People

Margaret Goodrich, MD

Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine

University of Missouri-Columbia

Margaret Goodrich, MD, completed her medical training at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, then completed her residency training in emergency medicine (EM) and medical education fellowship at UMMS-Baystate Medical Center. After fellowship, she joined the University of Missouri-Columbia as an assistant professor in EM and currently serves as associate director for the medical education and simulation fellowship, associate program director for the EM residency, and the director of resident curriculum.

Priyanka Vakkalanka, PhD

Assistant Professor

University of Iowa

Priyanka Vakkalanka, PhD, is an assistant professor and research analysis team lead within the department of emergency medicine at the University of Iowa. She also holds an adjunct faculty appointment in the department of epidemiology at the University of Iowa College of Public Health. Dr. Vakkalanka is trained as an epidemiologist and has over 15 years of experience with study design, data management, and quantitative data analysis.

Judah Kreinbrook

Medical Student

Duke University

Judah Kreinbrook is currently a third-year medical student and candidate for MHSc in clinical research at Duke University with a clinical interest in emergency medicine (EM), cardiology, and critical care. His Master's thesis is focused on prehospital care delivery and the impact of transportation decisions on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes. Often described by colleagues as an "open-science evangelist," he has a long-term goal of enhancing the reproducibility and relevance of clinical research to practice by first focusing on open, transparent, and rigorous clinical research methodology.

Ryan Tsuchida, MD

President-Elect

University of Wisconsin

My name is Dr. Ryan Tsuchida (he/him) and I am grateful for the privilege to run for the position of President-Elect for ADIEM. I am committed to advancing academic emergency medicine and ensuring its future is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. These core values are reflected in the work of ADIEM and, as President-Elect, I will work collaboratively with our growing talent of ADIEM members to advance our organization’s mission. This work is not new to me as I bring substantial experience having previously served as the inaugural Chair of SAEM’s Equity and Inclusion – Data and Metrics Subcommittee, as ADIEM’s Membership Committee Chair, and most recently, as ADIEM’s Secretary-Treasurer.

I understand the relevant problems, practical solutions, and common barriers to DEI work. I serve as the Assistant Dean of Multicultural Affairs for Health Professions Learners at the University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health which has provided me with a broad perspective and relevant experience in organizational DEI leadership. I have experience in pathway program development, recruitment and retention strategies, organizational strategic planning, and health equity curriculum development. I have developed a reputation amongst my peers as a reliable, compassionate, and effective leader. As President-Elect for ADIEM, I will use these experiences to advocate for impactful and authentic change. I am grounded by the tenets of cultural humility which promote life-long learning, mitigating power imbalances, and promoting institutional accountability. It would be an honor to serve as your President-Elect for ADIEM.

Alexander Croft, MD

Vice President of Research/Scholarship

Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine

My name is Alex Croft, I’m the director of simulation at Washington University in St. Louis. I’m running for the vice president of research and scholarship for the Simulation Academy. I love simulation, research, and building teams that drive innovation and collaboration. At WashU, I direct programs in the School of Medicine, the Department of Emergency Medicine, and the Barnes Jewish Christian Healthcare System. For these efforts, I’ve received multiple grants to build infrastructure and systems that focus on translational simulation-based research.

My goal is to use these skills I’ve gained to build upon the fantastic tradition of collaboration within the Simulation Academy. This year, I’ve had the privilege of working with the current VP of research and scholarship—Stephanie Stapleton—to implement the Just-In-Time funding awards for the Simulation Academy. I see the mission of research/scholarship not only as a way to advance simulation science, but a way to build and foster skills for career long success. Thanks for your consideration, I hope to build with y’all!

