January-February 2004

NEWSLETTERNewsletter of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine January/February 2004 Volume XVI, Number 1

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

That Time ofYear…

As you read this issue,you’ve likely finished many year-ly traditions: Thanksgiving meal,holiday shopping, holiday par-ties, holiday shift changes, andcelebration of your Decemberholiday(s). Another traditionalevent is coming soon….SAEMabstract preparation and sub-mission (followed by evaluation

and selection in the ensuing month.) This January tradi-tion – like those noted above – can bring joy and anxiety.

First, a brief description of the tradition in my house:No matter how many times I promise to ‘I will not wait untilthe last minute’, I do. No matter how often I say ‘that is it– the abstract is done!’, it’s not. No matter how often I sub-mit or present, telling myself ‘I know getting accepted (orrejected), won’t change my life’, I feel angst at submissiontime and notification time. In short – as a long time mem-ber, abstract presenter, abstract reviewer, session moder-ator, Program Committee Chair, and current President, Ido and feel things similar to what you are (or will be) feel-ing. I’m betting most of my Board of Director colleaguesand fellow members experience it too, albeit quietly andwith varying details and intensity. Why do we do this?

I think the answer is clear: the SAEM Annual Meetingis the best opportunity to showcase our scholarlythoughts, achievements and ideas. The Annual Meetingwas how SAEM (and its predecessor organizations)‘came to be’. Although SAEM currently boasts a large anddiverse membership, many committees, task forces andinterest groups, a world class journal, a wonderful andgrowing web site….we still all look to the Annual Meetingas ‘the time and place’ to share science and educationthoughts.

The Annual Meeting is created by humans (theProgram Committee) for humans (all of us). Inherent inthat is the possibility for greatness – choices in sessions,abstracts, speakers and events – and for disappointment.The latter is the result of the need – given time and spacelimits to make priority decisions. Those decisions – by col-leagues doing the best in a tough position – sometimesseem harsh, especially if rejection of an offering is thedecision. I felt and feel the anxiety that is a natural out-growth of that combined excellence, human touch andpotential for rejection. Like many, submissions I thought

Donald M. Yealy, MD

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SAEM NEWSLETTER

901 North

Washington Ave.

Lansing, MI

48906-5137

(517) 485-5484

[email protected]

www.saem.org

Call for NominationsDeadline: February 5, 2004

Nominations are sought for the SAEM elections which will be heldin the spring of 2004. The Nominating Committee will select a slateof nominees based on the following criteria: previous service toSAEM, leadership potential, interpersonal skills, and the ability toadvance the broad interests of the membership and academicemergency medicine. Interested members are encouraged toreview the appropriate SAEM orientation guidelines atwww.saem.org to consider the responsibilities and expectations ofan SAEM elected position.

The Nominating Committee wishes to consider as many candidatesas possible and whenever possible will select more than one nomi-nee for each position. Nominations may be submitted by the candi-date or any SAEM member and should include the candidate’s CVand a cover letter describing the candidate’s qualifications and pre-vious SAEM activities. Nominations must be submitted electronical-ly to [email protected] and are sought for the following positions:

President-elect: The President-elect serves one year as President-elect, one year as President, and one year as Past President.Candidates are usually members of the Board of Directors.

Secretary/Treasurer: The Secretary/Treasurer will be elected for athree-year term on the Board. Candidates are often members of theBoard of Directors.

Board of Directors: Three members will be elected to the Board.Two members will be elected to three-year terms and one memberwill be elected to a one-year term. Candidates should have a trackrecord of excellent service and leadership on SAEM committeesand task forces.

Resident Board Member: The resident member is elected to aone-year term. Candidates must be a resident during the entire termon the Board (May 2004-May 2005) and should demonstrate evi-dence of strong interest and commitment to academic emergencymedicine. Nominations should include a letter of support from thecandidate’s residency director.

Nominating Committee: One member will be elected to a two-yearterm. The Nominating Committee selects the recipients of theSAEM awards and develops the slate of nominees for the electedpositions. Candidates should have considerable experience andleadership on SAEM committees and task forces.

Constitution and Bylaws Committee: One member will be elect-ed to a three-year term, the final year as the chair of the Committee.The Committee reviews the Constitution and Bylaws and makesrecommendations to the Board for amendments to be considered bythe membership. Candidates should have considerable experienceand leadership on SAEM committees and task forces.

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were ‘can’t miss’ were not accepted.So why make this a President’s

Message? (And more importantly, whatis the message?) SAEM needs yourinvolvement – your willingness to sub-mit, to participate, to engage….even ifyour offering doesn’t meet the currentthreshold.Your willingness to submit – towonder about word counts, syntax,structured sections, online submission

rules and the evaluation of all that –allows us to have the best science. Ifyour work does not get accepted, real-ize you are not alone and that becauseof the human factor, the work and youreffort to share it still has value. Attendthe meeting, listen and probe, and findthe seeds for the next submission.

I look forward to you embarking on‘the January SAEM tradition’. The angst

is because of the collective effort anddesire to participate in the excellence ofthe Annual Meeting; no matter whathappens with an individual submission,you will be a part of that product by sub-mitting and attending. In the meantime,try to get started early and submitahead of the deadline….(do as I say, notas I do!)

President’s Message (Continued)

Call for NominationsDeadline: February 3, 2004

Nominations are sought for the Hal Jayne Academic Excellence Award and the Leadership Award. These awards will be pre-sented during the SAEM Annual Business Meeting in Orlando. Nominations for honorary membership for those who havemade exceptional contributions to emergency medicine are also sought. The Nominating Committee wishes to consider asmany exceptional candidates as possible. Nominations may be submitted by the candidate or any SAEM member.Nominations should include a copy of the candidate’s CV and a cover letter describing his/her qualifications. Nominationsmust be sent electronically to [email protected]. The awards and criteria are described below:

Academic Excellence AwardThe Hal Jayne Academic Excellence Award is presented toan individual who has made outstanding contributions toemergency medicine through research, education, andscholarly accomplishments. Candidates will be evaluated ontheir accomplishments in emergency medicine, including:1. Teaching

A. Didactic/BedsideB. Development of new techniques of instruction or

instructional materialsC. Scholarly worksD. PresentationsE. Recognition or awards by students, residents, or peers

2. Research and Scholarly AccomplishmentsA. Original research in peer-reviewed journals

B. Other research publications (e.g., review articles, bookchapters, editorials)

C. Research support generated through grants and con-tracts

D. Peer-reviewed research presentationsE. Honors and awards

Leadership AwardThe Leadership Award is presented to an individual who hasdemonstrated exceptional leadership in academic emer-gency medicine. Candidates will be evaluated on their lead-ership contributions including:1. Emergency medicine organizations and publications.2. Emergency medicine academic productivity.3. Growth of academic emergency medicine.

Nominating Committee Seeks Candidates forLeadership Award and Academic Excellence Award

Jill Baren, MDUniversity of PennsylvaniaSAEM Nominating Committee

One of the highlights of our Annual Meeting is the presen-tation of the Leadership and Academic Excellence Awards dur-ing the Society’s Business Meeting. The individuals selected toreceive these awards are honored for their contributions to oursociety and to Emergency Medicine at large. As the recipientsare introduced, we sit in admiration of their accomplishmentsand their tireless dedication in the areas of research, educa-tion, leadership, and service. In the process, we often becomemotivated to achieve more in our own careers as we aspire totheir ideals.

Do you know if an individual whose work in EmergencyMedicine has greatly influenced or motivated others?

Someone who has contributed to the development andadvancement of our specialty? The Nominating Committee ofSAEM encourages you to make us aware of potential candi-dates for consideration of these two awards by composing aletter of nomination on their behalf. Information on the selec-tion criteria and the nomination process for these awards canbe found on the SAEM website in the November/Decemberedition of the Newsletter. Any current member may put forth anomination. Please take some time to think about honoring adeserving colleague or mentor in this capacity. Deadline forreceipt of nomination letters is February 3, 2004.

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Letter to the Editor: November/December President’s MessageDonald R. Morath, MDAdvocate Christ Medical Center

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the discus-sion about strategies to increase dollars available to supportresearch and researchers in academic emergency medicine.You pose two basic questions in the Presidents Message inthe SAEM Newsletter, Vol. XV, Number 6. I would offer a syn-thesis of those two questions, and then provide my response,based on 30 years of experience in dealing with the pharma-ceutical industry as a practitioner and manager of physicianpractices. My response will not reflect any knowledge of theimpact of accepting funds from foundations or governmentalagencies, especially non-profits that are in no way linked toany vested self-interest in the outcomes of research.

I would humbly suggest that the question is this: Can SAEMsolicit and accept money from pharmaceutical firms and/ormanufacturers of medical devices utilized in the provision ofemergency medical care in a way that advances the mission ofSAEM without continuous and pervasive concern aboutwhether that acceptance of money influences the outcome ofresearch in academic emergency medicine?

My response is this: If the pharmaceutical company and/ormedical device manufacturer is willing to contribute funds to an

unrestricted pool of grant funds entirely controlled by SAEM,that would be a good starting point. If the benefactor had nocontrol or influence (i.e., the beneficiary was “blinded” to thesource of the funds, except for the funds being from SAEM),that would be a great second point. If the editors and review-ers of the journals to which any articles were submitted wereblinded to the source of the funds that would be an importantthird point.

Whether any funds would be forthcoming from a pharma-ceutical company and/or manufacturer of medical deviceswould, of course, be directly related to their intent in makingsuch monies available. A historical view on this issue appearsto reinforce that the intent of many, if not most, of these com-panies has been to use research as a means to introduce newproducts into the mainstream of practice. Even accepting thatthis intent is purely motivated, i.e., to improve the outcomes ofcare, that intent is based only on a belief, until substantiatedthrough scientifically designed medical research.

I will close with a quote from Thomas Aquinas: “The endnever justifies the means.” Thank you for your consideration ofmy thoughts on this matter.

Letter to the Editor: Regional MeetingsCharlene Irvin, MDSt. John Hospital and Medical Center

The regional SAEM meetings offer a rewarding opportunityfor resident research presentations. Last year’s new comput-erized submission system made submissions to the regionalSAEM meetings easier than ever. They were just a click awaywhen submitting to the national SAEM meeting.

So, I took advantage of this system, and was fortunateenough to enjoy the Mid-Atlantic, the New York and theWestern regional meetings. I took at least three residents withme to each meeting, and I found the experience very reward-ing. My residents were able to mingle with many of the greatleaders in our specialty, in a much smaller forum. They alsohad the chance to meet other residents and researchers from

all over the country (Washington DC, New York and Arizona).I am fortunate that my institution allows financial resources

for resident travel to outside meetings if they are presenters.This allowed the residents a chance to travel, discuss theirresearch projects, and get to know EM in different areas of thecountry. They also were given the chance to present their proj-ects; something that I believe is an invaluable experience. Ithink they all viewed research much more favorably after thisopportunity. They learned a lot, and I believe they grew a lot.

I believe this new system for abstract submission to region-al meetings simultaneously with the national meeting is a valu-able improvement. I applaud SAEM for their continued inno-vative vision.

Call for SubmissionsInnovations in Emergency Medicine Education Exhibits

Deadline: February 11, 2004

The Program Committee is accepting Innovations in Emergency Medicine Education (IEME) Exhibits for consideration of pres-entation at the 2004 SAEM Annual Meeting, May 16-19, 2004 in Orlando. Submitters are invited to complete an applicationdescribing an innovative new educational methodology that they have designed, or an innovative educational application of anexisting product. The exhibit should not be used to display a commercial product that is already available and being used in itsintended application. Exhibits will be selected based on utility, originality, and applicability to the teaching setting. Commercialsupport of innovations is permitted but must be disclosed. IEME exhibits will not be published in Academic Emergency Medicinewith other abstracts, but will be published in the on-site program. However, if submitters have conducted a research project on orusing the innovation, the project may be written up as a scientific abstract and submitted for scientific review in the appropriatesubject category by the January 6 deadline.

The deadline for submission of IEME Exhibit applications is Wednesday, February 11, 2004 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time. Onlyonline submissions using the form on the SAEM website at www.saem.org will be accepted. For further information or questions,contact SAEM at [email protected] or 517-485-5484 or via fax at 517-485-0801.

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Committee and Task Force Selection Process BeginsCarey Chisholm, MDIndiana UniversitySAEM President-elect

Unlike the usual academic year that drives our individualand institutional planning and goals, SAEM’s planning is driv-en by our May Annual Meeting deadline. Therefore much ofour annual planning occurs during the winter months. Themost important component of this is the development of real-istic objectives for our committees and assignment of specialneeds projects to task forces.

