EUS-AAEM Section Council Election

Dear EUS-AAEM section members,

Thank you for considering my nomination for chair-elect.

I am an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Emory University. I completed my medical school and residency at McGill University, followed by an ultrasound fellowship at Mount Sinai. I recently completed a 5-year term as the ultrasound fellowship director at Emory.

I am an active member of EUS-AAEM. I served a 2-year term as a board member from 2020-2022 and then became the board education chair, where I am serving my final year of a 2-year term. I am the founder and course director for the highly successful “Unmute Your Probe” virtual ultrasound course series, which is currently in its 3rd season. I have been invited to speak at every AAEM conference since 2020.

I am excited for the chance to be your chair elect. I’ve seen the section grow over time, with dedicated members joining who share my passion of spreading the POCUS message to both academic and community emergency physicians. I plan to hone this excitement and use the passion and innovation of the section to increase our offerings to the emergency medicine community.

During my tenure, I hope to build upon the existing infrastructure to increase our offerings. I see the future of “Unmute Your Probe” as including more cutting-edge ultrasound topics, interviews, and debates with POCUS experts in our community. I hope to utilize section funding to sponsor research grants that further our subspecialty. I plan to increase advertising of regional courses with innovative strategies to reach those for whom a local course would be the most helpful.

We have so much to offer AAEM and the POCUS community and I look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of what we can offer to make us the most productive AAEM section.

I am running for the Secretary/Finance Chair of the EUS-AAEM section. I completed my ultrasound fellowship at Emory University in 2022 and currently am ultrasound faculty at Duke University. I have had multiple years of experience with AAEM including as a Councilor, and I currently serve as the Secretary/Finance Chair of the EUS-AAEM section. During that time I have worked closely with the other members of the section including the Chair and Chair-Elect. I have worked as an editor on the POCUS Report to curate articles for publication. Additionally, I have worked to build our social media presence on multiple social media platforms. This has helped to promote our various projects including Unmute Your Probe, previous publications, and upcoming events. Additionally, I have attended multiple AAEM Scientific Assemblies and taken part in EUS activities during the conference. I am also actively involved in ultrasound-related projects with ACEP and SCUF. In the next academic year I hope to continue to grow our social media presence with regular posting, highlighting fellows and early-career physicians, cross-posting with other sections, and showcasing new literature. Additionally, I hope to work with the rest of the section to plan new projects moving forward. Thank you for your consideration!

It is with great pleasure that I write this enthusiastic nomination of Kendra Mendez, MD FAAEM Councilor. Her previous experience as Councilor will serve her well as she expands the role and her AAEM involvement.

I have had the privilege to work closely with Kendra during her EM residency and Advanced EM Ultrasonography (AEMUS) fellowship at Temple University Hospital and, more recently, as a colleague in the Division of Emergency Ultrasound. Temple has a proud tradition of serving AAEM. As the AAEM-EUS founding chair, I appreciate the unique qualities it takes to be an effective leader, and I consider Kendra to be an outstanding candidate. In fact, she was our top recruit for Temple’s AEMUS fellowship.

Kendra’s passion for point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), resident and medical student education, and scholarship are unmatched. As director of resident POCUS education and associate director of research, she has been instrumental in our division’s success. The ease with which she interacts with students and residents reflects her admirable interpersonal skills and effective teaching ability. Kendra has co-chaired the annual Philadelphia Regional POCUS conference and has presented original POCUS research at numerous national and international conferences.

Perhaps the most striking thing about Kendra is her warm smile and friendly personality. She frequently goes out of her way to help colleagues, and she never shies away from an opportunity to get acquainted with a new face. I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Mendez to you without reservation as someone of integrity and hard work. Kendra has my strongest recommendation and most ardent support for the role of Councilor.