Sarah Rose Rabinowitz, MD

Fellow

Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra-Northwell

Hello, I’m Sarah Rabinowitz, and I would love to serve you as fellow for the Simulation Academy executive committee. One of my passions in life is education. Prior to medical school, I have held multiple leadership positions in pursuit of this passion; I have worked as a private tutor, college teaching assistant, substitute teacher, volunteer in art therapy, and held leadership positions in student organizations. In medical school at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, I continued my involvement in education by becoming a student leader in the clinical ultrasound course, multiple student interest groups, and served as a mentor for junior medical students and pre-medical students. I joined SAEM as a medical student when I chose to pursue a career in emergency medicine. During residency at the Zucker Northwell Health, I have continued to serve as an educator, mentor and promoted recruitment to our program. I decided to pursue a fellowship in Simulation because of my passion for being an educator and belief that experiential learning provides the highest quality education with the added benefit of being highly enjoyable and promoting teamwork and collaboration.

I am running for the fellow position on the executive committee because I want to strengthen the academic simulation community and grow in my leadership within the simulation profession. I hope to improve mentorship, networking opportunities between alumni and current residents/fellows, and involvement in the academy. I want to promote more learning opportunities and distribution of educational content. I feel that the executive committee and academy can better serve its members in promoting simulation programs across the country, marketing learning opportunities including Terrific Tuesday meetings and improving overall outreach and engagement. We have a lot of great resources and content on the SAEM Simulation Academy website and promoting access to these resources can increase involvement among members. I propose that one way we can do this is through advancing our utilization of social media and our professional network. I want to continue to arrange professional development events and webinars and host networking events during conferences and over Zoom. Overall, if elected, I aim to use my position to strengthen the simulation community and encourage growth for the academy and its members.

Katherine Stewart, MD

Fellow

Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

I am the current simulation fellow at Brown Emergency Medicine in Providence, RI and a fellow in the Masters of Education in the health professions program through Johns Hopkin’s University. Whether engaging with large, multidisciplinary teams or small groups of medical students, I have always found it very rewarding to create opportunities for learning and reflection through simulation and have continually sought involvement in medical education, research design, and quality improvement during my residency and fellowship. My current research is focused on formalized de-escalation training for residents and front desk staff at our hospitals as well as mixed methods program evaluation for our physician peer support program. I feel my background in medical education, research, and peer mentorship will allow me to cultivate stronger connections and collaboration between students, residents, and early career physicians invested in simulation across the nation. I hope to further connect simulation fellows in similar regions either virtually or in-person to connect, share ideas, and collaborate, as well as invest in mentorship and research partnerships for young physicians in simulation nationally.

Haley Plattner, MD

Fellow

Rush University

I am currently a chief resident and the incoming simulation fellow at Rush University Medical Center. I have been drawn to Simulation as an effective tool for training medical professionals to become better clinicians, team members, and proceduralists in a risk-free environment. During both my medical school and residency training, I have sought to be involved in designing simulation experiences. This includes organizing a SimWars competition for our Emergency Medicine Interest Group in medical school. During residency I also designed a model for practicing a resuscitative hysterotomy, a procedure lab for practicing dislocation reductions and wrote communication cases to train residents in effective on-shift teaching methods with medical students . As chief resident this year in my program, I have also been involved in curriculum design for our residency and have planned our didactic calendar for the academic year. I have prioritized lecture content relevant to learning the practice of medicine and covered board-preparation  materials for my fellow residents. Each of these experiences has invigorated my passion for teaching and finding effective ways to practice and improve skills that are needed in the practice of emergency medicine .

I am running for the fellowship position on the Simulation Academy Executive Committee as I am passionate about helping simulation as an educative strategy become more accessible to Emergency Medicine Residencies and Medical Schools. In this position I would be an advocate for medical students, residents, and programs to have even more access to simulation materials through the SAEM Simulation Academy. I would advocate for expanding access SimWars access to medical students and continue making SimWars more accessible for residents as well. I would also work to implement a mentorship program for those interested in simulation in their career to connect medical students and residents with those already in the field.