Committees serve as the true workhorses of our organiza-tion. Their work determines how well SAEM will advance ourmission statement during the upcoming year. These effortsare led by talented individuals serving as committee chairswho effectively coordinate the volunteer spirit of our membersassigned to their committees. The work each year focuses ona number of specific objectives. Although ultimately assignedby the President-elect, these objectives are developed bysoliciting ideas from the entire membership, as well as currentand prior committee chairs and members. The Board ofDirectors carefully reviews these assignments, which are final-ized in the early spring. Redundancies of effort, coordinationand resource allocation all are considered as objectives arefinalized.

Task Forces are unique entities developed by thePresident-elect in coordination with the Board of Directors toaddress a specific focused issue in a timely manner. Noticethe hallmark of “specific” and “timely”. SAEM relies on taskforces to deliver recommendations to the Board about theseissues in order to improve future organizational decisions with-in that topic area. At times, a task force is requested to pro-duce a very time sensitive product for the organization. A suc-cessful task force usually accomplishes its objectives withinone calendar year and almost always within two calendaryears. Done properly, a task force works itself out of existencein a short time period.

Why Should You Become a Committee or Task ForceMember?

� You believe in SAEM’s mission statement: “to improvepatient care by advancing research and education inemergency medicine”. A desire to serve the organizationin its mission as opposed to using the organization to fur-ther one’s career really is the defining issue here. If youbelieve in who we are and what we are hoping to do, wewant you on a committee or task force.

� You wish to assist in defining the future practice of yourspecialty. Our specialty is developed and advanced inacademic institutions. Ours is a special and unique task-ing, critical to the future of our specialty and the patientswe serves. We are responsible for teaching and devel-oping the next generation of EM practitioners andresearchers. We define the future practice of our spe-cialty through the work of our members, both with SAEMactivities and at our academic institutions. The creationof new knowledge (research) allows our specialty toprogress and better serve our patients. Advances weremade feasible only through the efforts of physicians likeyou working in academic institutions and disseminatingtheir information through peer reviewed publications.“Routine” practices such as rapid sequence intubation

and procedural sedation, taken for granted by our currentresidents as an expected part of their training, wouldnever have occurred without the work done in the not sodistant past. Dissemination of new knowledge throughthe educators within our organization is the second criti-cal component of the change of practice at the bedside.Thus members who wish to increase their ability todefine the future practice of EM should consider commit-tee/task force involvement.

� You have special knowledge/skills or interests in a com-mittee/task force work area. Often more junior membersare afraid to volunteer because they “lack expertise” inan area. However, if you have the time, are willing to dothe work, and have a passion for that area, you are oftenexactly what a committee/task force chair really needs.And through doing a good job, you open future prospectsfor more involvement and contributions.

Why Should You Not Become a Committee or Task ForceMember?

� You are overextended already. Committee and task forcemembership entails significant time commitments inorder to address all assigned objectives. Before you vol-unteer, look at your existing commitments and decidewhich you will be able to stop doing in order to participatein the new activities. If you fail to take this critical step,all efforts will come from your personal/family time. Oryou will find that you cannot make that sacrifice, therebybeing an ineffective member of the committee/task force.Ultimately your good intentions actually harm the organ-ization.

� You heard it looks good on your CV. Yes, P&T commit-tees do often expect you to demonstrate involvement innational organizations. The key word is “involvement”.Remember that committee/task force chairs are requiredto honestly assess your individual contributions towardsthe objectives. Showing up on paper, without making thework commitment that follows, may close the door to youfor future appointments within the organization.Conversely, that chair may serve as an invaluable cata-lyst for you to expand your contributions, or even be aterrific target to write a letter to the P&T committee sup-porting a future promotion.

� You have your own “pet project” and hope to advanceyour work in that area. Remember that the assessmentof success of a committee/task force is how well andwhether or not it met the assigned objectives. While yourideas may indeed be important, there is a defined mech-anism to assign objectives to committees/task force.Advancing one’s personal agenda often detracts fromthe ability to accomplish the assigned tasks.

How Do I Get Assigned to a Committee/task force?� First, I would ask you to be introspective about the infor-

mation above (particularly the realistic time commit-ment).

� Second, review the SAEM mission statement, 5-yearplan, and current committee and task force objectives.Where do your talents and skills lie? What can you con-

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The Program Committee has beenworking hard to organize the 2004 AnnualMeeting in Orlando, Florida, which will beheld May 16-19, with pre-day activities onMay 15. The meeting promises to onceagain have high quality didactic and sci-entific sessions along with ample oppor-tunity for networking with your nationaland international colleagues.

This year, the Didactic subcommitteereceived 64 didactic proposal submis-sions. The review process was analo-gous to that used by scientific journals.Each proposal underwent primary reviewby a subcommittee. Proposals that fitwithin the mission of SAEM and were welldeveloped were provisionally accepted ordistributed to the full Program Committeefor evaluation. After committee review,proposals fell into one of three cate-gories: accept, discussion by the full com-mittee or unable to accept. After face-to-face discussion during a ProgramCommittee meeting during the ACEPScientific Assembly in Boston, more than50 hours of programming have beenaccepted for presentation.

The Program Committee is pleased toannounce several new didactic tracks.The meeting will host a leadership devel-opment series aimed at mid and upper-level EM academicians. This trackincludes such sessions as Becoming aLeader in the Medical School Dean’sOffice, Mid-level Faculty CareerDevelopment and How to Become aChairperson. SAEM obtained an AHRQgrant to coordinate a 3-part session onResponsible Conduct of Research. Thisseries will cover protection of human andanimal subjects, authorship, publicationrights, and scientific misconduct.

A 3-part series on educationalresearch will be featured. The AnnualMeeting will also feature a variety ofcourses on research includingIntroduction to Statistics, Exploring andAnalyzing Survey Data, and Creating andDeveloping High-Quality Data CollectionInstruments. SAEM will once again offerthe Medical Student Symposia and ChiefResidents Forum as full day events. TheSAEM Board has approved a pre-daysymposia on the Business of Medicinethat will be conducted by physician man-agers from the University of Michigan uti-lizing real life examples from their institu-tion. This course includes content on thebasic economics of health care, costaccounting, operations management,finance, risk management, and physicianleadership (see page 23). With thebreadth of courses being offered, thereshould be plenty of courses to suit all ofour members’ interests.

In an effort to make the AnnualMeeting planning more inclusive, theProgram Committee issued a call for newabstract reviewers in the SAEMNewsletter. Twenty-one individuals sub-mitted curriculum vitae for review. An ad-hoc subcommittee of the ProgramCommittee determined that 17 of theapplicants had sufficient research experi-ence to qualify to review at least onearea. Additionally, the ad-hoc committeeused the Medline database to log thepublication history of all persons whohave previously reviewed abstracts forSAEM. The criterion for qualification toreview an abstract category was two first-authored peer-review full-length researchor multiple nonresearch publications gen-erally pertinent to the category. One hun-dred-thirty six persons qualified to reviewat least one abstract category. With theaddition of these 17 reviewers, SAEMnow has a total pool of 153 qualifiedabstract reviewers. The ProgramCommittee would like to thank the mem-bers of the ad-hoc committee. They wereDeborah Diercks, Sean Henderson,Debra Houry, Alan Jones, Jeffrey Kline,O. John Ma, Craig Newgard, and GaryVilke. By the time you are reading thisarticle, the entire Program Committeeshould be hard at work reviewing ananticipated 1000 abstract submissions.

The bottom line is that the AnnualMeeting planning is coming along. PutMay 16-19 on your schedule requestsand join us in Orlando.

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tribute? What areas should SAEM consider for futureefforts (all members can submit recommendations forobjectives, but NOW is the time to do so for the upcom-ing year’s cycle)?

� Third, everyone who desires appointment MUST com-plete the Committee/TF Interest Form available online atwww.periwinkle.net/saem/intform.html. This includescurrently assigned members as well! Remember com-mittee composition is rotated over several years involvingapproximately one-third of the members each year. Thisassures that all SAEM members who desire to partici-pate can do so. It infuses fresh ideas and energy, andallows identification of members with leadership poten-tial or special skills. While invariably disappointing tosome members who are not reassigned, this practicehas served SAEM very well over the years and is a criti-

cal component of individual member development.Reassignment also is influenced heavily by the chair’sevaluation of an individual’s productivity, timeliness,responsivity and overall contributions. If you did little (ornone) of the work in your objective area, were late inaccomplishing what you did, and required repetitive e-mails and phone calls from the chair, you shouldn’t besurprised when you are not reappointed.

� Fourth, when submitting your interest form, please makeyour case for appointment. SAEM is a large organiza-tion, and I unfortunately do not personally know everymember’s skills and talents. While track record goes along way for those currently serving, the interest form willbe a major factor in appointment decisions for all mem-bers.

SAEM’s mission has never been more critical for the lives of our patient population. We are charged with defining the future prac-tice of EM, and efficiently developing dissemination vehicles for that new knowledge. If you believe, I’d like to place you on theteam. See you in Orlando!

Committee and Task Force Selection Process (Continued)

2004 Annual Meeting UpdateJudd E. Hollander, MDUniversity of PennsylvaniaChair, 2004 Program Committee

Deb Houry, MDEmory UniversityChair, Didactic Subcommittee

Jeff Kline, MDCarolinas Medical CenterChair, Scientific Subcommittee

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Academic AnnouncementsSAEM members are encouraged to submit Academic Announcements on promotions, research funding, and other items of inter-est to the SAEM membership. Submissions must be sent to [email protected] by February 1, 2004 to be included in theMarch/April issue.

The Emory University School ofMedicine Department of EmergencyMedcine is proud to announce the pro-motion of five faculty members to therank of Associate Professor: DouglasAnder, MD, Director of Medical StudentEducation; Leon Haley, MD, MHSA,Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs andDeputy Senior Vice President forMedical Affairs, Grady Health System;Sheryl Heron, MD, MPH, AssociateResidency Director; Philip Shayne,MD, Residency Director; and ArthurYancey, MD, MPH, Medical Director ofthe Fulton County Office of EmergencyMedical Services.

Barbara Barnett, MD, has been namedProgram Director of the CombinedEM/IM Residency Program at LongIsland Jewish Medical Center. Dr.Barnett is an Assistant Professor inEmergency Medicine and AssistantProfessor in Internal Medicine at AlbertEinstein College of Medicine.

William G. Barsan, MD, Professor andChair of the Department of EmergencyMedicine at the University of Michigan,has been elected to the Institute ofMedicine of the National Academies.Institute of Medicine members are cho-sen for their major contributions tohealth and medicine or to related fieldssuch as social and behavioral sciences,law, administration, and economics.

Michael D. Burg, MD, Program Directorof the Emergency Medicine ResidencyProgram at the University of California-Fresno, is on sabbatical, during whichtime he is serving as the ProgramDirector of the Emergency MedicineResidency Program at the Onze LieveVrouwe Gasthuis (Hospital) inAmsterdam, The Netherlands.

Frederick C. Blum, MD, AssociateProfessor of Emergency Medicine,Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at theWest Virginia University, has been elect-ed vice president of the AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians.

Michael E. Chansky, MD, was one of11 faculty from the University ofMedicine and Dentistry of New Jerseyinducted into the Master Educators

Guild. The title of "Master Educator" isconferred by the University to recognizeoutstanding contributions to education,including classroom instruction, hospitalsetting, and mentoring. The Guild andis members initiate and promote curric-ular and faculty development, new edu-cational programs, individual or collabo-rative educational research, scholar-ship, and innovative methods of teach-ing. Dr. Chansky is Associate Professorand Chair of Emergency Medicine atRobert Wood Johnson Medical School/Camden.

Gregory P. Conners, MD, MPH, MBA,has been elected vice-chair and chair-elect of the Association of AmericanMedical Colleges Group onBaccalaureate-MD Programs. Dr.Conners is Associate Professor andVice Chair of Emergency Medicine forAcademic Affairs at the University ofRochester and directs the eight-year"Rochester Early Medical Scholars"Baccalaureate-MD Combined Program.

Mark Debard, MD, has been electedCouncil Speaker of the AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians. Dr.Debard is a Clinical Professor ofEmergency Medicine at Ohio StateUniversity.

Mark Henry, MD, has been elected tothe Administrative Board of the Councilof Academic Societies of theAssociation of American MedicalColleges. Dr. Henry is the chair of theDepartment of Emergency Medicine atthe State University of New York atStony Brook.

