Candidate Statements

Larry D Weiss, MD JD FAAEM

Candidate for President
Nominated by Robert McNamara, MD FAAEM; Tom Scaletta, MD FAAEM; Joseph Wood, MD JD FAAEM

With deep gratitude, I accept the nomination to serve as President of AAEM. I have worked for many years as an advocate for my fellow physicians. Serving as your President will allow me to have the greatest possible impact as an advocate for your practice rights as emergency physicians. Unfortunately, the abuse and exploitation of emergency physicians continues to grow in both scope and intensity. This abuse often results in the violation of our practice rights. Only the Academy advocates for the rights of emergency physicians, and it has done so since its inception. Therefore, I consider service as your chief advocate as the most important responsibility of my career.

My past service includes organizing the Louisiana chapter and serving as a director and president, membership on a number of AAEM committees including the board of directors, writing AAEM's amicus brief in the Coleman v. Deno case, writing a number of policies, and writing white papers on tort reform, due process rights, restrictive covenants, and the corporate practice of medicine. AAEM will release the latter paper in the Spring of 2008. Our series of white papers document the source of your practice rights and the basis of our advocacy on major issues.

In addition to the protection of your practice rights, we must now face new challenges to the integrity of our specialty. Some self-interested groups insist that board certification in emergency medicine should not require the completion of a residency. In reality, they base their claim on an assertion that emergency medicine has no unique knowledge base, that one may learn emergency medicine through apprenticeship, and thus emergency medicine is not a real specialty. They make these claims aggressively, scheduling hearings before state medical boards, sponsoring bills in state legislatures, and even filing suit against the New York state attorney general so that untrained emergency physicians may formally call themselves "board certified" in New York. Certainly, AAEM has always honored and revered the founders of our specialty who trained in other disciplines. However, after a very liberal practice track expired in 1988, ABEM has required the successful completion of a residency in emergency medicine to determine board eligibility. AAEM strongly supports ABEM policies. We support the integrity of emergency medicine, and we will continue to actively resist those who denigrate our specialty.

I sincerely appreciate your past support. I feel a strong duty to our members, because we have a membership that believes in fairness, academic achievement, the ethical practice of medicine, and the right of our patients to have access to quality emergency medical care. If elected, I will vigorously advocate for your rights, for the interests of our patients, and for the integrity of our profession. We will continue to reach out to other societies, but we will not compromise our mission. You can proudly place "FAAEM" in your title for the rest of your career. Others will know you have the finest credentials, you are an ethical physician, and you have the integrity to stand by your convictions.

Howard Blumstein, MD FAAEM

Candidate for Vice President
Nominated by Robert McNamara, MD FAAEM; Larry Weiss, MD JD FAAEM

This is a momentous time for the academy. We have taken bold steps to promote the twin ideals of fair treatment of our peers and the primacy of board certification. Lawsuits fighting the corporate practice of medicine, workplace fairness certification and remaining the sole organization to insist on board certification as the gold standard for qualification to practice emergency medicine; these are the leading ways AAEM has set itself apart.

For too long, we have been derided as a destructive force. The academy has been accused of splitting asunder the house of emergency medicine and engaging in mudslinging against other organizations representing our specialty. So say our detractors.

Yet while our activities certainly draw attention to the differences between the Academy and other specialty societies, I prefer to think of our efforts as constructive, positive, and beneficial. We have become the leader in promoting ideals that we all cherish. We are not really interested in bringing down contract managements groups; we are demanding a level playing field upon which private groups can compete. We want to protect the doctor-patient relationship, which is the whole reason that laws exist against the corporate practice of medicine in the first place.

I look forward to the day when more of my graduating residents feel empowered to demand contracts that protect their rights, as opposed to their current willingness to surrender those rights in order in favor of their geographic preferences.

My goal, therefore, is simple. As we move forward in our efforts to promote our ideals, we must take care to stress the fact that we are building a better future as opposed to destroying the present. Tom Scaletta, our outgoing president, has done a wonderful job of that (see his recent statement about fellowship and board certification). As vice president, I hope to continue along the path he has blazed for us.

Thank you for your consideration and your vote.

William T. Durkin, Jr., MD FAAEM

Candidate for Secretary-Treasurer
Nominated by Howard Blumstein, MD FAAEM; Peter Rosen, MD FAAEM; Larry Weiss, MD JD FAAEM

I would like to thank Dr. Weiss for asking me to be a part of his executive committee and Drs. Rosen and Blumstein for their nominations.