Danier Ong, MD

Fellow

Saint Louis University

I am currently chief resident at the Saint Louis University emergency medicine residency program, and I was recently accepted to the University of California, Davis simulation fellowship program. Additionally, I previously served as vice chair of the Emergency Medicine Residents Association simulation committee in 2023 - 2024. These roles have given me valuable leadership experience, as well as personal insight into some of the challenges that prospective simulation fellows face as they define their future careers.

Prospective simulation fellows benefit from mentorship and networking to guide their professional trajectory. The Simulation Academy holds an experienced pool of simulation faculty and serves as an ideal source for career guidance. If elected, my primary goal would involve improving outreach to prospective and current simulation fellows and early career simulation faculty. I believe this can be achieved with increased social media outreach and increased collaboration with residents and medical students (RAMS).

As chief resident and the lead for my residency program’s social committee, I feel confident that I have the organizational and communication skills to help the Simulation Academy reach a larger audience. For example, further utilization of the Simulation Academy instagram would be an excellent avenue to not only engage the next generation of simulation educators, but also tailor Simulation Academy events to the needs of our younger members. Additionally, I would like to establish a mentorship track between Simulation Academy and RAMS. Finally, I would be interested in developing publicly available Simulation Academy educational materials and guides for those seeking a career in simulation. These efforts will enable the Simulation Academy to stand out as the primary voice and most comprehensive avenue for simulation mentorship.

Meagan Barry, MD, PhD

Treasurer

Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

As treasurer, I will promote GEMA’s mission by growing our membership base, particularly among our global colleagues, and doubling our efforts for global engagement. I bring a unique background that will benefit the role of GEMA treasurer. As an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Brown University, Providence, RI, I work closely with many present and past GEMA executive committee members. I received my Medical Doctorate (MD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. During this time, I was a member of the Baylor Research Advocates for Student Scientists, a philanthropic group dedicated to improving health through science, scholarship, and innovation. During my residency in emergency medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, I served on the SAEM RAMS board as a member-at-large. I stayed at Brown for fellowship in global emergency medicine, during which time I completed a Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (DTM&H) from the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Tropical and Preventive Medicine. Additionally, I have a Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers' Health (CTropMed) from the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. My work focuses on global infectious diseases and maternal-child health. During my tenure as treasurer, I will be an advocate for academic Global Emergency Medicine within SAEM. I will strive to represent and support the incredible diversity of research that our members accomplish while growing our membership base and strengthening global partnerships.

Tierra Smith, MD

Secretary

University of Florida

Thank you for consideration for the secretary position. I believe I would be an exceptional candidate for GEMA secretary due to my organizational skills and attention to detail. My previous leadership roles include being chief resident and serving on the GME Housestaff Council. Since becoming an assistant professor with the University of Florida, I served as core faculty for the advanced emergency ultrasound fellowship. During that time, I worked closely with the global health section to develop ultrasound training curricula and training programs with our international partners. I believe these roles have given me the necessary experience to serve as GEMA secretary. If selected, I will be dedicated to helping further the mission of the GEMA.

Oriane Longerstaey, MD

Secretary

The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Dr. Oriane Longerstaey is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Brown University. I attended medical school at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. I completed my residency in Emergency Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC and my fellowship in global emergency medicine at Brown University. My academic work is centered around Armenia, where my family is from and am the associate program director for the first emergency medicine residency in the country.

Now that I have transitioned to a faculty position, I want to become more involved in our GEMA and support those looking for a career in global emergency medicine. This work has given me opportunities I did not even know existed as a medical student. I would like to reach out to students at all points of training and provide exposure to the type of career you can build for yourself in emergency medicine.

Vinay N. Kampalath, MD, DTM&H

President-Elect

University of Pennsylvania

It is with great enthusiasm that I put forth my candidacy as president-elect for the Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA) for 2025-26. Presently, I am an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where I am a pediatric emergency medicine physician and global health researcher.