Debra Houry, MD, MPH, AssistantProfessor in the Department ofEmergency Medicine and AssociateDirector for the Center for Injury Controlat Emory University was recently award-ed a three year R-49 grant from theCDC ($899,998) to look at the safety ofidentifying victims and perpetrators inthe ED using computer-based screen-ing. Karin Rhodes, MD, is a co-investi-gator on this grant. Dr. Rhodes is anAssistant Professor at the University ofChicago and Director of Health ServicesResearch in the Section of EmergencyMedicine.

Richard C. Hunt, MD, has accepted theposition of Director, Division of Injuryand Disability Outcomes and Programs,National Center for Injury Preventionand Control at the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention. Dr. Hunt wasformerly Professor and Chair,Department of Emergency Medicine atthe State University of New York -Upstate Medical University.

Brian F. Keaton, MD, has been electedsecretary-treasurer of the AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians. Dr.Keaton is a professor of ClinicalEmergency Medicine at NortheasternOhio University.

Eric F. Reichman, MD, has beennamed Director of the EmergencyMedicine Residency Program at theUniversity of Texas, Houston. Dr.Reichman is an Assistant Professor ofEmergency Medicine at the Universityof Texas Health Science Center atHouston.

Earl Reisdorff, MD, has been appoint-ed by the Secretary of the Departmentof Health and Human Services (DHHS),Tommy Thompson, to the Council onGraduate Medical Education (COGME).COGME serves as an advisory panelfor the Senate, House ofRepresentatives, and Executive branch(specifically the DHHS) on such keyissues as workforce needs, GME fund-ing, and workforce diversity. Dr.Reisdorff is the Director of MedicalEducation at Ingham Regional MedicalCenter in Lansing, MI.

The Douglas A. Rund Award has beenestablished by The Ohio StateUniversity Department of EmergencyMedicine. The award will recognize theachievements of a current or former fac-ulty member of the Department ofEmergency Medicine who has con-tributed in an exemplary way toward theDepartment's growth and reputation.The award was announced by Dr.Rund's colleagues at the department'srecent 25th anniversary.

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Sarah A. Stahmer, MD, was nominatedby faculty and medical students andinducted into Alpha Omega AlphaHonor Medical Society at Robert WoodJohnson Medical School/Camden. Dr.Stahmer is an Associate Professor andDirector of the Emergency MedicineResidency Program at Robert WoodJohnson Medical School/Camden.

Robert E. Suter, DO, MHA, has beenelected president-elect of the AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians. Dr.Suter holds appointments as anAssociate Professor of EmergencyMedicine at the University of Texas-Southwestern, the Medical College ofGeorgia, and the Uniformed ServicesUniversity of Health Sciences.

Matthew J. Walsh, MD, was awardedthe Dean's Distinguished Service Awardon November 18, 2003. Dr. Walsh is anAssociate Professor and Chair of theDepartment of Emergency Medicine atTexas Tech University.

Academic Announcements (Continued)

SAEM/ACMT Michael P. Spadafora Medical Toxicology Scholarship Winners Selected

Leslie R. Dye, MDWright State University

Dr. Michael P. Spadafora was an academic emergencyphysician and medical toxicologist who was a member ofSAEM and the American College of Medical Toxicology(ACMT) and was dedicated to resident education. After hisdeath in October 1999, a scholarship was established in hisname. The purpose of the scholarship is to encourageEmergency Medicine residents to pursue Medical Toxicologyfellowship training. Two awards are provided – one funded bySAEM and one by ACMT, each for $1250. The money will sup-port travel, meeting registration, meals, and lodging for theattendance of the annual North American Association ofClinical Toxicology (NAACT) meeting in Chicago.

Applicants submitted a curriculum vitae, letter of supportfrom the program director, letter of recommendation from anactive member of SAEM and/or ACMT, and an essay describ-ing the interest in medical toxicology. There were 13 excellentcandidates with complete applications. A selection committee

consisting of six members of SAEM and/or ACMT scored eachcandidate. The two with the highest scores were chosen toreceive the scholarship.

The winners are Dr. Jeff Ferguson and Dr. Kjell Lindgren.Dr. Ferguson is an emergency medicine resident at theUniversity of Virginia. In 2002, he received the Medical StudentExcellence in Emergency Medicine Award through theUniversity of Virginia. He presented his research on“Contaminants of Moonshine” at a regional SAEM conferencethis year. Dr. Lindgren is an emergency medicine resident atHennepin County Medical Center. He was a member of theUnited States Air Force and has done research on altitudemedicine. Each recipient will submit a summary of the ACMTscientific symposium and the ACMT practice symposium forpublication in the SAEM Newsletter and IJMT. Congratulationsto both winners.

What’s New on the Medical Student Website?Steve McLaughlin, MDUndergraduate Education Committee

Wendy Coates, MD, ChairUndergraduate Education Committee

The SAEM Medical Student Website is a wonderfulresource for medical students interested in emergency medi-cine and for faculty involved with medical student mentoringand education. The SAEM Undergraduate EducationCommittee and the new SAEM Web Editor, Dave Nicolaou, areplanning a number of exciting changes to our website this year.One of the most striking changes will be a completely revisedand improved look and organizational structure. Thanks toDave for all of his hard work! The updated website will featurearticles of interest to students at all levels of training, the VirtualAdvisor Program, links to other interesting web sites, andmuch more.

There have been two new articles added to the currentwebsite. The first is a review of summer activities for medicalstudents interested in emergency medicine written by Steve

McLaughlin, MD, Associate Program Director at the Universityof New Mexico. The article can be found athttp://www.saem.org/inform/summer.pdf. The second articleprovides a student’s perspective of the past, present and futureof emergency medicine. It is a nice introduction to our spe-cialty for the newest generation of emergency physicians andcan be accessed at http://saem.org/inform/career1.htm. It waswritten by Drew Watters, a senior medical student from IndianaUniversity.

The SAEM Undergraduate Education Committee wel-comes submissions from students, residents and faculty ontopics of interest to medical students. The articles will bereviewed and edited for publication on the SAEM student web-site. Please contact the SAEM office at [email protected] formore information.

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Board of Directors UpdateSince the last Board Update in the September/October

issue of the Newsletter, the Board met via conference call onAugust 12 and November 11. In addition, the Board met dur-ing the ACEP Scientific Assembly in Boston on October 13.This article will include the highlights from these meetings.

Most of the October 13 Board meeting in Boston wasdevoted to the review of a feasibility study regarding fundrais-ing within SAEM to increase the assets of the Research Fund.Through these discussions the Board agreed to develop sep-arate Financial Management and Research FundDevelopment Committees in the coming year. In addition, theBoard approved the development of a focus group. Lastly, theBoard approved the development of an advisory board.

David Nicolaou, MD, the SAEM Web Editor, attended theOctober Board meeting and presented a concept of therevised SAEM website. The Board approved this concept andprovided Dr. Nicolaou with basic guidelines to allow him to con-tinue the development of the Society’s website.

The Board discussed a proposed Institute of Medicinesponsored conference on Emergency Medicine. The Boardagreed that an Emergency Medicine Conference would beextremely valuable to the specialty and agreed to support theconference. The Board will obtain additional information on theconference and how best to financially support the conference,especially in regards to dissemination of the results. TheBoard will decide on the amount of the Society’s financial con-tribution when the additional information is obtained.

The Board selected members to represent SAEM on anumber of projects and conferences:

� Gerard Brogan, MD, was selected to represent SAEM toparticipate in a project to develop a standardized report-ing template for trials that evaluate low risk chest painpatients.

� Doug Char, MD, will serve as the SAEM representative tothe American Heart Association project to develop anginaguidelines. This project is being led by EMCREG.

� Clifton Callaway, MD, will serve as the SAEM member onthe American Heart Association Emergency Cardiac CareCommittee.

� Felix Ankel, MD, Sam Keim, MD, Yolanda Haywood, MD,and Daniel Martin, MD, will serve on the CORD/SAEMModel Curriculum Task Force. Dr. Keim, along with Dr.Hayden of CORD, will serve as co-chair.

� Lowell Gerson, PhD, was reappointed to serve as theSAEM representative to the Specialty Section Council ofthe American Geriatric Society. Steve Meldon, MD, wasreappointed as the alternate.

� Judd Hollander, MD, will participate in a project to devel-op and review guidelines for the use of biochemical mark-ers in patients with acute coronary syndromes and heartfailure. SAEM was invited to participate in the project bythe National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry.

� A slate of nominees was submitted to the American Boardof Emergency Medicine. ABEM will elect individuals to fillpositions on ABEM and their terms will begin in 2004.

� The National Center for Injury Prevention and Controlinvited SAEM to submit nominations for five thematicareas to focus injury research pertaining to acute care.The Board submitted a slate of nominees in each of the

following topics: information and data systems; measure-ment of quality and outcomes; clinical intervention andprevention services; best and needed practices; and sys-temic effects of mass casualties and disasters.

� The Board submitted a slate of nominees for an openposition on the Administrative Board of the Council ofAcademic Societies of the AAMC.

The Board approved a letter of support to be sent on behalfof the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Theletter of support was requested by the Centers of DiseaseControl and Prevention. The Board also sent a letter of sup-port to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

On behalf of the Board, Steve Pitts, MD, developed a com-prehensive list of proposed changes in the National HospitalAmbulatory Medical Care Survey. The Board approved theproposed changes, which were forwarded to the CDC.

The Board approved funding up to $5,300 to fund the devel-opment of a web-based Undergraduate Question/AnswerBank. Funding was requested by the UndergraduateQuestion/Answer Bank Task Force, which has already devel-oped over 500 questions in 23 subject areas.

The Board approved funding up to $5,000 to complete thework originally developed by the Under-Represented MinorityResearch Mentoring Task Force. The funding will be used topurchase the expertise of a consultant who will complete theanalysis of the focus groups that were conducted in 2002 and2003, and to develop a monograph that will be made availableto departments and residency program directors. In addition,a manuscript will be developed and submitted for considera-tion of publication in Academic Emergency Medicine.

The Board approved a number of documents and manu-scripts including:

� guidelines to articulate the Society’s policies regardingdevelopment of sessions and meetings in conjunctionwith the Annual Meeting to the membership and otheremergency medicine organizations.

� a manuscript describing the SAEM Virtual AdvisorProgram, which will be submitted for consideration of pub-lication in Academic Emergency Medicine.

� the Model Review Task Force Report and the proposedchanges in the Model document.

� a CORD/RRC manuscript on the Core Competencies.

The Board approved the final schedule of events for the2003 Midwest Regional Meeting. The conference was held onSeptember 19 in Saginaw, Michigan. A conference report waspublished in the November/December issue of the Newsletter.The Board approved the 2004 New York Regional Meeting,which will be held March 31, 2004 in New York City. TheBoard approved the 2004 New England Regional Meeting,which will be held April 28, 2004 in Shrewsbury,Massachusetts.

The Board approved the recipients of the 2003 EmergencyMedicine Medical Student Interest Group grants, as proposedby the Grants Committee. The recipients of the grants werereported in the November/December 2003 issue of theNewsletter. The Board approved New Orleans as the site ofthe 2009 Annual Meeting.

The Board of Directors meets via conference call every

(continued on next page)

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month, as well as face-to-face meetings during the SAEMAnnual Meeting, the ACEP Scientific Assembly, and the CORDNavigating the Academic Waters and Best PracticesConferences. The next meeting of the Board will be held dur-

ing the CORD conferences, which will be held March 6-8,2004. The exact date and time of the meeting has not yet beenset, but will be announced in early 2004. All SAEM membersare invited to attend.

Board of Directors Update (Continued)

Grant Writing Mentorship Initiative:Progress Report and Call for Grant Applications

Deadline: April 5, 2004Gary B. Green, MD, MPHJohns Hopkins UniversitySAEM Research Committee

In recent years, one goal of theSAEM Research Committee has beento help the membership identify andgain access to the knowledge and skillsneeded to launch successful academiccareers. It is clear that obtaining inde-pendent research funding through NIH,CDC or other agency grant awards isoften a major stepping stone on the pathtowards a successful research careeras well as a common “bottleneck” inemergency medicine academic careerdevelopment. Recognizing this, theResearch Committee has undertakenseveral projects to aid the membershipin developing grantsmanship skills.These efforts have included develop-ment of a series of educational sessionsat each of the past few SAEM AnnualMeetings as well as the ongoing devel-opment of a grant writing mentorship ini-tiative.