These are challenging times for the Academy and the specialty of emergency medicine. In order for the Academy to continue to thrive, we will need leaders who are dedicated, have a sense of where we have been, proven leadership abilities and clear goals in mind. I am that candidate.

As a founding member of AAEM, I am personally aware of the many abuses that were commonplace in most practice settings. Democratic physician owned groups were the rare exception. Sadly, there are still areas of the country where one must work for a CMG if they choose to live there. The model must be changed such that the medical service organization (MSO) is hired by the physician group and works for them, not the other way around. I am proud to have supported the fight against such abuses and will continue to advocate for our members when they seek our assistance. Despite some personal hardship, I have refused to work for a CMG while on the board to avoid any conflict of interest situation.

During my time on the board of directors I achieved the following:

• Co founded the first state chapter; CAL/AAEM
• Served on the first CAL/AAEM board, later as treasurer
• Co founded AAEM services to assist members to establish their own practices
• Established the USAAEM chapter. Served as treasurer, now board liaison
• Active member of the education committee
• Corporate compliance officer
• Co-authored the first fairness doctrine
• Continuously advocated for the community hospital physician

As Sec./Treasurer previously, I was keenly aware of all expenditures and challenged those which I thought would not benefit the membership. I also sought out sponsorship for our educational activities. As a result, I never had to raise your dues. The only treasurer to have ever have done this. My experience in running my own business and investments over the past twenty years will be put to your advantage. After 14 years, the Academy still has no appreciable equity. One of my goals would be to build equity within the organization so that we are stronger, become more stable and less dependent upon membership dues.

While an officer in the Navy, I was a department head and later taught in the first EM residency at the Naval Hospital San Diego. I have since served as QA director, medical director of large departments. I am well aware of the issues facing most of us in private practice.

My goals for the near future are as follows:

• Work with other organizations both within as well as outside the house of organized medicine. Such a multidisciplinary approach is the best way to improve our organization. Where we share common interests with a given organization, we should work together to achieve that goal.
• We will need to pursue other sources of revenue besides taxing the membership with higher dues. Maximizing attendance, sponsorship dollars and exhibitor booths at all of our educational activities are just a couple of ways, I believe, we could begin to improve our bottom line.
• Increase equity within the organization.
• Continue to enable the resident section to recruit new members and sponsor their activities. This is very important if we are to continue our remarkable growth. I would do what was needed to strengthen their efforts and mentor new leaders.
• Continue to do whatever is necessary to uphold the value of ABEM/AOBEM certification.
• Support our international conferences and seek liaisons with our sister organizations in other countries.
• Continue to capitalize on our competitive differential advantage to maximize our growth.

Being an officer of the Academy is also about service to its members. I have taken this very seriously over the years and will continue to do so. I make an effort during all of our conferences to get out and speak with those of you in attendance, getting to know what your expectations are, where we can improve and assist. I take the privilege of being your representative very seriously and will continue to do so.

Knowledge of all aspects of the Academy, proven leadership and management skills, dedication and service to our members. These are the attributes which I bring to the office. I ask for your vote and continued support.

Mark Reiter MD MBA FAAEM

Candidate for AAEM Secretary-Treasurer
Nominated by A. Antoine Kazzi, MD FAAEM; Tom Scaletta, MD FAAEM; Larry Weiss, MD JD FAAEM

I am pleased to accept the nomination for AAEM Secretary-Treasurer. Over my past 3 years on the AAEM Board, I have developed an excellent working relationship with the other members. I also serve on the AAEM Services Board, helping to oversee business activities such as AAEM's new relationship with PEPID and the new AAEM PeerCharts. As AAEM Secretary-Treasurer, I will have the responsibility for ensuring that your dues dollars are used effectively to serve AAEM's mission. I am well prepared for this role, having earned an MBA with concentration in Health Care Policy, and through my prior experiences on the Board of Trustees of the Medical Society of New Jersey, the AMA Council on Legislation, and leadership roles in many other organizations. As a past President of the AAEM/RSA, I already have experience working with AAEM staff on setting budgets and providing value to our members while being protective of your dues dollars.

I promise to keep our membership well-informed of the great work being done by the Academy. I will continue to strongly advocate for you on core issues such as defending the value of board certification and combating corporate practice of medicine abuses. I am committed to developing new opportunities for our membership, such as the new Young Physician Section, the Critical Care Task Force, and the Senior Physician Section. As a member since 2001, I firmly believe in the AAEM mission and hope to have the opportunity to serve you as your Secretary-Treasurer. I'm asking for your vote, as I have the experience, skills, and enthusiasm to help AAEM continue to thrive.

