and implementing training curricula at the Mae Tao Clinic on the Thailand-Myanmar border.

Dr. Lubetkin is also a co-founder of Open Channel Projects, a nonprofit organization committed to expanding healthcare access by collaborating with local organizations uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change and address the specific health needs of their communities.

With support from the SAEMF GEMA Research Pilot Grant, Dr. Lubetkin aims to further his work in Nepal, where he has previously partnered with Bayalpata Hospital to develop a prehospital trauma training program. He will use the grant funding to strengthen his collaboration with HAPSA-Nepal, focusing on a police-based basic life support training initiative.

Rachel Shing, MD

Boston Medical Center Health System

"Tele-Ultrasound for Low- and Middle-Income Country Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training: Learning Curves and Post-training Use"

Rachel Shing, MD, is an emergency medicine physician and assistant professor at Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She completed fellowship training in advanced emergency ultrasound and global health at Boston Medical Center.

Dr. Shing’s work focuses on expanding access to high-quality emergency care and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) through education and research. She has extensive experience teaching POCUS in international settings, including Haiti, Ghana, Namibia, and South Africa. Her current research centers on developing sustainable local POCUS expertise in northern Namibia, utilizing teleultrasound technology to provide remote, real-time instruction. Through this work, she and her Namibian research collaborators aim to improve patient access to diagnostic imaging in a rural, resource-limited region of the country.

Arthur Jurao, MD

Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute

"Effect of High-Dose Insulin in a Porcine Model of Amlodipine-Induced Toxicity"

Arthur Jurao, MD, is an emergency physician and recently graduated as a medical toxicologist from the HealthPartners Twin Cities Medical Toxicology Fellowship in Minnesota. He earned a Master of Science in biochemistry and graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He then completed an emergency medicine residency at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, New York. Dr. Jurao’s interests in toxicology include a fascination with chemical structure/function relationships and biochemical mechanisms of toxicity. Many of his mentors during toxicology fellowship have notably conducted animal research studying high-dose insulin therapy and were the key inspiration to continue this work as a fellow and beyond. Dr. Jurao hopes to continue his career in academic research in toxicology, and foster research opportunities for the fellows in Minnesota. 

Ashley Rider, MD, MEHP

Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

"Electronic Health Record Data for Assessment of Residents’ Clinical Efficiency"

Ashley Rider, MD, MEHP, is a clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and completed her emergency medicine residency at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California. She then pursued a simulation education fellowship at Stanford and obtained a Master of Education in the Health Professions from Johns Hopkins University. Her academic interests focus on advancing emergency medicine education through simulation-based training and leveraging clinical data to enhance learning. Dr. Rider is passionate about supporting quality improvement initiatives at the Graduate Medical Education (GME) level. As associate program director for the emergency medicine residency program, she has led efforts to strengthen resident quality improvement projects, operationalize interprofessional education, and integrate clinical performance metrics into training, reflecting her dedication to enriching clinical education and fostering dynamic, collaborative learning environments. 

Marta Rowh, MD, PhD

Emory University

"Identifying Sex-Based Cardiovascular Health Inequities in Medical Education Using Natural Language Processing"

Marta Rowh, MD, PhD is an assistant professor of emergency medicine and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Racial Advocacy (DEIRA) Curriculum Thread director at Emory School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree and doctorate in immunology from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Rowh served as a physician for the Air National Guard CBRNE unit, volunteering in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic and acting as medical director for a civilian-military mass vaccination partnership. She has led various medical school programs in community engagement, public health, health systems, and policy.

Driven by a commitment to addressing health inequities, Dr. Rowh is passionate about medical education and mentorship. She teaches to empower the next generation of physicians to improve disparities in healthcare and advocate for underserved communities.

Rebecca Theophanous, MD, MHSc

Duke University

"Emergency Physician Ultrasound-Guided Nerve Block Training Simulation Assessment"

Rebecca Theophanous, MD, MHSc, is an associate professor of emergency medicine at Duke University Hospital and the emergency ultrasound director at the Durham VA Health Care System. She is actively involved with clinical ultrasound education, teaching residents and students on shift, performing weekly ultrasound image review, presenting monthly advanced ultrasound talks, and teaching at monthly resident simulation sessions. Her research work on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) includes published manuscripts and speaker presentations on three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) technology as an innovative bedside tool. Using implementation science, she has identified facilitators and barriers to POCUS training in emergency medicine physicians at Durham VA and Duke University while evaluating the program’s impact for future dissemination. Her current projects include establishing a standardized simulation model for nerve-block procedural training, assessing ultrasound competency in resident and attending physicians, and teleultrasound use to improve patient care. Dr. Theophanous was awarded the Academy of Emergency Ultrasound (AEUS) Rising Star Research Award in May 2024.  Dr. Theophanous is a reviewer for multiple medical journals and has helped write POCUS guidelines and policies as part of her hospital’s POCUS taskforce. Her academic interests include medical education and simulation, with a focus on ultrasound and critical care.