The mentorship project was startedby the Research Committee three yearsago with the dual goals of “providing amechanism to assist in the review ofgrant applications written by SAEMmembers,” as well as the creation of anannual forum where successful andaspiring grant writers could share les-sons learned concerning the “art” ofgrantsmanship. The project was suc-cessfully piloted during both the 2002and 2003 Annual Meetings. During apacked session at the 2002 AnnualMeeting, the principal investigators oftwo previously unsuccessful grant appli-cations presented their work andengaged in a dynamic, open discussionwith a panel of expert reviewers and thesession audience. In May 2003, threeadditional grant writers volunteered theirapplications for review using a slightlydifferent format. Each application wasfirst discussed in a small group sessionwith two assigned expert reviewers andthe applicant in order to give the grant

writer more detailed feedback. A sepa-rate open session was then held witheach of participating reviewer/panelistsproviding a summary of major “takehome” points regarding a different por-tion of the grant application. Each ofthese sessions was well attended andSAEM has received extremely positivefeedback from both the open sessionattendees and the grant writers whoseapplications were reviewed.

This year, we hope to significantlyexpand the mentorship initiative andcontinue to refine the format. The ini-tiative will again include two compo-nents, individual grant review and anopen educational forum. However,based on experience and feedbackgained during the last two years, the for-mat will be modified as follows.Recognizing the demand for one-on-one in depth mentorship of junior andmidlevel grant writers, we will seek tooffer the service of matching volunteerexperienced researchers/reviewers withinexperienced grant writers to all SAEMmembers, including inviting all unsuc-cessful SAEM and EMF applicants toparticipate. Further, in order to elimi-nate any potential barriers to participa-tion and provide a more substantivementorship experience, each grantapplicant will be given the opportunity tomeet privately with two expert reviewersduring the Annual Meeting prior to theopen session.

The open session (forum) will beheld following the individual reviews.For this session, two grant applicationswill be selected from among thosereviewed based upon the general appli-cability of the lessons to be learned fromthe grant review and the ability of thereviewers and the grant writer to partici-pate in the open forum. During this ses-sion, each grant writer will give a briefsummary of the application and each of

the two expert reviewers will then offerand explain their constructive feedback.However, the bulk of the time during thesession will be reserved for a dynamic,interactive discussion between the pan-elists, the grant writers and the audi-ence in order to extrapolate specificcomments raised during the reviews togeneral principles of grantsmanship.

Call for Grant Applications: We aretherefore seeking submissions of non-funded or complete but yet-to-be sub-mitted grant applications from EM facul-ty or fellows. Those who submit anapplication can expect to receivedetailed (verbal) feedback and construc-tive criticism that will strengthen theirapplication and increase chances forfuture funding as well as an opportunityto directly interact with a successful,experienced grant writer/principal inves-tigator. To the extent possible, applica-tions will be paired with expert reviewersaccording to the type of submission andthe subject matter.

Applicants should submit the “sci-ence portion” of their grant application,including abstract, hypotheses, specificaims, previous work and methods aswell as copies of any previous reviews(“pink sheets”). A cover letter should beincluded with a brief “history” of theapplication such as to where and whenit has been previously submitted as wellas to what agency and deadline doesthe author hope to resubmit. Althoughthe service may be further expanded inthe future, at present, applicants mustattend the SAEM Annual Meeting inorder to participate in the grant writingmentoring initiative. Applicants shouldsubmit their materials electronically [email protected] by April 5, 2004. Forquestions contact Gary Green [email protected].

The SAEM Newsletter is mailed every other month to approxi-mately 6000 SAEM members. Advertising is limited to fellowshipand academic faculty positions. Deadline for the March/AprilNewsletter is February 1, 2004. All ads are posted on the SAEMwebsite at no additional charge.

Advertising Rates:Classified ad (100 words or less)

Contact in ad is SAEM member $100Contact in ad non-SAEM member $125

Quarter page ad (camera ready)3.5” wide x 4.75” high $300

To place an advertisement, email the ad, along with contact per-son for future correspondence, telephone and fax numbers, billingaddress, ad size and Newsletter issues in which the ad is toappear to: Carrie Barber at [email protected]

Call for AEM ReviewersDeadline: February 1, 2004

The editors of AEM invite interested SAEM membersto submit nominations to serve as peer reviewers forAcademic Emergency Medicine. As an indicator offamiliarity with the peer-review process, the medicalliterature, and the research process in general, peer-reviewers are expected to have published at least twopeer-reviewed papers in the medical literature as first orsecond author. Some of these papers should be originalresearch work. Alternatively, other scholarly work orexperience will be considered as evidence of expertise(i.e., informatics experience demonstrated by network/database/desktop development).

AEM peer-reviewers are invited to review specificmanuscripts based on their area(s) of expertise. Once areviewer has accepted an invitation to review amanuscript, the reviewer is expected to complete thereview within 14 days of receipt of the manuscript.

In order to provide feedback to reviewers, reviewersreceive the consensus review from each manuscript thatthey review. In addition, each review is evaluated by thedecision editor in the areas of timeliness, assessment ofmanuscript strengths and weaknesses, constructivesuggestions, summarizing major issues and concerns,and overall quality of the review. Scores are compiled inthe AEM database. Each year the Editor-in-Chiefdesignates Outstanding Reviewers for publicacknowledgment of excellent contributions to the peer-review process. Most appointments as peer reviewer arefor three years. Reviewers whose consistently fail torespond to request to review, who are unavailable toperform reviews, or who submit later or incompletereviews may be dropped from the peer reviewer databaseat any time, at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

Individuals interested in being considered forappointment as an AEM peer reviewer must send a letterof interest including areas of expertise as defined on thereviewer topic survey and a current CV. The reviewertopic survey can be found at www.saem.org/inform/resurvey.htm. All applications should besubmitted electronically to [email protected] by February1, 2004.

More Programs Participate in Group Resident Discount

Since the November/December issue of the Newsletter, threeadditional residency programs have signed up for the groupresident discount program. This program allows residentmembers of a program to become members of SAEM at a dis-counted rate, with all of the paperwork being handled by theresidency program to alleviate individual applications and pay-ments from the residents. SAEM would like to thank the fol-lowing programs:

Brigham and Women’s HospitalHenry Ford HospitalUniversity of Louisville

This means that there are currently 73 residency programswho participate in the group resident discount program. Thisyear the program has provided SAEM membership to 2325residents.

Call for Papers“Using Information Technology to Improve

ED Patient Care”The use of information technology (IT) in the ED is bound

to increase. Information technology has the potential to quick-ly provide data that can be used to study essential topics relat-ed to the practice of emergency medicine. The questions thatcould be answered with good ED IT are nearly endless, andinclude how to reduce medical errors, assure quality and equalED care, document and monitor ED overcrowding, identifyemerging infectious diseases or bioterrorism, and mend theunraveling safety net. However, there are currently no stan-dards for ED IT. There is no definition of essential componentsof an adequate information system, of universal minimumrequirements for data collection, of common language to allowinformation exchange. Unless the emergency medicine aca-demic community has input into these issues, we will lose thechance to design and implement this powerful clinical tool inthe way best suited to our needs.

The 2004 AEM Consensus Conference will be held May15, 2004 as a pre-day session before the SAEM AnnualMeeting in Orlando. The conference will address the issues ofdeveloping ED IT standards for design, implementation, datarecording, information exchange and IT research; developingan ED IT research agenda; determining how systems issuesand clinical practice patterns need to be considered in devel-oping good ED IT; and determining how ED clinical IT canimpact ED residency training.

AEM has issued a Call for Papers on “Using IT to ImproveED Patient Care.” Original contributions describing relevantresearch or concepts in this topic area will be considered forpublication in the Special Topics issue of AEM, November2004, if received by April 1, 2004. All submissions will be peerreviewed by guest editors with expertise in this area. If youhave questions, contact Michelle Biros at [email protected] the SAEM Newsletter and the AEM and SAEM web-sites for more information about the Consensus Conference.

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11

Report from the AAMC: Access and QualityDavid Sklar, MDUniversity of New MexicoSAEM representative to the AAMC

James Hoekstra, MDWake Forest UniversitySAEM representative to the AAMC

On November 7-12, the Associationof American Medical Colleges (AAMC)held its 114th Annual Conference inWashington, DC. The theme of thisyear’s meeting was “Enhancing Accessand Quality.” Jordan Cohen, MD,President of the AAMC, provided hiskeynote address to the attendees,stressing that in our quest to follow thedollars and grow, we must keep in mindour mission and meaning. He raisedthe question, “Do we need to grow at thepresent rate to maintain our mission?”He emphasized that academic medicinehas done a very good job of expandingand developing programs and institu-tions in areas that are funded or finan-cially profitable. As our clinical enter-prises grow, large gaps in quality remainunaddressed, and as our researchenterprises grow, physician scientistsremain an endangered species.Similarly, academic medical centers arehuge, but our margins are miniscule.We have bigger departments, but fewcolleagues. We have more patients, butlittle time to spend with them. We haveopportunities to improve, but little timeto realize them. He reminded the audi-ence and his colleagues that we shouldkeep our mission in mind, and work tomaintain quality in our care and accessto our patients in need. We must recog-nize that our core mission is also edu-cation, which often gets lost in thesearch for more dollars to enhance ourgrowth and financial stability. Hestressed that in recognizing our mission,we will be better able to define our-selves and our value to society.

In academic emergency medicine, itprobably wouldn’t hurt to apply Dr.Cohen’s observations in our own shops.As our volume continues to grow (muchof it out of our control), we must main-tain our focus on our core missions:education, quality, and access.Education of our residents and medicalstudents, quality in our patient care, andaccess to underserved populations

should remain our focus. Growth andthe financial windfall that often comeswith it should be focused on our mis-sion, not on growth for the sake ofgrowth.

As participating academic societies,AACEM and SAEM conducted sessionsduring the meeting. These sessionsincluded the following: The Role ofAcademic Medical Centers Serving thePublic’s Health, Emerging Threats andOpportunities, Emergency Medicineand its Role in Public Health, EmergingInfections and Bioterrorism,” and “NIHGrant Opportunities and Process”. Inthe first session, a panel that includedDr. Cristina Beato, Acting AssistantSecretary for Health; Dr. William Raub,Principle Deputy, Assistant Secretary forPublic Health, EmergencyPreparedness; Dr. Elliott Sussman,chair-elect, Council of TeachingHospitals, and Dr. Georges Benjamin,executive director of the AmericanPublic Health Association. This illustri-ous panel conducting an exchange withthe largely emergency medicine audi-ence concerning funding opportunities,collaborations, and gaps in the presentsystem of surveillance and response tobioterrorist threats. There was a broadrecognition that the emergency depart-ment in its presently overcrowded andstressed state may not have adequateflexibility to respond to a significantthreat and that utilizing other resourcesand planning to incorporate otherresources is essential. It was noted thatthere will likely be continued govern-mental support for grants to institutionsinterested in working on those issuesalthough much money will be fundedthrough the State Departments ofHealth. In the next presentation, Dr.Georges Benjamin described the expe-rience with anthrax and identified thesurprises and lessons learned throughthe response to the appearance of let-ters with anthrax spores and the pres-entation of patients with anthrax.

Balancing early notification of the publicwith accurate information and avoid-ance of misinformation when data is notclearly indicating a threat represents achallenge for public health officials. Thesession with the NIH officials coveredareas such as whether an NIH sectiondevoted to Emergency Medicine was arealistic goal, how emergency medicinecould find an alternative home for itsgrant applications, and ways of learningabout grants that are funded. The needfor emergency medicine researchers toparticipate on study sections that reviewgrants was also identified and theAACEM will be sending out a letter to itsmembers asking for names and supportfor individuals who could make the com-mitment to sit on a study section.

Many of the sessions at the AAMCAnnual Meeting were devoted to educa-tional “hot topics.” Residency work hourlimitations remain a distinct concern onthe plates of many GME program direc-tors. Sessions and workshops on theACGME competencies and how to doc-ument them were also well attended.The innovations in medical educationexhibits have become a smorgasbord ofcomputer simulations and animations,with more web-based curricula and vir-tual patient encounters on display thanever before. Documenting core compe-tency via the simulation route or cadav-eric teaching scenarios has becomeextremely popular in medical education,as patient safety and quality concernslimit resident and student responsibilityin patient care. The rest of the meetingemphasized quality improvement, errorreduction, benchmarking, and other tra-ditional AAMC topics such as admis-sions processes for medical schools,education research, governmental rela-tions, finance, and politics. Dr. MarkHenry from AACEM was elected to theadministrative board of the Council ofAcademic Societies, which will giveEmergency Medicine a seat at animportant leadership table in the AAMC.