I first joined GEMA in 2020, amid the pandemic, when I felt deeply unsure of my future as a global health practitioner and researcher. Joining GEMA at that juncture injected excitement and optimism into my career, and I soon found a passionate community where I could both learn about cutting-edge advances in global emergency medicine and contribute to knowledge production. I found a community that was receptive to my ideas on how to grow GEMA, and I founded the Humanitarian Taskforce shortly after joining. The HTF, which now has over 130 members, has since grown into one of the most popular subgroups of GEMA, and we now have an active community that has produced countless webinars and SAEM pulse articles and is now working on several projects to help generate evidence in the humanitarian space. I am grateful that GEMA leaders gave me space for my ideas to flourish.

In the years since joining, I have been the co-chair of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Subcommittee and have served on the GEMA ExCo for the last two years as Program Committee Liaison and IT/Social Media Chair. In these roles, my main focus has been supporting and promoting the work of GEMA members at our Annual Meeting and on our social media platforms.

As president-elect, I intend to provide all members with a space where they have the agency to shape the future of global emergency medicine. This is particularly important for medical students, trainees, members from LMICs, and junior faculty. I intend to use my position as president-elect to catalyze collaboration opportunities for GEMA members not only within the larger SAEM community but also with external organizations, such as IFEM, AFEM, CUGH, and humanitarian and global health organizations. I also hope to encourage networking opportunities between members and to promote GEMA webinars, particularly as they pertain to career development and research in global emergency medicine.

I believe that with my experience in leadership within GEMA and SAEM, combined with my passion for global emergency medicine will make me an excellent candidate for the position of president-elect. Thank you for considering me for this position!

Thaer Ahmad, MD

Member-at-Large

Advocate Christ Medical Center

It would be my absolute pleasure to join the GEMA executive committee as a member-at-large. I am passionate about global health and have spent a considerable amount of time in the field volunteering, lecturing on the subject in various emergency departments and medical schools, and interfacing with global heath and humanitarian NGOs.
I have mostly worked in refugee health and conflict response, and would love to bring more of that perspective to the committee.

I believe the GEMA executive committee is primed to facilitating increased collaboration between medical education institutions to provide more opportunities and experiences to trainees. I believe this is the key to creating a pipeline of future leaders in global health, more research opportunities, and most importantly more successful and impactful projects.

Ultimately, I look to serve to the assembly and want to be a member that helps promote and contribute to growth, development, and sustainability. Most of my global health work has centered around the needs of supporting local healthcare workers via training, resources, or professional growth.

Priya Arumuganathan, MD

Member-at-Large

University of Pennsylvania

As a global emergency medicine (EM) fellow and MPH candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, I am dedicated to advancing emergency care worldwide through a blend of academic rigor, hands-on international experience, and commitment to health equity. My work spans diverse educational roles, including course director for the Perelman Medical Student Botswana Simulation Training, where I guide learners in key global health principles and essential skills for resource-limited environments. As core faculty for the certificate program in emergency medicine (Pakistan), I support the training of non-EM-trained physicians by teaching foundational EM concepts and developing individualized support curricula. Additionally, my role as visiting faculty at the University of Botswana allows me to mentor residents in academic research and ePOCUS certification, helping to empower the first generations of EM-trained physicians in the country.

My commitment to global health is deeply personal. As the daughter of immigrants displaced by the Sri Lankan Civil War, I am driven to promote health equity and improve healthcare access for marginalized communities. This dedication extends to my roles as fellow representative for the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship Consortium (GEMFC) and as an associate scholar with the Penn Center for global health, where I emphasize mentorship, sustainable capacity building, and empowerment of emerging global health leaders.

If elected as member-at-large, I would be honored to support GEMA’s mission by fostering mentorship, promoting international engagement, and contributing to sustainable growth in global emergency medicine. I look forward to collaborating with GEMA’s diverse community to make quality emergency care accessible for all.

