People

Sonya Naganathan, MD, MPH

Member-at-Large

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

John Austin Lee, MD, MPH

Treasurer

Indiana University Health

I have enjoyed being a GEMA member for a number of years now, and this year am serving as the GEMA treasurer. Having learned the financial aspects of SAEM and GEMA, I hope to continue in this role for next year, and continue to serve the academy and GEMA executive board. As we continue to prioritize using GEMA funds to benefit the membership, I am looking to further grow our financial base and international engagement with GEMA and SAEM.

Torben "Tom" Becker, MD, PhD

Secretary

University of Florida

I am hoping to serve the Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA) members in the role of Secretary on the GEMA Executive Committee.

I believe that my unique experiences support my candidacy. I am currently the Director of the Section of Global Health at the University of Florida where I also serve as the Founding Program Director of the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship program. I have had the privilege of serving as the former Editor-in-Chief of the Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review (GEMLR) Group, and I was part of the GEMLR group for fifteen years. I currently serve as the Chair-Elect of the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship Consortium. I am also the current Development & Grants Officer on the GEMA Executive Committee. In this role, I had the opportunity to support multiple upcoming workshops focused specifically on the needs of our members from LMICs.

Furthermore, my role as President of a non-profit organization, Global Health Coalition, which supports EMS and ultrasound work with partners in Ghana, reflects my passion for addressing pressing global health issues. Over two decades of global health work experience have provided me with a deep understanding of the complexities and challenges associated with international healthcare efforts.

My vision for this role is to leverage my diverse background to enhance the operations of the GEMA Executive Committee. If elected, I am committed to fostering transparency, effective communication, and collaboration within our organization. I will work diligently to ensure that our committee functions smoothly, enabling us to better serve our members and advance our mission.

In conclusion, I am excited to offer my candidacy for the position of Secretary and to contribute to the continued success of the GEMA Executive Committee. With my qualifications, dedication, and passion for global health, I am confident that I can make a meaningful impact in this role. I humbly ask for your support and the opportunity to serve our organization to the best of my abilities.

Thank you for considering my candidacy. Together, we can drive positive change and further our mission within the GEMA community.

Megan Rybarczyk, MD, MPH

President-Elect

University of Pennsylvania

I am honored by the nomination for Present-Elect of GEMA. I have led and/or served on several GEMA committees over the years, and I have also served as Treasurer of GEMA and Fellow Representative, Secretary, and, most recently, Chair of the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship Consortium (GEMFC) Committee.

I believe this work, along with serving as the Global EM Fellowship Director of the University of Pennsylvania Program, has given me the necessary experience to take the next steps to serve GEMA as President-Elect. If elected to this position, I will work over the next year to prepare for the role of President by upholding the vision of GEMA and by advancing its mission to improve the delivery of emergency care globally through research, education, and mentorship. In my role as Treasurer, I worked to increase membership, especially among our global colleagues, as well as to support additional opportunities for members. I plan to continue to contribute to – and expand – these efforts as President-Elect. Finally, given my interest in and passion for education, I hope to work to increase educational opportunities for and by GEMA members.

Thank you for the nomination and for your consideration of me for the position of President-Elect. It would be a privilege to continue serving GEMA in this role.

David Tillman, MD

Director, Medical Student Education

University of Wisconsin

Dr. Tillman is currently Director of Medical Student Education for the University of Wisconsin Department of Emergency Medicine. He earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed his emergency medicine residency training at the University of Wisconsin, where he served as chief resident during his final year. He then completed a fellowship in Undergraduate Medical Education at the University of Wisconsin, after which he joined on as faculty at UW in 2016. Since joining the Department of Emergency Medicine as a faculty in 2016, Dr. Tillman has led emergency medicine to be one of the most highly sought specialties in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) and has been pivotal in both advancing and evolving the EM curriculum and clinical experience for students. He serves or has served in consequential leadership roles with the School, including the ForWard Curriculum Steering Committee, Statewide Campus Direction Committee to improve and support educational experiences at clinical sites across Wisconsin, and on the Acute Care Block Design Team. Dr. Tillman also leads the Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG) at UW SMPH, a program that introduces medical students to the field of emergency medicine and fosters students’ interest in the specialty. Dr. Tillman was recently awarded the 2021 Young Educator Award from the Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine, an Academy of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. His career interests center on medical student and resident education and include mentorship, simulation, and curriculum development.