Ryan C. Gibbons, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, FAIUM
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
Director, AEMUS Fellowship
John M. Daly, MD, Measey Foundation Endowed Professor in Medical Education Innovation
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

I enthusiastically accept the nomination to continue serving as a Councilor on the AAEM Emergency Ultrasound Section Council. Over the past year, I have enjoyed working with leaders in our field to make point-of-care ultrasound education more accessible to the EM community. As part of the Council, I would like to continue promoting collaboration among ultrasound-trained physicians to improve trainee education and preparation for Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasonography Certification.

I have a special interest in resident and medical student education. For this reason, I am the director of resident POCUS education at Temple University. My focus is on creating a hands-on and evidence-based curriculum as well as opportunities for residents and students with a special interest in ultrasound to participate in research. I have looked to medical education literature and conferences to accomplish this but the most engaging ideas have come from discussion with colleagues. As part of the AAEM EUS Council, I’d like to encourage the standardization of POCUS education by curating the ideas of other council members. Virtual and in-person events will be instrumental in this endeavor. Having been involved in planning two regional ultrasound conferences in Philadelphia and contributing to the EUS presence at the AAEM 2024 conference, I am prepared to gather the experts in our field and their ideas.

This is an exciting time in our field especially now with the opportunity for certification. As a Councilor, I would like to contribute to the mentorship provided by the AAEM EUS section by supporting fellowship-trained members seeking certification and creating opportunities for trainees to get more involved in the world of point-of-care ultrasound prior to graduation.

I am pleased to nominate Dr. Shannon for an EUS-AAEM councilor position. Dr. Shannon has been super helpful over the past year. As a new councilor he walked into our AAEM/RSA Sono Sleuthing competition and immediately stepped in to help as a station leader. He has a great knowledge of the POCUS environment and has even volunteered to be a speak for the Unmute Your Probe Series discussion on the FPD exam.

I’d like to submit my name for consideration for the position of Councilor of the Emergency Ultrasound Section of AAEM, a position in which I’ve had the privilege of serving this past year, and in which I hope to continue, to quote Daft Punk “one more time.” This past year has been a busy one for EUS-AAEM! I have had the opportunity to provide input into the discussion regarding AAEM’s position on POCUS training programs for APP’s, as well as how better to promote the Section’s hands-on course offering. I have had the opportunity to present as an invited speaker for the AAEM FPD Review webinar series “Unmute Your Probe” and am looking forward to joining my colleagues at the Scientific Assembly in Austin as we pilot a new approach to a “Choose your Own Ultrasound Adventure” live-scanning workshop session (see you there!). I hope to build on this experience and the relationships I’ve developed through this role by continuing to serve as a section councilor, using my own path as a former fellowship director and now fledgling residency and system-wide POCUS director as an example and/or warning for colleagues considering a similar course. I continue to believe that my best contribution to the field involves advocating for the adoption of point-of-care ultrasound across the acute care spectrum, contributing where I can to growing the POCUS community, expanding the knowledge base, and making quality ultrasound education accessible to as many physicians and other providers as possible. I look forward to working with other leaders in ultrasound through the AAEM to continue to advance the field and would sincerely appreciate your support.

I would like to serve as a Councilor for the Emergency Ultrasound Section. I believe I embody the qualities of leadership, expertise, and dedication necessary to excel in this role.

I completed my fellowship in emergency ultrasound in 2019 and am currently serving as the associate program director for the ultrasound program at SAUSHEC in San Antonio, Texas. I also serve as an assistant professor for Uniformed Services University helping to teach and mentor medical students as they rotate through in the emergency department. I am a mom of three children who keep life crazy, fun, and always interesting.
I have had the honor of publishing multiple articles on ultrasound and other topics as well as lecturing both nationally and internationally. I have helped teach at many of the different ultrasound courses that have been put on by AAEM. This past year I got the honor of teaching ultrasound courses at three different hospitals in Honduras including two public hospitals with very limited resources and a ton of very sick patients. I was reminded of how powerful this tool can be for patient care and am excited that the 50+ physicians we mentored across the sites will now be able to impact the lives of thousands of patients, hopefully for the better, with the use of ultrasound. I would love to share this passion with physicians here, in rural sites in America, to continue to advance this growing and ever-expanding field in medicine.