Nicole Irgens-Moller, MD

Member-at-Large

Stanford University

I am a pediatric emergency medicine clinical assistant professor at Stanford University with over 16 years experience in global health. My journey began in 2008 with community outreach in Mali and expanded to include epidemiologic research in El Salvador, patient care in Ecuador and Guatemala, and now focuses on medical education in Pakistan, Rwanda, and Mexico, both in-person and virtually. I am committed to sustainable global health, believing involvement should not be limited to those who can get on a plane.

My longest partnership is with the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, where I have the honor of teaching and mentoring future global health leaders. This work enables year-round engagement in global health and the development of virtual curricula accessible anywhere and anytime. I also prioritize addressing health disparities at home; one of my most rewarding projects was an APP-funded grant to create an adolescent health curriculum on reproductive health and vaping cessation for the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. I am passionate about enhancing pediatric preparedness within all health systems, including our own.

I would be a valuable addition to the GEMA team as I bring a pediatric perspective to global emergency medicine. Dr. Leff and Dr. Kampalath are doing a phenomenal job heading the pediatric EM committee, and I think I would be a valuable collaborator and pediatric voice on the executive committee.

Joseph Ciano, DO, MPH, MS

Member-at-Large

University of Pennsylvania

I am applying to be a member-at-large of the GEMA executive committee for the 2025-2026 academic year. I have been a member of GEMA since July 2020 and have found the academy helpful in seeking mentorship and community among other like-minded global health professionals. GEMA has also provided me with opportunities to be engaged in projects in global health to which I otherwise would not have had access. If chosen for the member-at-large position, my aim is to assist other members of the executive committee in meeting the mission of GEMA, help other GEMA members engage in projects, obtain access to education on relevant topics, and find mentorship and community.

Chase C. Westra, MD

Member-at-Large

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

After participating in the Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA) throughout training, I’m looking for more committed and consistent involvement early in my academic career. Thus far, I've attended HTF, decolonization, and BEC subcommittee meetings and completed the BEC TOT course at my first SAEM conference. Soon after, I traveled to Nairobi with a group of collaborators I’d met at the conference to teach the WHO BEC course to graduates of the University of Nairobi School of Medicine. I am now working with subcommittee leaders to help facilitate the BEC TOT course at next year’s conference in Philadelphia. As a member of the executive committee, I hope to offer perspective and advocacy for resident and young physician career development through involvement in the academy. This group has offered invaluable opportunities for networking and project collaboration, and I hope to continue gleaning academic skills and savvy from the incredibly prolific and inspiring group of members involved in GEMA.

Catalina Gonzalez Marques, MD, MPH

Member-at-Large

Brigham and Women's Hospital

As member-at-large I would work to serve the membership of Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA) members. One of my main goal would be continuing to work towards GEMA becoming a more inclusive academy. Aim to work with the Ex-Co to continue to find pathways and areas of collaboration with our international colleagues, especially those from LMICs that can bring such valuable lived experience to the GEMA community. I would also support the executive committee in promoting the work of GEMA across SAEM and increase collaboration with other academies.

Andrew Louis Stricklin, MD

Member-at-Large

UT Southwestern

I am a graduate of the Texas A&M University College of Medicine, completed my emergency medicine residency at University of Texas Health San Antonio, where I served as a chief resident my senior year, and following residency, I completed a fellowship in global health and public health there as well. Since graduating, I have become an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern and is a member of the Emergency Disaster and Global Health (EDGH) division, where I assist in training disaster/global health fellows, and participate in global health projects and research. My area's of focus since joining the faculty at UT Southwestern have been emergency medicine development and disaster risk reduction in Nepal, public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and public health system resiliency to nuclear disasters. I have been a member of SAEM for years, and have presented at previous annual meetings. If elected, I would like to foster an environment that promotes better communication, improve initiatives that further the advancement of education and research, aids in funding global health for trainees and young faculty, which can often be difficult for them to obtain.