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ACADEMIC RESIDENTNews and Information for Residents Interested in Academic Emergency Medicine

Edited by the SAEM GME Committee

During your residency, a number of strict RRC-EMrequirements were followed that ensured education in sixdefined core competencies:

� Patient care� Medical knowledge� Interpersonal skills and communication� Professionalism� Systems-based practice� Practice-based learning

Once you finish your residency, it is important to rememberthat your own education does not stop there. Medical knowl-edge changes rapidly, and specific techniques for keeping upwith these changes must be developed. Your residencyshould be looked at as the beginning of your education.Especially for patient care, medical knowledge, and practice-based learning competencies, you must develop a strategyfor maintaining these competencies. This article will discussa number of strategies to maintain these competencies.

The majority of emergency medicine residency graduates goon to practice in nonacademic-affiliated hospitals. This is animportant point because up to now you have been guaran-teed a minimum of five hours of conference time on a week-ly basis that addresses many of the competencies, especial-ly medical knowledge. Once you graduate you will be respon-sible for maintaining these core competencies.

Specific MethodsThere are a number of ways to continue your medical educa-tion. These include:

� ABEM Life-Long Learning article selection� Subscription CME� Away CME courses� Hospital CME offerings� ED group approach to dividing the Model of Clinical

Practice� Individual reading

Although it is important that a strategy be identified and car-ried out, it is less important which method(s) is used than it isto emphasize that a strategy be developed and followed. Aconsideration in developing a lifelong learning strategy is thatit must address your own individual needs, the practice-based learning competency.

The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) hasdeveloped a Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment (LLSA)program that will be required to maintain certification. LLSAidentifies 20 articles on a yearly basis, accompanied by an

online quiz administered yearly based on these 20 articles.These articles are considered key articles that will benefit allemergency physicians. A shortcoming in using this as yourprimary approach to maintaining your own education is that itdoes not identify your own individual needs as to what youneed to become better versed in (practice-based learning). Itis important to remember that the LLSA program is mandato-ry for maintaining ABEM certification. Any strategy devel-oped for lifelong learning will have to include LLSA.

Subscription CME remains a good choice for CME followingresidency training. CME articles are sent on a biweekly,monthly, or semi-monthly basis. These articles are usuallywritten by respected emergency physicians with an interest inthat specific topic. Category 1 credit is usually offered byanswering questions related to the article. There are multiplepotential sources for this type of CME, from specialty societyto private offerings. They are of high caliber. The same short-coming exists for this method as in the ABEM LLSA, in thatthe content is decided and is not based on your specificneeds.

Away CME courses are an excellent way to gain state-of-the-art knowledge about specific content areas. Many annualmeetings have multiple topic lectures to choose from. Theseare also an excellent way to address specific needs that youhave identified (practice-based learning). These can befound through individual mailings, emergency medicine jour-nals, as well as word of mouth. The downside of away CMEis their cost. Although deductible as an expense for you orthe corporation you work for, away CME is one of the mostexpensive methods of gaining CME.

Individual hospital CME offerings remain a good way of gain-ing knowledge in specific areas, as well as interact with otherspecialists at your own or a neighboring hospital. If you arefortunate enough to be in close proximity to an EM residency,ask to be placed on a mailing list for their conferences. Youmay find that they offer conferences from time to time thataddress your needs.

A key point to remember is that the practice of emergencymedicine covers a vast amount of material, defined in theModel of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine. It isvery difficult to keep up in all areas defined in this document,available at most EM specialty society websites. Some EMgroups at individual hospitals have taken a group approach tothis. As an example, most individual emergency physicianshave a few areas of emergency medicine that they have aparticular interest in, whether toxicology, environmental

Core Competencies Maintenance Following Residency GraduationMichael S. Beeson, MDAkron City Hospitalfor the GME Committee

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emergencies, etc. Some groups have assigned topic areaswithin the Model of the Clinical Practice of EmergencyMedicine to specific attendings. Each attending then scansfor articles in the major journals that pertain to their areas.Specific articles that are considered to be important withinthese areas are disseminated to the rest of the group, eitherinformally or at a monthly “journal club.” By pooling theresources of the entire group, an efficient method of moni-toring for key articles within the Model of Clinical Practice ofEmergency Medicine is developed, benefiting the entiregroup.

Finally, a key piece of improvement of your own practice isthe identification of areas of weakness. The easiest way to

identify these areas is during work shifts. For each patientthat you see, answer the question of whether you felt com-fortable managing their presentation and ultimate diagno-sis. If the answer is no, you have identified an area youneed to learn more about- the core competency of practice-based learning. Maintain a list of these areas, and targetyour reading and CME to address these needs.

In summary, once residency training is completed, ongoingmethods to maintain competency in patient care and med-ical knowledge must be developed. Through practice-based learning techniques your own CME can be targetedto address your own specific needs.

CPC Competition Submissions SoughtDeadline: February 3, 2004

Submissions are now being accepted from emergencymedicine residency programs for the 2004 Semi-Final CPCCompetition to be held May 15, 2004, the day before theSAEM Annual Meeting in Orlando. The deadline for submis-sion of cases is February 3, 2004 with an entry fee of $250.Case submission and presentation guidelines will be postedon the CORD website at www.cordem.org. Online submissionwill be required.

Residents participate as case presenters. Programs areencouraged to select junior residents who will still be in theprogram at the time of the Final Competition. Each participat-ing program selects a faculty member who will serve as dis-cussant for another program’s case. The discussant willreceive the case approximately 4-5 weeks in advance of the

competition. All cases are blinded as to final diagnosis andoutcome. Resident presenters provide this information aftercompletion of the discussants presentation.

The CPC Competition will be limited to 60 cases selectedfrom the submissions. A Best Presenter and Best Discussantwill be selected from each of the six tracks.

Winners of the semi-final competition will be invited to par-ticipate in the CPC Finals to be held in San Francisco duringthe ACEP Scientific Assembly in October. A Best Presenterand Best Discussant will be selected.

The CPC Competition is sponsored by ACEP, CORD,EMRA, and SAEM. If you have any questions, please contactCORD at [email protected], 517-485-5484, or via fax at 517-485-0801.

Nominations Sought for Resident Member of the SAEM Board of DirectorsThe resident Board member is elect-

ed to a one-year term and is a full votingmember of the SAEM Board ofDirectors. The deadline for nominationsis February 5 2004.

Candidates must be a resident dur-ing the entire one-year term on theBoard (May 2004-May 2005) and mustbe a member of SAEM. Candidatesshould demonstrate evidence of stronginterest and commitment to academic

emergency medicine. Nominationsshould include a letter of support fromthe candidate’s residency director, aswell as the candidate’s CV and a coverletter. Nominations must be sent elec-tronically to [email protected]. Candi-dates are encouraged to review theBoard of Directors orientation guidelineson the SAEM website at www.saem.orgor from the SAEM office.

The election will be held via mail bal-

lot in the Spring of 2004 and the resultswill be announced during the AnnualBusiness Meeting in May in Orlando.

The resident member of the Boardwill attend four SAEM Board meetings;in the fall, in the winter, and in the spring(at the 2004 and 2005 SAEM AnnualMeetings). The resident member willalso participate in monthly Board con-ference calls.

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AHRQ to Support Health Information Technology Projectsto Improve Patient Safety and Quality of Care

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)today announced that it is seeking applications for approxi-mately 100 grants to plan, implement, and demonstrate thevalue of health information technology to improve patient safe-ty and quality of care. These grants will be part of a $50 millionportfolio of grants, contracts, and other activities to demon-strate the role of health information technology to improvepatient safety and the quality of care.

The $41 million grant program, “TransformingHealthcare Through Information Technology,” includes grantsfor planning and implementation of health information technol-ogy in communities as well as grants to examine its value. Theawards, supporting over 100 new research and demonstrationprojects, will comprise the core of AHRQ’s Health InformationTechnology portfolio. Applications will be accepted from pub-lic and private non-profit organizations, including universities,clinics, and hospitals; for-profit organizations (for implementa-tion grants only); faith-based organizations; and state and localgovernment agencies throughout the United States.

The Agency expects to award up to $24 million to fund asmany as 48 new implementation grants under the first Requestfor Applications, with up to $14 million going to small and ruralhospitals and communities. The RFA emphasizes the impor-tance of community partnerships. AHRQ will provide up to 50percent of the total costs in matching funds, not to exceed$500,000 per year, for each project. Letters of intent are dueFebruary 22, 2004, and applications are due April 22, 2004.For further information, go to the NIH Guide atht tp: / /grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/r fa- f i les/RFA-HS-04-011.html.

As much as $7 million is expected to be awarded under thesecond RFA to fund up to 35 new planning grants to providecommunities and organizations with the resources needed todevelop their health information technology infrastructure andcompete for future implementation grants. At least $5 millionis expected to be used to support applicants from rural and

small communities. Projects can last up to 1 year, and appli-cants may request budgets of up to $200,000 in total costs.Letters of intent are due March 22, 2004, and applications aredue April 22, 2004. For further information, go to the NIHGuide at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HS-04-010.html.

Demonstrating the value derived from the adoption, diffu-sion, and use of health information technology will be the focusof the third RFA, awarding approximately $10 million to up to20 new grantees. The objective of these projects will be to pro-vide health care facilities and providers with the informationthey need to make informed clinical and purchasing decisionsabout using health information technology. Applicants mayrequest budgets of up to $500,000 per year in total costs.Letters of intent are due March 22, 2004, and applications aredue April 22, 2004. For further information, go to the NIHGuide at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HS-04-012.html.

The remainder of the $50 million portfolio will be spent onother activities, including the creation of a Health InformationTechnology Resource Center to aid grantees by providingtechnical assistance, provide a focus for collaboration, serveas a repository for best practices, and disseminate neededtools to help providers explore the adoption and use of healthinformation technology to improve patient safety and quality ofcare.

AHRQ also will award the Indian Health Service $2 millionin fiscal year 2004 toward the enhancement of the IHS elec-tronic health record. This will permit individual facilities flexi-bility in how they configure their electronic health record sys-tem. The creation of an IHS electronic health record is con-sistent with tribal leaders’ identification of the need for a user-friendly data system that can provide community specifichealth care data and track the health status of the patient pop-ulation. This need has been identified as one of seven top trib-al priorities during HHS tribal consultation.

SAEM 2004 Research Grants

EMF/SAEM Medical Student Research GrantsThis grant is co-sponsored by the Emergency Medicine Foundation and SAEM. It provides up to $2,400 over 3months for a medical student to encourage research in emergency medicine. More than one grant is awarded eachyear. The trainee must have a qualified research mentor and a specific research project proposal. Deadline:February 6, 2004.

Geriatric Emergency Medicine Resident/Fellow GrantThis grant is made possible by the John A. Hartford Foundation and the American Geriatric Society. It provides upto $5,000 to support resident/fellow research related to the emergency care of the older person. Investigations mayfocus on basic science research, clinical research, preventive medicine, epidemiology, or educational topics.Deadline: March 5, 2004.

Further information and application materials can be obtained via the SAEM website at www.saem.org.

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The Program Committee is now accepting abstracts for review fororal and poster presentations. The meeting will take place April 28,2004, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at the Hoagland-Pincus Conference Centerin Shrewsbury, MA; www.umassmed.edu/conferencecenter/

The deadline for abstract submission is Tuesday, January 6,2004 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Only electronic sub-missions via the SAEM online abstract submission form atwww.saem.org will be accepted. Acceptance notification will besent mid-March 2004.

Please send registration forms to: Gail Kolodziej, Staff Assistant,Department of Emergency Medicine; Porter 5979, BaystateMedical Center, 759 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01199.Email contact is [email protected]

Registration Fees: Faculty = $100; Residents/Nurses = $50;EMTs/Students = $25. Late fee after April 9, 2004 = add $25.Make checks payable to Baystate Medical Center Emergency Dept.

Call for Abstracts

8th Annual New England RegionalSAEM Meeting

Keynote Speaker: Jeffrey Kline, MD

April 28, 2004Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

�Call for Abstracts

Southeastern RegionalSAEM MeetingMarch 19-20, 2004

Chapel Hill, NC

The 2004 Southeastern Regional SAEM Meeting willbe held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on March 19-20, 2004. The program committee is now acceptingabstracts for oral and poster presentations. Abstractsmust be submitted electronically via the SAEM website at www.saem.org by February 1, 2004.