I believe my vision for advancing ultrasound education, promoting new research and applications, and fostering collaboration aligns perfectly with the position and I would be honored to serve.

I am pleased to nominate Dr. Babalola for an EUS-AAEM councilor position. Dr. Babalola works in the community as an ultrasound director. She is knowledgeable on the concerns of the community physician and can help to reach out to our members and provide assistance to the community physician.

I, Kathlene Babalola MD FAAEM, am writing to nominate myself for the position of AAEM-EUS-AAEM councilor.

I completed residency in 2019 at the Albert Einstein Health Network in Philadelphia, PA and received ultrasound certification as a portion of my training. Since graduation, I have practiced full-time in a low resource rural area at a critical access hospital and freestanding emergency departments with very limited formal ultrasound imaging availability. Point of care ultrasound has thus been a prominent part of my clinical practice and given my proficiency with the modality, I was quickly promoted to the role of ED ultrasound director at my institution.

I am passionate about increasing utilization of ultrasound amongst my peers in low resource areas, particularly amongst physicians who are seeking post-residency certification. I have steadily encouraged my colleagues to incorporate POCUS in their own practice; in the last year alone, my group has seen an increase of utilization and billing approaching 50%! I am excited to collaborate with other physicians from diverse practice backgrounds to expand access to POCUS education, training and use!

I am pleased to nominate Dr. Theophanous for an EUS-AAEM councilor position. Dr. Theophanous has helped our section by writing articles for both the POCUS report and Common Sense and is always willing to fill in the gaps for our section needs.

I am an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Duke University and Emergency Ultrasound Director at the Durham VA Healthcare System. As ultrasound faculty at Duke and prior ultrasound course director, I am very involved with our residency, teaching clinical ultrasound, performing weekly image review, presenting advanced ultrasound topics, and teaching at monthly resident simulation sessions. I am active in AAEM and our ultrasound community, presenting talks at SCUF, SAEM, and AAEM. I have experience writing POCUS guidelines and policy, working on my hospital’s POCUS taskforce to write documents on image acquisition, documentation, archiving, equipment maintenance, disinfection policies, and billing for POCUS users across all specialties.

As an ultrasound researcher, I obtained a Master of Health Sciences degree under the Duke Clinical Research Training Program. I have published on innovative three-dimensional ultrasound, served as resident mentor for case reports, and collaborated with other departments on antibiotic stewardship initiatives, which demonstrates my research, teaching, and networking skills. With grant funding from SAEMF-AEUS, my implementation science research involves training VA ED providers on POCUS and developing a documentation and archiving system.

As current EUS-AAEM councilor, I have worked with our team to fortify the ultrasound foundations of education, research, and career development. I plan to expand educational opportunities through innovative and relevant speaker sessions and the Unmute your Probe webinar series. Furthermore, I will consolidate and disseminate high yield POCUS resources for residents and students and promote study resources for the Ultrasonography Focused Practice Designation. I have substantial leadership experience organizing and running large-group ultrasound courses like the EUS-AAEM regional ultrasound course, maximizing hands-on teaching with active education in a collegial environment. Finally, I will bolster initiatives to increase ultrasound presentations at AAEM, further disseminate POCUS newsletters, and strengthen collaborations with other POCUS users to propel our group’s growth and advancement.

I nominated myself because I am interested in critical care within the emergency department. I would like to bridge the gap between intensive care and the Emergency department. I have always had a passion for critical care and hope to one day pursue a fellowship. I believe that I would be able to contribute knowledge as I move through residency and hope to make positive changes in the EM critical care world.

I, Ochan Kwon, MD am nominating Harshit Terala, MD for the position of RSA Representative for EUS-AAEM. Dr. Terala has shown a clear passion for point of care ultrasound. He is one of the most skilled sonographers in our residency program, and he also excels as both a leader and educator. He would be an excellent addition to the section leadership for the Emergency Ultrasound Section.