American Academy of Emergency Medicine involvement (2001 to present)

• Board of Directors, AAEM
• Board of Directors, AAEM Services
• Board of Directors, AAEM Resident and Student Association
• President, AAEM Resident and Student Association
• Vice President, AAEM Resident and Student Association
• Chair, AAEM Board Certification Task Force
• Chair, AAEM/RSA Communications Committee
• EM Practice Committee
• EMTALA Committee and EMTALA Pointers column Editor
• Liaison to AAEM-Young Physician Section
• Liaison to AMA-Resident/Fellow Section

Michael C. Choo, MD FAAEM

Candidate for At-Large Board Member
Self-Nomination

Introduction
My name is Michael C. Choo, MD, and I am very interested in being considered for the AAEM At-Large Board Member position. I am a graduate of Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA in 1987. I completed my residency training in Emergency Medicine in 1990; subsequent to which I completed a fellowship in emergency department administration in 1991. My achieved my initial ABEM board certification in 1991, and my most recent recertification was in 2001. I presently work approximately 150 hours per month at Dayton Heart Hospital's Heart Emergency Center located in Dayton, Ohio as well as Clinton Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department located in a rural community, Wilmington, Ohio. I am currently the President & CEO of our local Emergency Medicine physician group - Professional Emergency Specialists of Southern Ohio. I serve as an Oral Board Examiner for ABEM and attained a degree of MBA through University of Tennessee. In addition, I serve as a Board Member to EPIC Malpractice Insurance Company which specializes in Emergency Medicine.

Candidate Statement
I chose to enter the field of Emergency Medicine in 1987 when our young medical specialty was diligently working to become recognized as a "true" specialty among the rest of the traditional medical specialties. Emergency Medicine represented to me an exciting facet of medicine that specialized in "front-line" patient care where the physician was challenged to be the best diagnostician while maintaining the skill set of a critical care specialist. Through the steadfast efforts of our pioneering emergency physicians, our specialty evolved to become an essential medical service to our communities, to the medical facilities, and to our medical colleagues of all specialties. We truly focused on the highest quality emergency medicine care being delivered to our patients and our communities. This premise led to my support and enrollment with the AAEM in 1993 as one of its first physician members. Despite all of our medical specialty and AAEM's past achievements, we are continuing to deal with even more difficult, complex, and highly tenuous healthcare system in our wonderful United States of America. Our specialty is entrusted to take care of any and all patients needing urgent and emergent medical services; where for a growing number of our population we are the only healthcare provider that they have access to for care. Our specialty is dealing with declining reimbursement issues that prohibit adequate emergency medicine physician coverage in our emergency departments across the country; which only contributes further to the growing attrition of our highly seasoned EM colleagues. In addition, many of our smaller local Emergency Medicine physician groups are constantly struggling against the threats of large corporate groups' attempts to usurp and supplant the local democratic EM groups from their hospital ED contracts. It is my goal and hope to use my 20 years of experience in Emergency Medicine along with my business and management skills gleaned from my past 15 years of management roles and my MBA training to assist AAEM and its members to create a system to promote local Emergency Medicine physician groups in continuing to provide the highest quality Emergency Medicine services to their communities.

Christopher C. Lee, MD FAAEM

Candidate for At-Large Board Member
Nominated by Lewis Goldfrank, MD FAAEM

I would like to thank Dr. Lewis Goldfrank for nominating me for At Large Board Member for AAEM. Dr. Goldfrank has been one of the greatest teachers I have had the pleasure of learning from, and he has always been a role model for me. My name is Christopher C. Lee, MD, FAAEM and I am writing to be considered for At Large Board member for American Academy of Emergency Medicine.

Since 2005, I have been serving as Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at Stony Brook University Hospital in the Department of Emergency Medicine. I am the Course Director for "Advanced Principle of Emergency Medicine," a course offered to first year EM residents as well as 30 fourth year medical students applying to EM residency. I also serve as the Director for Center for International Emergency Medicine. In that capacity, I have been actively teaching foreign EM residents and will have 2 international fellows from 2008 next year. I spearheaded the International EMS Conference between Korea and USA in 2005 to 2007 with over 300 EM physician participants.

From 2000 to 2005, I worked in Flushing Hospital Medical Center in New York as Associate Director of the Emergency Department. I participated in the Joint Commission, internal peer review organization project (IPRO), continuous quality improvement (CQI), and other Center for Disease (CDC) projects on behalf of the Flushing Hospital. During my tenure at Flushing Hospital, I was heavily involved in the education of residents from other departments rotating through Emergency Department and introduced core curriculum of Emergency Medicine to these residents.