Meredith Thompson, MD, FACEP

Member-at-Large

University of Florida

After completing my undergraduate education at the University of Florida (Go Gators!), I went on to complete my medical education at the University of Virginia. I continued my residency education in Emergency Medicine at the University of Virginia as well where I served as chief resident and additionally completed a medical education fellowship. After fellowship I returned to Gainesville to join the faculty at the University of Florida in 2018 as an Assistant Clerkship Director. I have had the privilege to serve in many departmental educational roles throughout my career thus far including Assistant Clerkship Director (2018-2021), residency core faculty member (2019-present), (Clerkship Director (2021-present), and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education (2022-present). Additionally, I have been involved in educational committee work locally and nationally including as a member of our college’s Curriculum Committee, ACEP Academic Affairs Committee member, CORD ASCEM member/distribution chair, SAEM CDEM Curriculum and Assessment Committee member, and SAEM Educational Research Interest Group Member. I am also in my last year of a master's degree in education where I have been able to learn many important skills with respect to program evaluation as well as educational study methodology and techniques.

I firmly believe in the mission of CDEM to serve as a voice for EM educators and provide a forum for the development of resources and solutions to shared challenges. This forum is even more needed given the recent jobs report, a rapidly changing residency application landscape, and evolving viewpoints on the specialty of EM in the house of medicine. I am committed to advocating for the specialty that I love and that has so much to offer not only to future EM trainees but students who pursue other specialties alike. As a member at large I would like to ensure current initiatives to update and modernize the CDEM curriculum and testing platforms are successfully completed and remain useful/relevant to the membership. Additionally, I hope to continue current efforts for faculty development. This includes mentorship as well as creating additional resources for members to collaborate and advance scholarship efforts. Lastly, I would like to help CDEM champion initiatives for our specialty to promote educational equity for our students. Resources to support faculty education initiatives and for our membership to learn about best practices/innovations in evidence-based assessment techniques such as grading committees are needed.

I would be honored to serve as a Member-at-Large for CDEM to advocate for our students and their amazing educators!

Jose V. Nable, MD

Member-at-Large

Georgetown University School of Medicine

Thank you for considering me for a Member-At-Large position on CDEM’s executive committee! I graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and completed my EM residency training at the University of Maryland. I have been Georgetown’s EM clerkship director since 2016. I have served as CDEM's secretary (2022-23) and treasurer (2023-24). I chaired CDEM's Visiting Students Task force (2019-2020).

If elected, I will work to continue the exceptional progress CDEM has made to build us all up to succeed as clerkship directors. I credit CDEM for facilitating the relationships and developing resources that I leverage to inspire our students to thrive. I firmly believe in cultivating equity and inclusion in our various clerkships, celebrating the diversity of our students, patients, and our faculty. As a member of the Executive Committee, I will champion the sharing of best practices related to equity initiatives within CDEM. I will also work with CDEM leadership to improve how our specialty handles away rotation applications, making for a fairer and more transparent process for both our students and clerkship directors.

Bryanne Macdonald, MD

Member-at-Large

UMass-Chan Baystate

I graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Chan Medical School and completed my EM residency at UMass Chan-Baystate Medical Center where I also served as chief resident. I have served as Baystate’s Assistant Clerkship Director for the past two years while completing a Medical Education fellowship and obtaining my Master’s in Health Professions Education from Boston University. Like all members of CDEM, I am passionate about undergraduate education and introducing students to our wonderful specialty. My specific interests include student advising, curriculum design and reform, and pursuing diversity and equity within EM. If elected, I hope to work with the committee to identify and address commonly encountered challenges faced by undergraduate educators, further develop the educational materials provided to CDEM members while incorporating highly effective educational methods, and to disseminate updated advising guidance to those in advising roles in conjunction with CORD. Furthermore, I hope to work with the CDEM community to develop enhanced guidance on equitable application processes and application review to better serve and support all of our learners. As a young educator and physician, it would be an honor to serve as an executive committee member for a community that has already provided so much support and guidance to myself and my colleagues, while providing me the opportunity to help in continuing to improve this wonderful organization.