There will be oral and poster research presentations,round table discussions with leaders in AcademicEmergency Medicine, keynote presentations bynationally recognized emergency physicians, andtime to socialize with colleagues in the south east.

Registration: medical students and residents are par-ticularly encouraged to attend, and receive a dis-counted registration fee of $50 (medical students)and $75 (residents or nurses). Registration for attend-ing physicians is $125. For assistance with registra-tion and hotel accommodation, contact: Julie Vissers• phone: (866) 924-7929 or (919) 932-6761 • fax:(404) 795-0711 • email [email protected] In orderto get the conference rate for accommodations, youmust reserve your room by February 18, 2004.

EMF Grants AvailableThe Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) grant applica-tions are available on the ACEP web site at www.acep.org.From the home page, click on “About ACEP,” then click on“EMF,” then click on the “EMF Research Grants” link for a com-plete listing of the downloadable grant applications. The fund-ing period for all grants is July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005.

Career Development GrantA maximum of $50,000 to emergency medicine faculty at theinstructor or assistant professor level who needs seed moneyor release time to begin a promising research project.Deadline: January 16, 2004. Notification: April 5, 2004.

Research Fellowship GrantA maximum of $75,000 to emergency medicine residencygraduates who will spend another year acquiring specific basicor clinical research skills and further didactic training researchmethodology. Deadline: January 16, 2004. Notification:April 5, 2004.

Neurological Emergencies GrantThis grant is sponsored by EMF and the Foundation forEducation and Research in Neurological Emergencies(FERNE). The goal of this directed grant program is to fundresearch based towards acute disorders of the neurological

system, such as the identification and treatment of diseasesand injury to the brain, spinal cord and nerves. $50,000 willbe awarded annually. Only clinical applications will be consid-ered - no basic science applications will be accepted.Deadline: January 16, 2004. Notification: April 5, 2004.

ENAF Team GrantThis grant specifically targets research that is designed toinvestigate the topic of ED overcrowding. Proposals may focuson a number of related areas, including: definitions and out-come measures of ED overcrowding, causes and effects of EDovercrowding, and potential solutions to the problem of EDovercrowding. Applicants must provide evidence of a true col-laborative effort between physician and nurse professionalsand must delineate the relative roles of the participants interms of protocol development, data collection, and manu-script preparation. A maximum of $20,000 will be awarded.Deadline: January 16, 2004. Notification: April 5, 2004.

Medical Student Research GrantThis grant is sponsored by EMF and SAEM. A maximum of$2,400 over 3 months is available for a medical student toencourage research in emergency medicine. Deadline:February 6, 2004. Notification: April 5, 2004.

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Geriatric Emergency Medicine UpdateLowell Gerson, PhDNortheastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine

Up to about a decade ago geriatrics was largely the province of the primary care specialties. Little attention had been paid toimproving knowledge and skills of surgical and related medical specialists, even though they treat a large number of olderpatients. There are about 16 million emergency department visits a year by people > 65 years old. The John A HartfordFoundation recognized the need to increase non primary care physicians’ ability to manage the special needs of older patientsand in 1992 awarded the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) a planning grant to develop expertise in surgical and related med-ical specialties. Emergency Medicine was one of the original five specialties invited to join the project. This project, now in its thirdphase, includes ten specialties (Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, Gynecology, Ophthalmology,Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Thoracic Surgery and Urology) and is operating witha $5.9 million award from the Hartford Foundation.

The project became formalized within the AGS with the establishment of a Section for Surgical and Related Medical Specialties.The Section’s Council includes representatives of the ten specialties. It has accomplished much in the short time it has been inexistence. The Council organizes an annual educational and research meeting presented in conjunction with the AGS, facilitatesthe exchange of information between specialists and geriatricians, and provides direction and oversight to the AGS/John A.Hartford Foundation project. Its goals are:

� To strengthen geriatrics education for all trainees in the ten targeted specialties.� To facilitate sharing of ideas, information, and goodwill between geriatricians and specialists and among specialties.� To stimulate the career development of faculty in promoting geriatrics training and research within their own professional dis-

ciplines.� To foster the development of research on aging in the surgical and related medical specialties

The Section sponsors a number of programs from which our members have benefited. These include:� Geriatric Education for Specialty Residents (GESR). Gives program directors the opportunity to enhance their program.� Research Agenda Setting Process (RASP). Identified important research questions in the ten specialties and questions that

crosscut the specialties.� Discretionary Grants. We are using these to support resident/fellow research.� Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Program. This program is jointly funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and supports

education and research training for ten scholars a year with awards of $100,000 a year for two years.

The rapid growth of the older population, particularly those over 85 years, their unique vulnerability, their complexity and specialneeds for continuing care makes the development of the Section and our participation most timely. Our continuing participation inthe Section’s activities will enhance the well being of older patients who suffer from diseases and conditions requiring treatmentby emergency medical professionals.

The 5 Most-Frequently-Read Contents of AEM - November 2003Most-read rankings are recalculated at the beginning of the month. Rankings are based on hits received by articlesarchived on AEMJ.org.

Michael A Gibbs, Carlos A Camargo, Brian H Rowe, Robert A SilvermanState of the Art: Therapeutic Controversies in Severe Acute AsthmaAcad Emerg Med Jul 01, 2000 7: 800-815. (In "SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS")

Jim Edward Weber, Carl R. Chudnofsky, Michael Boczar, Edward W. Boyer, Mark D. Wilkerson, Judd E. HollanderCocaine-associated Chest Pain: How Common Is Myocardial Infarction?Acad Emerg Med Aug 01, 2000 7: 873-877. (In "CLINICAL INVESTIGATIONS")

Stephen SchenkelPromoting Patient Safety and Preventing Medical Error in Emergency DepartmentsAcad Emerg Med Nov 01, 2000 7: 1204-1222. (In "CONCEPTS")

Arvind Venkat, James Hoekstra, Christopher Lindsell, Dawn Prall, Judd E. Hollander, Charles V. Pollack, DeborahDiercks, J. Douglas Kirk, Brian Tiffany, Frank Peacock, Alan B. Storrow, W. Brian GiblerThe Impact of Race on the Acute Management of Chest PainAcad Emerg Med Nov 01, 2003 10: 1199-1208. (In "ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS")

Jordan J. CohenDisparities in Health Care: An OverviewAcad Emerg Med Nov 01, 2003 10: 1155-1160. (In "PROCEEDINGS")

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Call for Abstracts 4th Annual New York State

Regional SAEM MeetingMarch 31, 2004; 8:00 am-2:00 pm

The program committee is now accepting abstractsfor oral and poster presentations. All abstracts mustbe submitted electronically via the SAEM web site atwww.saem.org.

The deadline for abstract submission is 5:00 pmEastern Standard Time, Wednesday, January 21,2004.

Hosted by: St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center,Department of Emergency Medicine

Location: Lerner Hall, Morningside Campus,Columbia University, 114th Street and Broadway

Keynote Speaker: Glenn Hamilton, MD, Wright StateUniversity

Contact: Theodore C. Bania, MD, MS at RooseveltHospital, 1000 10th Ave., Department of EmergencyMedicine, Room GE01, New York, NY 10019 or [email protected]

Call for Abstracts14th Annual Midwest Regional SAEM

MeetingSeptember 9-10, 2004

The Wyndham Milwaukee Center HotelMilwaukee, Wisconsin

The Program Committee is now accepting abstracts forreview for oral and interactive poster presentations. Themeeting will take place Thursday, September 9, 2004, 6:30-8:30 pm, and Friday, September 10, 2004, 8:00 am-4:00 pmat the Wyndham Milwaukee Center Hotel, 139 East KilbournAvenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.

The deadline for abstract submission is Friday, July 9,2004, by 3:00 pm EDT. Only electronic submissions via theSAEM online abstract submission form at www.saem.org willbe accepted. Acceptance notifications will be sent in lateJuly.

Registration forms are available from Dawn Kawa,Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical College ofWisconsin, 9200 W. Wisconsin Avenue, FEH Room 1870,Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226. Email contact:[email protected]; phone: 414-805-6452.

Registration Fees: Faculty--$75; Other health care pro-fessionals--$40; Fellows/residents/students--No Charge.Late fee after Wednesday, September 1, 2004: add $10. Forquestions or additional information, call 414-805-6452.

Call for PhotographsDeadline: February 18, 2004

Original photographs of patients, pathology specimens, gram stains, EKG’s, and radiographic studies or other visual dataare invited for presentation at the 2004 SAEM Annual Meeting in Orlando. Submissions should depict findings that arepathognomonic for a particular diagnosis relevant to the practice of emergency medicine or findings of unusual interest thathave educational value. Accepted submissions will be mounted by SAEM and presented in the “Clinical Pearls” sessionand/or the “Visual Diagnosis” medical student/resident contest.

No more than three different photos should be submitted for any one case. Submit one glossy photo (5 x 7, 8 x 10, 11 x14, or 16 x 20) and a digital copy in JPEG or TIFF format on a disk or by email attachment (resolution of at least 640 x 48).Radiographs and EKGs should also be submitted in hard copy and digital format. Do not send X-rays.The back of each photoshould contain the contributor’s name, address, hospital or program, and an arrow indicating the top. Submissions shouldbe shipped in an envelope with cardboard, but should not be mounted.

Photo submissions must be accompanied by a brief case history written as an “unknown” in the following format: 1) chiefcomplaint, 2) history of present illness, 3) pertinent physical exam (other than what is depicted in the photo), 4) pertinent lab-oratory data, 5) one or two questions asking the viewer to identify the diagnosis or pertinent finding, 6) answer(s) and briefdiscussion of the case, including an explanation of the findings in the photo, and 7) one to three bulleted take home pointsor “pearls.”

The case history must be submitted on the template posted on the SAEM website at www.saem.org and must be submit-ted electronically. The case history is limited to no more than 250 words. If accepted for display SAEM reserves the right toedit the submitted case history. Submissions will be selected based on their educational merit, relevance to emergency med-icine, quality of the photograph, the case history and appropriateness for public display. Contributors will be acknowledgedand photos will be returned after the Annual Meeting. Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), the official SAEM journal, mayinvite a limited number of displayed photos to be submitted to AEM for consideration of publication. SAEM will retain therights to use submitted photographs in future educational projects, with full credit given for the contribution.

Photographs must not appear in a refereed journal prior to the Annual Meeting. Patients should be appropriately masked.Submitters must attest that written consent and release of responsibility have been obtained for all photos EXCEPT for iso-lated diagnostic studies such as EKGs, radiographs, gram stains, etc.

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FACULTY POSITIONSCONNECTICUT: University of Connecticut – Two positions--one current/oneSpring 2004. Multi-hospital academic program with 100,000 + patient visits, 36residents. Active Tox, EMS, Hyperbaric, Aeromedical and Trauma services.Excellent opportunities for senior or junior faculty--contact: Robert D. PowersMD MPH, Professor & Chief, UCONN/Hartford Hospital, email:[email protected]

FLORIDA: The University of Florida Department of Emergency Medicine isseeking a full-time, emergency medicine residency trained, board certified/eli-gible Clinical Assistant Professor to join our faculty. The selected candidate willprovide clinical guidance and supervision of treatment delivered in the ED.Excellent compensation, fringes and liability insurance package! Please sendpersonal statement & CV to: David C. Seaberg, MD, Professor & AssociateChair, Department of Emergency Medicine, PO Box 100186, Gainesville FL32610-0186. Application deadline: February 28th, 2004. Anticipated startdate: July 2004. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. University ofFlorida is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KENTUCKY: The Department of Emergency Medicine at the University ofKentucky is recruiting full-time faculty members at the assistant or associate pro-fessor level. The desired individual must be BE/BC in emergency medicine.Academic tenure track and non-tenure track positions available. The EM resi-dency has full accreditation. The Emergency Department at UK Hospital is aLevel I trauma center, regional referral center, with 40,000 annual visits. Thedepartment has nine full-time faculty and provides medical direction to AirMedical and Hyperbaric Oxygen Programs. Contact: Roger Humphries, MD,Acting Interim Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, University ofKentucky Medical Center, 800 Rose St., Room M-53, Lexington, KY 40536-0298: phone 859-323-5908; fax 859-323-8056; or E-mail [email protected] are an EOAAE.