I would like to nominate myself for the EUS-AAEM Resident and Student Association (RSA) Representative position primarily for two reasons: I have an avid passion for emergency ultrasound (US), and I want to promote a strong learning environment on a national level. Early in my residency I committed to my residency’s ultrasound track, absorbing knowledge from my esteemed US faculty and senior residents. Under their guidance, I attained enough fundamental US knowledge and practical skills that I was accepted as an ultrasound instructor for medical students over the summer. It was at this time when my ultrasound passions were strengthened, and I developed a personal goal of encouraging US education on a national level.

Attending the AAEM 2023 spring conference showed me I can achieve this goal. I attended various sessions and instantly found my niche, EUS-AAEM. I worked closely with the current RSA representatives for EUS-AAEM this past year and understand the specific responsibilities that are held by this position. I recognize this position directly aligns with my personal goals. It allows me to share my ultrasound experiences with my emergency medicine peers and foster a learning environment with residents and students across the nation.

If I am elected for this position, I hope to accomplish several tasks within my term. My first task is to increase peer attendance in future webinars by mounting awareness of these virtual learning opportunities. Additionally, I would like to enhance interactions amongst emergency medicine residents in future sessions, creating a more convenient space for collaboration. I will encourage the informational exchange of work experiences with ultrasound in the hopes of finding alternative, or even novel, US methods to help provide better patient care. These are just some of the tasks I hope to accomplish and my reasons for applying for this position.

My name is Joshua Culberson and I am a medical student at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. I am nominating myself for consideration to be the next RSA Representative. I became interested in Emergency Medicine in high school when my Dad got out of the Army and started flying a Life Flight helicopter for hospitals all throughout the Southeast. I was fortunate to be able to spend time around his medical team, had the chance to shadow their medical director and fell in love with this aspect of Emergency Medicine. I have various interests within the field and have taken leadership at my institution as the Co-President of our Critical Care Medicine Interest Group. I have been looking for ways to become more involved with AAEM and feel as though I would be a good fit for the position. I have experience organizing large events and am eager to ensure that this next year is full of networking and mentorship opportunities that help those in this section thrive.

I would like to nominate myself for the AAEM/RSA representative, because I would like to join my physician colleagues in articulating the direction for the future of our profession while learning more about the inner workings of AAEM.

Prior to medical school, I was a firefighter/EMT and subsequently a physician assistant in emergency medicine. As a PA, I was witness to the negative changes in emergency medicine that many members of AAEM are well aware.

I have worked for large private equity owned contract management groups as a warm body to fill a shift as well as a small democratic group where I had a real partnership with my supervising physicians where we together shared responsibility for the patient.

Ultimately, recognizing the gaps in my knowledge, I returned to medical school where I am in my first year. I hope to come out equipped to better care for my patients, but also to better care for my profession through avenues such as AAEM.

As a second-year emergency medicine resident deeply passionate about ultrasound and academic medicine, I am eager to serve as the Resident Representative for the Ultrasound Section of AAEM. My journey in emergency medicine has been marked by a commitment to education, evident in my active involvement in teaching ultrasound to medical students throughout my residency, both in scheduled ultrasound sessions and on shift.

I am drawn to this position as it presents a unique opportunity to immerse myself in the ultrasound community within EM. Having witnessed the positive impact of ultrasound integration in my residency program, I am keen to explore ways to further enhance its role and accessibility. My goal is to leverage my experience to contribute valuable insights that will enrich the ultrasound curriculum and promote continuous improvement.

In my term, I aim to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among residents, emphasizing the importance of ultrasound in emergency medicine. Additionally, I am excited to learn about and actively participate in projects that advance ultrasound practices, aligning with my aspiration to pursue an ultrasound fellowship.

By engaging with the Ultrasound Section, I hope to broaden my understanding of opportunities and initiatives within the ultrasound world. Through active involvement, I aim to contribute to the growth of the ultrasound community while simultaneously expanding my practice. I am confident that my passion for teaching and my commitment to advancing ultrasound in emergency medicine will make a positive impact during my term as the Resident Representative.