Jennifer Carey, MD

Member-at-Large

University of Mass Chan Medical School

I graduated from New York Medical College and completed residency at Brown University followed by Toxicology Fellowship at UMass. I am currently an Associate Professor at UMass Chan and Division Director of Undergraduate Medical Education. My roles include developing curriculum and teaching in the pre-clinical and clinical setting, clerkship director and education fellowship director. Since residency, I have been involved in SAEM and CDEM in several areas, including Program Committee, Education Committee, Curriculum and Assessment Committee and co-chair of the Career Development and Mentorship Committee. As a CDEM board member, my aim is to continue to recruit new junior faculty members, improve resource sharing, mentorship and foster collaboration among members.

Alejandro Palma, MD

Treasurer

University of Chicago

Dear SAEM/CDEM members,

I am honored to present my candidacy for the position of Treasurer on the CDEM Executive Committee. In my role as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Chicago, where I serve as the EM Clerkship Director and contribute to various leadership roles, I bring a robust background in medical education. I am proud to have been recognized as a premier educator, receiving multiple teaching awards, and securing grant funding for curriculum development from the Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators. Additionally, I hope to leverage my prior experience in investment banking to augment my role as CDEM treasurer.

My commitment to medical education extends beyond my institution. Currently, I serve as the SAEM education subcommittee co-lead, focusing on creating best practices for clinician educators and developing curricula for educating both novice and experienced learners. Further, as part of CDEM, I was the editor for the Acute Pain module in the M3 curriculum on the SAEM website.

I seek this position on the CDEM Executive Committee with a vision to make a substantial impact on the CDEM community, particularly in the crucial area of student advising. Recognizing the decline in student interest in Emergency Medicine (EM), attributed in part to post-COVID perceptions and the 2030 EM Workforce projections, I am driven to address these concerns head-on.

If elected, my goal is to initiate a grassroots effort to educate mentors within and outside of EM who guide medical students. Collaborating with other organizations, I plan to develop and disseminate tools nationally, with the aim of reshaping the narrative around EM and reaffirming its attractiveness as a specialty. This initiative aligns with the evolving priorities of our members and serves as a proactive response to the current recruitment trends in EM.

As part of the Executive Committee, I envision a dynamic and responsive CDEM that adapts to the needs of its members each year. Together, we can revitalize student interest in EM, viewing the recent decline as a call to action. If entrusted with the role of Treasurer, I am committed to helping lead this charge, providing our members with the necessary tools to shape a positive narrative about EM and foster a thriving community.

Thank you for considering my candidacy, and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of CDEM.

Bradley S. Hernandez, MD

Secretary

Regions Hospital/HealthPartners

I have been a clerkship director and assistant residency director at the Regions Hospital/HealthPartners EM residency since 2014. Over that time I have advised hundreds of medical students, written countless SLOEs and developed curriculum to improve medical student education. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison (1994) and the University of Iowa College of Medicine (1998) and the Regions Hospital Emergency Medicine residency (2001). While I have enjoyed all 22 years of my EM career, my professional highlight has been the last 10 years while serving in the role of CD and APD.

I am excited to run for the position of CDEM secretary. As a member at large for the last 2 years I have learned the basic functions of the committee and am excited to continue to contribute to executive committee. In particular I have enjoyed meeting the bright, energetic, like-minded members and collaborating to develop a dynamic curriculum which will continue to support the CDEM members. I sincerely hope to continue to serve SAEM in this capacity.

Amy Cutright, MD

President-Elect

University of Nebraska

I have served on the CDEM Executive Board for several years as both secretary and treasurer. My hope is to continue to serve the interest of emergency medicine student educators further as president elect.

Kellie LeVine, MD

Resident Member

Emory University

My name is Kellie LeVine, and I am a PGY-2 at Emory. My undergraduate education was at Duke University, where I graduated in 2017 with a major in Biology and minors in Chemistry and French. I worked as a genetics researcher at Duke prior to starting medical school at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, graduating in 2022 with Honors with Distinction in research and as an SAEM award recipient. My experience with SAEM, and more broadly, academic and national Emergency Medicine, includes involvement with SAEM and ACEP throughout medical school. In addition to presenting abstracts at Midwest Regional SAEM in 2020 and the ACEP Research Forum in 2021, I have also been a Medical Student Ambassador with both groups. I was an ACEP Medical Student Scholar in 2021 and an SAEM Medical Student Ambassador in both 2020 and 2021; I was selected as a Lead Ambassador both years. Though the event was cancelled in 2020, I was able to experience SAEM virtually in 2021 as well, and received the 2022 SAEM award upon graduating. I have additional experience in board membership and directorships through multiple groups; most notably, I just finished a tenure as a Co-Director of Social Media for the national educational organization, Foundations of Emergency Medicine (FoEM).