MICHIGAN: Michigan State University – Kalamazoo Center for Medical StudiesThe Department of Emergency Medicine is seeking a Director of PediatricEmergency Medicine to serve as academic faculty for our emergency medicineresidency program. Candidates must be BC/BP in emergency medicine, as wellas BC/BP in pediatrics or pediatric emergency medicine. This exciting opportu-nity involves outstanding compensation and benefits, protected academic time,and a delightful university community in which to live and work. Please con-tact: David Overton MD, MBA, Michigan State University - Kalamazoo Centerfor Medical Studies, 1000 Oakland Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49008

NEW JERSEY: UMDNJ (Newark) – Come in on the ground floor at a major med-ical school and university hospital. We're planning to start an EM Residencyand have faculty opportunities for Emergency Physicians at ALL LEVELS, includ-ing Residency Director, EMS Director and Director of Clinical Operations. TheED has an annual volume of 72,000, including 2,700 level I trauma patients.Competitive compensation and benefits package including on-site fitness and-child care centers. For information please contact Ronald Low, MD, MS, at 973-972-7882. UMDNJ-University Hospital is an AA/EOE, M/F/D/V. Visit us on theweb at www.TheUniversityHospital.com.

OHIO: The Ohio State University - Assistant/Associate or Full Professor.Established residency training program. Level 1 Trauma center. Nationally rec-ognized research program. Clinical opportunities at OSU Medical Center andaffiliated hospitals. Send curriculum vitae to: Douglas A. Rund, MD, Professorand Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, The Ohio State University,146 Means Hall, 1654 Upham Drive, Columbus, OH 43210, [email protected], or call (614) 293-8176. Affirmative Action/EqualOpportunity Employer.

OREGON: The Oregon Health & Science University, Department of EmergencyMedicine is conducting an ongoing recruitment campaign for talented facultymembers. Entry-level clinical faculty members at the instructor and assistantprofessor level. Preference given to those with fellowship training (especially inpediatric emergency medicine) or equivalent experience. Knowledge of emer-gency medicine as a faculty discipline is expected. Please submit a letter ofinterest, CV, and the names and phone numbers of three references to: JerrisHedges, MD, MS, Professor & Chair, OHSU Department of EmergencyMedicine, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, CDW -EM, Portland, OR 97239-3098.

PENNSYLVANIA: Lehigh Valley Hospital – position available for EM Residency-trained physician to join cohesive faculty of 33 BC physicians evaluating100,000 patients at the three sites of 700-bed Lehigh Valley Hospital. Academic,tertiary hospital with Level I trauma, 9-bed Burn Center, 10 freestanding, fully-accredited residency programs, including one in EM. Eligibility for facultyappointment at Penn State/Hershey. Resident and medical student teaching, andclinical research. LVH located in the beautiful Lehigh Valley, with 700,000 peo-ple, excellent suburban public schools, safe neighborhoods, moderate cost ofliving, 60 miles north of Philadelphia and 80 miles west of NYC. Email CV c/oRick MacKenzie, MD, Vice Chair, EM, to [email protected]. Fax (610)402-7014. Phone (610) 402-7008.

Department of Emergency Medicine

EMS Fellowship The Department of Emergency Medicine (DEM) at theOregon Health & Science University (OHSU) offers one-year or two-year fellowships in Emergency MedicalServices (EMS). OHSU is a Level I trauma center and basestation hospital whose faculty is actively involved in groundand air medical EMS in the three counties surroundingPortland, Oregon. OHSU is a qualified host for theSAEM/Medtronic Physio-Control Fellowship in EMS. Aformal didactic curriculum through the OHSU School ofPublic Health offers individuals the opportunity to earn anMPH degree during the two-year fellowship. Opportunitiesalso exist to combine the clinical and administrativefellowship experience with degree or diploma programs inclinical research, healthy policy, epidemiology, informaticsor business administration. Please contact Mohamud Daya,MD, MS EMS Fellowship Director at OHSU EmergencyMedicine, GH239, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road,Portland, OR 97239-3098; phone (503) 494-7248; [email protected]

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PENNSYLVANIA: Penn State University College of Medicine & Hershey MedicalCenter – Department of Emergency Medicine is seeking to add experiencedacademic emergency physicians to our internationally known faculty. We areseeking faculty to supplement our research and educational missions and par-ticipate with our newly approved PENN STATE EMERGENCY MEDICINE RESI-DENCY. Physicians must be board certified with some academic experience.Faculty rank will be commensurate with experience. Confidential inquiry toKym Salness, M.D. (Chair) or Christopher J. DeFlitch, M.D. (Vice-Chair),Department of Emergency Medicine, P.O. Box 850 (H043), Hershey, PA 17033,Phone (717) 531-8955 or email [email protected] or www.pennstateemergen-cymedicine.com. AAEOE. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

TENNESSEE: Vanderbilt University – RESEARCH DIRECTOR – We are seekingan outstanding individual to direct our research program. We have requiredmedical student rotations, a Level I Trauma Center, Pediatric and Adult ED’s anda superb residency. We have an active core of researchers with varied academicinterests. The Department is committed to faculty development and well-being.Candidates must be residency trained in emergency medicine and eligible forappointment at the Associate or Full Professor level, depending upon qualifica-tions. We provide great benefits and Nashville is a wonderful city. Protectedacademic time will be provided. Please reply to Corey M. Slovis, M.D.,Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Room703, Oxford House, Nashville, TN 37232-4700, Email: [email protected].

UTAH: The University of Utah has faculty positions in the Division ofEmergency Medicine. The E.D. sees 30,000 visits and is a Level-1 TraumaCenter. Our division runs a helicopter service, two EMS systems, and we aredeveloping an EM residency. Candidates must be board certified/prepared andhave interest in research and education. Competitive salary with excellent ben-efits. The University of Utah is an EEO/AA employer and encourages applica-tions from women and minorities. Send CV to Erik D. Barton, M.D., Chief,Division of Emergency Medicine, 1150 Moran Eye Center, 175 N. Medical DriveEast, Salt Lake City, UT 84132; 801-581-2730; [email protected].

ATLANTA, GA

DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Our academic department continues to grow. Therefore,we are seeking full-time academic emergency physiciansin both research and clinician-educator tracks. Emoryoffers a dynamic and professional environment withspecial strengths in patient care, teaching, communityservice, EMS, toxicology, clinical research, laboratoryresearch, and public health. We offer excellent salary andbenefits. Applicants must be residency trained and/orboard certified in EM. Emory is an equal opportunity,affirmative action employer. Women and minorities areencouraged to apply. For further information visit our website at http://www.emory.edu/em or contact:

Arthur Kellermann, MD, MPH, Professor and ChairDepartment of Emergency Medicine

1365 Clifton Rd., Suite B-6200Atlanta, GA 30322

Phone: (404)778-2600 Fax: (404)778-2630Email: Paula Bokros - [email protected]

Emory is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO

FACULTY RESEARCH POSITION

The Division of Emergency Medicine at UCSF is seeking can-didates for a position in the In-Residence series at the assis-tant professor level, with a career goal of externally fundedemergency medicine research.

UCSF Medical Center is the busiest teaching hospital inpatientservice in San Francisco by a large margin, with 576,000 out-patient visits, and is rated by U.S. News & World Report as oneof the ten best hospitals in the U.S. The EmergencyDepartment is approaching 40,000 visits a year not includingurgent care patients seen in separate adult and pediatric clin-ics. The ED has an established real-time web-based patientclinical research enrollment database, and a complete renova-tion of the physical plant is underway.

A residency in EM is planned for 2005 based at this hospital.There is a long tradition of research and leadership in EM, andcollaboration with other faculty in other departments. Currentlytwo faculty members have NIH funding. Quality of the intellec-tual experience and resources are unmatched, as is the phys-ical and cultural environment of the Bay Area. The successfulcandidate will have an existing track record of research andpublication that promises similar funding in the first few yearsof appointment. Contact Michael Callaham M.D. at Box 0208,University of California San Francisco, San Francisco CA94143-0208 or [email protected].

The Department of Emergency Medicine of Texas TechUniversity School of Medicine is seeking an experiencedEmergency Medicine residency trained physician to assumeleadership of it’s residency program. The program is over twen-ty years old, fully accredited and has twenty-four residents atpresent. The candidate would join 15 EM physicians in theDepartment. Our mission is to prepare residents to be able topractice in any ED in the country. The Department is located inEl Paso, Texas and will soon be incorporated into the new 4 yearmedical school just approved by the state legislature. Our newoffices are under construction on campus and a new $36 millionresearch building is in late design phase for the campus. Ourmain ED is at Thomason Hospital with a patient volume of60,000 visits last year. It is a Level I Trauma Center and is open-ing a new $25 million wing, including the ED Observation Unitnext year. For more information on the residency visithttp://www.elp.ttuhsc.edu/em

Please send a letter, or email, expressing interest to: Matthew J.Walsh, MD, Associate Professor and Chair, Dept. of EM, 6090Surety Dr. #412, El Paso, Texas 79905. [email protected] or phone 915-771-6482.

Texas Tech University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

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Brigham and Women's HospitalHarvard Medical School

Faculty Position

Full-time academic faculty position. Includes excellent academicsupport, appointment at Harvard Medical School, unparalleledresearch opportunities, competitive salary, and an outstandingcomprehensive benefit package.

Brigham and Women's Hospital is a major Harvard affiliated teach-ing hospital, level I trauma center, and the base hospital for the fouryear ACGME accredited Brigham and Women'sHospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard AffiliatedEmergency Medicine Residency Program. The Department ofEmergency Medicine cares for over 54,000 ED patients per year,and the 43 bed ED includes a 10 bed ED Observation Unit, a 5 bedrapid assessment cardio/neuro unit and an advanced informaticssystem. The department is also home to STRATUS, a compre-hensive medical simulation training center. The department has arobust International Emergency Medicine Program and offersinternational EM fellowships.

The successful candidate must have successfully completed a fouryear residency training program in emergency medicine or a threeyear program followed by a fellowship, and be board prepared orboard certified in emergency medicine. Interest and proven abilityin Emergency Medicine research and teaching are essential.Please send inquiries and CV to Ron M. Walls, MD, FACEP,Chairman Department of Emergency Medicine Brigham andWomen's Hospital 75 Francis Street, Neville House Boston,Massachusetts 02115. E-mail [email protected]. BWH is anEqual Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

AcademicEmergencyPhysician

Exciting position for anexperienced, residency trained,board certified/ preparedemergency physician to join the

faculty of the Department of Emergency Medicine, afull academic department of the Mount Sinai School ofMedicine in New York City.

The Mount Sinai School of Medicine is a leader inmedical education and research. The hospital is a 900bed tertiary center with an annual ED census of over70,000. The EM residency is fully accredited.Academic rank commensurate with qualifications.

Please submit confidential letter and C.V. to: CarolBarsky MD, Director and Vice Chair, Department ofEmergency Medicine, Mount Sinai School ofMedicine, Box 1149, One Gustave L. Levy Place,New York, NY, 10029. Fax (212) 427-2180.

ASSOCIATE RESIDENCY DIRECTOR

We are recruiting an Associate Residency Director foran established EM program. The University ofRochester is a Level 1 Trauma Center with 90,000visits per year. We currently have 30 residents andfellowships in Pediatrics, Sports Medicine and EMS.

Applicants with enthusiasm for teaching, excellentorganizational skills and an interest in high fidelitysimulation should apply. Applicants must be EMresident trained. Protected time for administrativeduties provided.

University of Rochester is an equal opportunityemployer.

Contact:Sandra Schneider, M.D., ChairDepartment of Emergency Medicine,University of Rochester601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 655Rochester, NY 14642.Phone (585) 275-9490; fax (585) 506-0052;E-mail: [email protected]

Fellowship in Cardiovascular Emergencies

The University of Virginia Department of Emergency Medicine in collaboration with theDivision of Cardiology is pleased to continue our Fellowship in CardiovascularEmergencies. Now in our second year, this innovative clinical fellowship is intended toprovide additional training for BC/BE emergency physicians in clinical management andresearch in the specialized area of cardiovascular emergencies. The Fellow will alsoreceive direct experience in the operation and administration of an ED-based chest painobservation and diagnostic unit. Our Chest Pain Center evaluates over 4,000 patients per year in an ED with a totalvolume of 60,000 patients per year. We have an active multidisciplinary groupconducting outcomes research related to the use of advanced imaging, serum cardiacmarkers, and observation protocols in the CPC. The one-year curriculum emphasizes CPC patient evaluation, research methodologytraining, exposure to basic echocardiography and nuclear imaging techniques, and CPCadministration. The Fellow will be integrated into formal didactic programs at UVa, andthere will be ample self-directed time for focused scholarly activity. The opportunity forcertification in exercise stress testing will be provided. The fellow will be given a faculty appointment as a Clinical Instructor in EmergencyMedicine at UVa. Upon completion of the program, the fellow will be an EmergencyPhysician well-trained in the clinical, academic, and administrative aspects ofCardiovascular Emergencies. Fellowship applicants must have completed a residency in Emergency Medicine andbe board-certified/prepared prior to July 2004.