I have researched and published in over 30 peer reviewed publications in various respectable medical journals, including The Lancet, Annals of Emergency Medicine, American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Journal of Emergency Medicine and others. I also serve as peer reviewer for few medical journals including European Surgical Research. I have presented in many abstracts in Emergency Medicine conferences. During the past three years, I also served as the Editor in Chief for the Journal of Korean American Medical Association. I am trying my best to escalate the level of quality of journal to be accepted into MEDLINE soon. I have no financial interest with any company or institution.

I obtained my BS in Biology from the University of California at Los Angeles. I obtained my MD from the Chicago Medical School in 1996 and did my Emergency Medicine residency training at NYU Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital Center. I am board certified in Emergency Medicine (ABEM).

I am confident that my 12 years of service in emergency departments both in community hospital and academic institution have well prepared for me to serve as a board member of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. I look forward to making immediate contributions to the American Academy of Emergency Medicine.

Currently, I live in Melville, NY married to wife Jihyun and have two children Joshua (5) and Esther (3). Thank you for your time and consideration.

John Levin, MD FAAEM

Candidate for At-Large Board Member
Self-Nomination

I have been a medical/legal expert for over 20 years. I have defended emergency physicians nationwide. I would like the opportunity to review any and all malpractice cases filed against members and assist them if possible. This is the special niche that I would like to fill if elected to the board.

Andy Walker, MD FAAEM

Candidate for At-Large Board Member
Nominated by Kevin Beier, MD FAAEM

I believe passionately in the principles AAEM was created to defend, and that it fights for to this day. That is why I am a Founding Fellow of AAEM. That is why I want the opportunity to serve AAEM with another term on its board of directors. That is why I would so deeply appreciate your vote.

If this election is like every other I have witnessed in the Academy's history, there won't be a single unqualified or bad candidate for office. In a refreshing contrast to the national political process that many of us watch with disgust, you won't be seeing any attack ads in Common Sense or hearing any speeches at the Scientific Assembly that smear one's opponent. You won't be making a mistake no matter who gets your vote. I hope you will vote for me though, and I hope to convince you that I will contribute significantly to AAEM, the one organization that represents only board-certified specialists in emergency medicine, that fights to insure that individual emergency physicians are treated fairly, and that fights protect our patients by keeping us as free as possible from outside, nonmedical pressures.

Although I did spend almost eight years as an academic attending at Vanderbilt, the rest of my 19 year career has been spent in community hospital, nonacademic emergency departments. In fact, for the last eight years I have been part of an independent, democratic, one hospital group in Nashville. Thus I bring the voice of a pit doc to the board, and a viewpoint from outside the ivory tower. In the past two years on the board of directors I have tried to provide wise counsel and to make good decisions, sometimes siding with the majority and sometimes taking a contrarian position. In either case I back up my opinion with a rational argument. My highest priorities have been to keep AAEM focused on the few critical missions that led to its founding, such as protecting the sanctity of board certification and protecting individual emergency physicians from unfair exploitation; to keep AAEM highly cost-effective so that its members get as much bang for the buck as possible; and to keep enlarging the membership, because with size comes clout.

At the local level I serve as vice-president of TNAAEM, the Tennessee state chapter of AAEM. I helped lead our successful effort last year to defeat a legislative attempt to legalize restrictive covenants in physician employment contracts. When a similar bill came up in this year's legislative session we were unable to defeat it outright, although we did come close, and we were successful in having the bill amended to exclude emergency medicine. Thus emergency physicians in Tennessee remain free from restrictive covenants. I was one of two TNAAEM members who testified before a House subcommittee on the issue. This victory was quite an accomplishment for a handful of amateur volunteers with no outside funding. We were up against several very well funded organizations, armed with professional lobbyists who had lots of political experience.

In an effort to put my money where my mouth is on expanding AAEM membership, Dr. David Lawhorn and I paid for resident memberships for the entire Vanderbilt Emergency Medicine residency program. I hope that all of you will consider doing this, either for a residency program near you or for the residency from which you graduated. At only $50 per membership the cost is quite low for most residency programs, especially when divided between several people. I believe that once exposed to AAEM, emergency medicine residents will continue to pay for membership after graduation.

Once again, you can't go wrong no matter who you vote for, but I would very much appreciate your vote for me. I have tried to serve AAEM well and I would like to continue to do so with another term on the board of directors.