I am running to be the resident member of AWAEM because I want the opportunity to serve the EM community on a national level, and in particular, be a representative and voice for women in the field. I hope to bring energy and enthusiasm to the resident member position of this board and focus my attention on issues facing female and female-identifying physicians and patients alike. I hope that through this role and my own practice I can promote evidence-based, quality women’s healthcare in the ED in our current and continuously changing social and political climates.

Diana Bongiorno, MD, MPH

Resident Member

Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency (MGH/BWH)

I am a PGY-3 resident in the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency (HAEMR) program at the Massachusetts General and Brigham & Women’s Hospitals. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where I graduated from the Life Sciences and Management dual-degree program between the College and Wharton schools. I then graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and received an MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where I was a TL1 Trainee in the Predoctoral Clinical Research Training Program. I am passionate about health equity and working to address social determinants of health in the ED.

I also have a strong interest in the promotion of women in EM. I have been fortunate at each stage of my training to be able to learn from exceptional female mentors. I also currently serve as one of the co-leads of the women’s group within my residency program and have found it fulfilling to plan programming aimed at supporting female residents and fostering community within our residency. Through AWAEM, I am grateful to have had opportunities to collaborate with and learn from women in EM beyond my own institution, and I have particularly enjoyed contributing to the AWAEM Research Committee this year. I would be honored to serve as Resident Member on the AWAEM Executive Committee and work towards increased resident involvement with AWAEM.

Neha Jia Ahmad, MD

Resident Member

Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency

I moved to the US from Pakistan when I was five, and grew up in the Midwest. I studied Anthropology and Philosophy at Columbia University, and afterwards worked on criminal justice reform for the ACLU. While there I decided to pursue medicine as a career, for which I pursued a pre-med post-baccalaureate certificate at Johns Hopkins. I obtained my MD from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and my MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and am now an emergency medicine resident in the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency (HAEMR) at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

My interest in this position stems from my passion for addressing gender disparities within EM. Since starting residency I have been struck by the challenges facing women and other gender minorities within our field: from experiencing gendered bias from patients and colleagues on an everyday basis to the structural challenges that decimate female retention in leadership and academics. During residency I have channeled this passion through the HAEMR Women’s Initiative; as co-chair, I have focused on establishing formal and informal peer mentorship opportunities so that junior residents have opportunities to learn strategies for resilience and success from those with more experience. I would love the opportunity to translate this to the national scale by collaborating on individual mentorship programs and collective networking opportunities for women in EM at different stages in their careers, as I believe that strengthening our relationships and peer support as gender minorities is crucial to our collective success.

I am currently the co-chair of the HAEMR Women’s Initiative, my residency’s internal program dedicated to supporting residents who are gender minorities. During medical school, I served for two years as advocacy chair of my school’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association. In that role I engaged students across multiple health related professions in a series of town halls to identify opportunities to improve the University’s policies and practices on diversity and inclusion and served as a liaison to the administration to identify opportunities for actionable change.

Lauren A. Walter, MD

Treasurer

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dr. Lauren Walter is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School and completed her EM residency training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She is currently Associate Professor, Associate Vice Chair, and the Director of Research and Clinical Trials for the Department of Emergency Medicine at UAB. Dr. Walter has been an active member of AWAEM for several years, including recent engagement as the co-Chair for the Didactic Committee for the past two years. Dr. Walter has devoted a significant portion of her career to mentoring women in medicine at all levels. She has previously served as president of the UAB American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) faculty branch, the AMWA Region 5 governor, and the co-Chair for the ACEP Southeastern Chapters (SEC) Women in EM Interest Group. As a proposed member of the AWAEM Executive Committee, she primarily aims to continue to serve and promote women in academic emergency medicine on a national level.

Mia L. Karamatsu, MD

Treasurer

Stanford University

I am an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. I have been a faculty member at Stanford University since 2020. Previously, I was at Loma Linda University for 2 years and worked in the community for 10 years. I was at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) pediatric emergency department in Oakland and California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco. I graduated from John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii. I completed my pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowship at Loma Linda University.