Please submit a letter of interest and CV to:Chris Ghaemmaghami, MDDirector, Chest Pain Center

University of Virginia Health SystemPO Box 800699

Charlottesville, VA 22908-0069Phone: (434) 982-1999 email: [email protected]

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women, minorities,disabled persons, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

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UCSF-FresnoWilderness Medicine and EMS

Fellowship

The Department of Emergency Medicine of UCSF-Fresnois offering a one year fellowship in wilderness medicineand EMS. This experience will allow the fellow toexplore multiple aspects of wilderness medicine andEMS including field operations, quality assurance,aeromedicine, search and rescue, disaster medicine, theparkmedic program, education and research.

The fellowship offers an appointment as a ClinicalInstructor at UCSF-Fresno. The main hospital at UCSF-Fresno, University Medical Center, is a level one traumacenter with a residency program in emergency medicine.Applicants must be residency trained and board certi-fied/board qualified in emergency medicine.

For further information, contact the fellowship director:

Lori Weichenthal, MD, FACEPAssistant Clinical Professor, Emergency Medicine445 S. Cedar Ave.Fresno, CA [email protected]

Academic EmergencyMedicine Opportunity

South Central Pennsylvania

York Hospital/Penn State University Emergency Medicine residency is seek-ing a full-time academic faculty member. York Hospital is a 558-bed region-al trauma center that is the primary site of a fully accredited EM residencywith 10 residents per year. Our annual volume is 63,000 patient visits. Theemergency department is a 42 bed facility. Clinical support is excellentwith a lab turnaround in an hour or less; a hospitalist team to facilitateadmissions, and two radiology exam rooms within the ED. Special pro-grams include an in-house crisis intervention service and a SAFE programfor sexual assault victims. Administration offers outstanding institutionaland departmental support for clinical and academic endeavors. A researchdepartment of six supports research endeavors. Candidate must be boardcertified/board eligible in emergency medicine with strong interests in clini-cal, teaching and academic pursuits, An academic appointment at PennState University is available. WellSpan Health offers a competitive compen-sation plus a generous benefit package including all insurances, fourweeks paid vacation, two weeks CME with $2750 CME stipend, and reloca-tion expenses. We are located in a rural/suburban environment of 400,000with friendly people, a healthy economy and strong public schools. Ourregion boasts 12 colleges and universities that create cultural interest, andwe are less than an hour from Baltimore’s metro options.

For more information contact:James T. Amsterdam, MD, FACEP, FACPE Chair, Department of Emergency MedicinePhone: 717-851-3344E-mail: [email protected]

To learn more visit: www.wellspan.org

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The Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Utah HealthSciences Center in Salt Lake City is pleased to offer a two-yearResearch Fellowship in Emergency Medicine starting July, 2004. Thisprogram allows for concentrated training and experience in researchto prepare you for a career in academic emergency medicine.Successful completion of the fellowship will include a Masters ofScience in Public Health (MSPH) degree. Participants will be givenjunior faculty positions in the Department of Surgery, Division ofEmergency Medicine, however clinical responsibilities will be limited.Areas of research can be performed in a variety of EM-related fields,including basic science, EMS, injury control, pediatrics, toxicology,trauma, etc. Compensation for this program is very competitive andincludes all educational fees and expenses. The University of Utah isan EEO/AA employer and encourages applications from women andminorities.

Applications for the fellowship must be completed by February 15,2004. If you are interested in applying or need more information,please contact:

Erik D. Barton, MD, MS, Chief, Division of Emergency Medicine,Univeristy of Utah Health Sciences Center, 1150 Moran Building, 175North Medical Drive East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, (801) 581-2730,Fax: (801) [email protected]

The University of UtahOfficial site of the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Villages and Rice-Eccles

Olympic Stadium

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

Emergency MedicineAssociate Residency Director

The Division of Emergency Medicine at Duke University MedicalCenter is currently recruiting for an Associate Residency ProgramDirector. Experience in academic leadership preferred, residencytraining and BC in EM required. Duke University Medical CenterEmergency Department is Level I Trauma Center in Durham,North Carolina, with an annual volume of ~65,000 patient visits.Competitive salary and benefits. EOE/AA employer.

Please contact:Kathleen J. Clem, MD, FACEP

Chief, Division of Emergency MedicineDUMC 3096

Durham, NC 27710Email: [email protected]

Risk Factors Include:

� No True Partnership

� Unfair Compensation

� Unhealthy Scheduling Practices

Treatment:

� Equal Equity Ownership

� Superior Compensation

� Physician-Friendly Scheduling

� Work with EMP

Additional positions available in Connecticut, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

Contact: Dominic J. Bagnoli, Jr, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

EM Residency training programs at:

Faculty Positions also available with

Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, WVDoctors Hospital in Columbus, OH

Announcing our newest Osteopathic

EM Residency affiliate, Memorial Hospital

in York, Pennsylvania

Health care continues to change and emergency department resources are being stretched to their limits, if not beyond.Academic physicians are frequently being asked to participate in the daily management and operations of various clinical activi-ties, yet they have little management training. The goal of this physician developed and tested curriculum is to introduce funda-mental business and managerial tools to the academic emergency physician. This session has been developed by SAEM as aspecial pre-day offering at the 2004 Annual Meeting in Orlando.

This program is a condensed version of the University of Michigan management training program which has been delivered toover 500 physicians within various Health Systems across the USA. The course condenses the first-year MBA curriculum into atightly packed one-day curriculum as applied to Integrated Health Systems. While the roots of the program are derived from anacademic perspective, the design and delivery are relevant to both academic and community settings. The goal of this curricu-lum is to provide the clinician and administrator (Chair and Clinical Director) with the necessary tools to change their practice tooptimize the delivery of health care tomorrow. This course delivers content on the basic economics of health care, cost account-ing, operations management, finance, reimbursement and risk management, and physician leadership. Real emergency depart-ment financial and operational metrics data and examples will be presented throughout the course. Upon completion of thiscourse, attendees will be armed with tools to optimize health care delivery and enhance their ability to conduct research and edu-cation in ED operations management. The target audience is mid-level to senior physicians (clinical and administrative) andadministrative personnel. The registration fee is $200 and will be included in the SAEM Annual Meeting registration form.

8:00 – 9:40 Economics, cost accounting, and risk management: This session begins with an introduction to the hospital’s costDavid Butz accounting system and the underlying economics of health care costs. Concepts include activity-based costing, direct and

indirect costs, fixed and variable cost, average and marginal cost, and opportunity cost. We will also break out payment and profit margins under traditional fee-for-service insurance, DRG-based payments, and “capitated” reimbursement -- while showing the risks inherent in each arrangement, the incentives created (good and bad), and some repercussions for physicians.

10:00 – 11:00 Applied operations management: This session includes three brief segments. First, it elaborates on some elements of David Butz activity-based costing that were not covered during the first lecture. Second, it discusses how physicians could creatively

make more intensive use of their fixed capacity. Third, it illustrates how physicians might make use of financial data as a research tool.

11:00 – 12:00 Integrating business principles into the delivery of care: Open analysis and different thinking can improve the quality Paul Taheri of care while markedly reducing costs. Physicians need information that provides a healthy tension between resource use

and quality of care.

1:00 – 2:00 Health system strategies demystified: In this module we look at investments made by health systems and the rationale David Butz utilized to justify these investments.

2:20 – 3:15 Clinical examples of applied business principles: This module provides a walk-through of some real life examples ofPaul Taheri programs that have been developed and implemented within a health system. The benefits, risks, and pitfalls are high

lighted.

3:15 – 4:15 Physician leadership: This session addresses how physicians can create learning organizations that enable effective, Paul Taheri efficient delivery of quality healthcare, and identifies the role in developing leadership in the enterprise.

4:15 – 4:45 Roundtable discussion: This forum provides an opportunity for the course participants to ask detailed questions of the faculty.

Course Faculty Paul A. Taheri, MD, MBA: Dr. Taheri graduated medical school from New York University in 1988 and completed a general sur-gical residency at Tulane University in 1994. He completed his MBA from the University of Michigan Business School (UMBS) in1999. He is currently the Division Chief of Trauma Burn Surgery and the Associate Dean for Academic Business Development.Together with David Butz, he is the founder and Co-director of the Center for Health Care Economics, a University of MichiganBusiness School and Medical School joint initiative.David A. Butz, PhD: Dr. Butz received his PhD in Economics in 1986 from Northwestern University. He served on the faculty ofthe Economics Department at the University of California at Los Angeles from 1987-1994 and on the University of Michigan fac-ulty from 1994 to present. At the Business School, he has taught core Applied Microeconomics and Operations Management to1st-year MBAs, and a 2nd-year MBA elective on Distribution and Supply Chain Management. He has won many teaching awards,and in 1995 the UMBS MBA students voted him Professor of the Year. Business Week’s Guide to the Best Business Schools hasidentified him as one of Michigan’s best teachers. He was also singled out for teaching excellence by students at UCLA andNorthwestern. He has participated in executive education and distance learning pilot projects that have utilized videoconferenc-ing and Internet delivery. He now serves on the faculty of the Department of Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School,where his research and teaching focus on health care economics and outcomes research. Together with Paul Taheri, he is thefounder and co-director of the Center for Health Care Economics. His other research expertise lies in industrial organization, law& economics, antitrust, and supply chain contracting, where he has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on those topics.

23

The Business Aspects of Health System Management: The Emergency Physicians’ Role in Health System Leadership

May 15, 2004 (day before SAEM Annual Meeting)

Board of DirectorsDonald Yealy, MDPresident

Carey Chisholm, MDPresident-Elect

James Adams, MDSecretary-Treasurer

Roger Lewis, MD, PhDPast President

Valerie DeMaio, MDLeon Haley, Jr, MD, MHSAGlenn Hamilton, MDStephen Hargarten, MD, MPHKatherine Heilpern, MDJames Hoekstra, MDSusan Stern, MD

EditorDavid Cone, [email protected]

Executive Director/Managing EditorMary Ann [email protected]

Advertising CoordinatorCarrie [email protected]

“to improve patient care byadvancing research andeducation in emergencymedicine”

The SAEM newsletter is published bimonthly by the Society for Academic EmergencyMedicine. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and donot necessarily reflect those of SAEM.

Society for AcademicEmergency Medicine901 N. Washington AvenueLansing, MI 48906-5137

PresortedStandard

U.S. PostageP A I D

Lansing, MIPermit No. 485NEWSLETTER

Newsletter of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

SAEM NEWSLETTER

Call for Abstracts2004 Annual Meeting

May 16-19, 2004Orlando, Florida

Deadline: January 6, 2004

The Program Committee is accepting abstracts for review for oral and poster presentation at the 2004 SAEMAnnual Meeting. Authors are invited to submit original research in all aspects of Emergency Medicine in-cluding, but not limited to: abdominal/gastrointestinal/genitourinary pathology, administrative/health care policy, airway/anesthesia/analgesia, CPR, cardiovascular (non-CPR), clinical decision guide-lines, computer technologies, diagnostic technologies/radiology, disease/injury prevention, educa-tion/professional development, EMS/out-of-hospital, ethics, geriatrics, infectious disease, IEME exhibit,ischemia/reperfusion, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry/social issues, researchdesign/methodology/statistics, respiratory/ENT disorders, shock/critical care, toxicology/environmentalinjury, trauma, and wounds/burns/orthopedics.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is Tuesday, January 6, 2004 at 3:00 pm Eastern Time andwill be strictly enforced. Only electronic submissions via the SAEM online abstract submission form willbe accepted. The abstract submission form and instructions will be available on the SAEM website atwww.saem.org in November. For further information or questions, contact SAEM at [email protected] or 517-485-5484 or via fax at 517-485-0801.

Only reports of original research may be submitted. The data must not have been published in manuscriptor abstract form or presented at a national medical scientific meeting prior to the 2004 SAEM AnnualMeeting. Original abstracts presented at national meetings in April or May 2004 will be considered.

Abstracts accepted for presentation will be published in the May issue of Academic Emergency Medicine,the official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. SAEM strongly encourages authors tosubmit their manuscripts to AEM. AEM will notify authors of a decision regarding publication within 60 daysof receipt of a manuscript.

SAEM