Since joining SAEM 3 years ago, I have benefited from the support of its members, especially the women of SAEM AWAEM. I currently serve as the co-chair for the AWAEM Wellness Committee. I am also an active member of the SAEM Wellness Committee and SAEM Equity and Inclusion Committee. Within my institution, I serve as the Physician Wellness Champion for my department’s PEM physician group. I am an advocate for physician wellness and strongly believe in supporting and elevating the careers of female physicians. I would love this opportunity to work with other executive team members to continue the mission of AWAEM, which is to recruit, promote, and retain women in academic emergency medicine. If elected, I will continue the work of my predecessors in maintaining a balanced budget to support the mission of this academy. It would be an honor to serve this community. Thank you for this opportunity.

Amy F. Hildreth, MD, MHPE

Treasurer

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

I am eager to serve as the Treasurer on the AWAEM Executive Committee. My involvement with AWAEM spans several years, and I am passionate about taking on a more significant role within this group, as I believe it plays a vital part in supporting and empowering female leaders in emergency medicine. With a strong aptitude for financial management and a deep understanding of how fiscal stability can advance our goals and objectives, I aim to contribute to the group's success by responsibly overseeing the budget while allowing for new aspirations.

My journey with AWAEM began six years ago when I first joined as a member of the Newsletter Committee. Over time, I have had the privilege of serving as the Chair of the Newsletter Committee and am currently in the role of Microsite Chair.

I hold a medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and completed my emergency medicine residency at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency, graduating in 2017. While I have not previously held an official Treasurer position, my extensive leadership experience and adaptability, gained through various roles, make me well-qualified for this position. My previous roles include serving as the Assistant Program Director at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, leading the Combat Trauma Research Group in both San Diego and at Walter Reed, ED Simulation Director, and acting as the Navy Intern Director at Walter Reed. Currently, I hold the position of Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

I kindly request your consideration in electing me as Treasurer to help AWAEM continue to grow and thrive.

Laura Walker, MD, MBA

Secretary

Mayo Clinic

I have had the honor or serving as Secretary of AWAEM this year and enjoyed the engagement with the other members of the Executive Committee and the opportunity to benefit our membership. So far during my term we have worked on re-vamping how we organize our information to allow easier access to the membership as well as a system to pass along to subsequent Executive Committees. I believe that by continuing to serve as Secretary for another term I can help solidify a new system and prevent future re-work on the same issue.

AWAEM has been an influential force in my career over the last few years, and there is nothing I enjoy more than being able to pay that back to the organization. In my role as Secretary I have enjoyed being able to support AWAEM in a more tangible way and look forward to continuing my engagement with this Academy.

Ynhi Thomas, MD, MPH, MSc

Vice President of Corporate Development

Baylor College of Medicine

I am excited to run for the AWAEM Vice President (VP) of Corporate Development position. My motivation for running stems from a deep-seated desire to extend AWAEM's influence beyond the confines of SAEM. I envision robust collaborations not only with external organizations but also within our broader community. The prospect of redefining the VP of Corporate Development role to emphasize community engagement resonates with my vision of fostering meaningful connections and creating diverse opportunities for our members.

My background is uniquely aligned with the expectations of this role. In the past two years, I have contributed significantly as the Vice President of Education at SAEM, where I assisted with creating novel ideas for didactics and workshops for the SAEM Annual Meetings. My tenure as the Co-Chair of the AWAEM Awards Committee saw a remarkable increase in engagement and nominations. Additionally, my roles at Baylor College of Medicine, as the Assistant Medical Director of Behavioral Health Initiatives and the Assistant Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, have refined my skills in initiating, communicating, and driving forward impactful changes with a wide array of stakeholders.

These experiences have been instrumental in developing my ability to build effective teams and to inspire change toward a common goal. These skills are important for the VP of Corporate Development role. If elected, my primary focus will be to not only fortify our relationships with corporate entities to enhance support but also to engage proactively with various community organizations. This dual approach will open new avenues for our members to contribute and benefit, reinforcing AWAEM's commitment to serving and giving back to the community.

My vision for AWAEM under this role is expansive and inclusive. I aim to drive impactful changes that will not only strengthen our corporate partnerships but also establish deeper connections with our community. This, I believe, is key to building a more dynamic, responsive, and inclusive AWAEM. I am deeply committed to redefining and elevating the role of VP of Corporate Development to achieve these objectives.

My candidacy for the AWAEM VP of Corporate Development is underpinned by a proven track record of leadership, innovation, and a profound commitment to community engagement. I am eager to leverage my experience and skills to contribute to AWAEM's growth and success. I look forward to the opportunity to serve our members and community through this vital role.