PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Faculty Development in Emergency Medicine: A Backwards Step?

The accompanying photo represents an important part offaculty development…Getting away! Taken by my wifewhile we were pleasantly lost in the South of France, it

represents an essential element of any “FacultyDevelopment Content listing”, ie, balancing Work versusthe rest of your Life. It also offers a break from the face

that has stared back at you for these last several months. Itwas not a setting tolerant of Hymenoptera sensitivity!

“Since July, 1987 Faculty Development has been part ofthe Special Requirements for training in emergencymedicine sponsored by the ACGME and monitored by theRRC-EM. It was included to stimulate resident trainingprograms to add faculty as another group of studentsrequiring an organized educational experience.” These twosentences began an editorial I wrote in 1988 that outlinedthe reasons why faculty development had not gained thelevel of support it needed in our specialty, after more thanfive years of dialogue on the topic. Subsequently, althoughthe individual programmatic commitment to facultydevelopment varies considerably, the specialty as a wholehas responded most vigorously in its offerings. The CORDconference, “Navigating the Academic Waters,” was acenterpiece of this effort as is its current successor. SAEMhas had a Faculty Development Committee since the late‘90s derived from its earlier Education Committee. ACEPsponsors the EMBERS Course and the Teaching Fellowshipexperience in Emergency Medicine. Although all of thesehave emanated from a generalized interest in moving theacademic credentials of this specialty and its facultyforward, I have always believed the key driving force behindthis effort remained embedded with the sustainedcommitment of the RRC-EM to encourage and monitorfaculty development activities in residency trainingprograms as part of their accreditation charge. That is untilmost recently.

(continued on page 11)

SAEM

Newsletter of the Society for Academic Emergency MedicineMarch/April 2006 Volume XVIII, Number 2

901 N. Washington Ave.Lansing, MI 48906-5137

(517) 485-5484saem@saem.orgwww.saem.org

“to improve patient care by advancing research and education in emergency medicine”

AEM Outstanding Reviewers – 2005The editors of Academic Emergency Medicine offer our sin-

cere thanks to the 479 reviewers who assisted in peer review dur-ing 2005. Their generous voluntary participation has helpedmaintain the high quality of our journal and the medical literature.

From January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005 AEM received926 manuscripts (645 new submissions and 281 revisions).1,480 reviews were obtained for new submissions that advancedto peer review, for an average of 4.7 reviews per new submission.For new submissions, turnaround time averaged 25 days to firstdecision.

Each reviewer received an average of 3.7 requests to reviewand responded within 3 days. Reviewers took an average of 10days to complete their reviews.

We especially want to acknowledge a group of our reviewerswho our decision editors have identified as outstanding amongtheir peers. These individuals have provided at least five highquality reviews in a timely fashion. Their names are listed belowand those designated with an * are also members of the AEMEditorial Board. The AEM outstanding reviewers for 2005 are:

Joel Bartfield, MDRobert Birkhahn, MD

John Burton, MDSean Bryant, MD

Clifton W. Calloway, MDKathleen Clem, MD

D. Mark Courtney, MDJim DuCharme, MDBob Gerhardt, MD Michelle Gill, MDLouis Graff, MD

Steve Green, MDFred Hustey, MD

Charlene Irvin, MD*Alan Jones, MD

Justin Kaplan, MD*David Karras, MD

Terry Kowalenko, MDEddy Lang, MD

E. Brooke Lerne, PhD, EMP-TJohn Marx, MD

James Niemann, MDJames Quinn, MDKathy Rinnert, MDSteve Smith, MD

Mark Turturro, MD*Henry Wang, MDDonald Yealy, MD

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Call for Proposals 2007 AEM Consensus Conference

Deadline: May 10, 2006

The editors of Academic Emergency Medicine are acceptingproposals for the AEM Consensus Conference to be held onMay 15, 2007, the day before the SAEM Annual Meeting inChicago.

Proposals must advance a topic relevant to emergency med-icine that is conducive to the development of a research agen-da and be spearheaded by thought leaders from within the spe-cialty. Consensus conference goals are: to heighten awarenessrelated to the topic, discuss the current state of knowledgeabout the topic, identify knowledge gaps, propose neededresearch, and issue a call to action to allow future progress.Previous topics have included errors in emergency medicine,the unraveling safety net, quality/ best practices in emergencycare, information technology in emergency medicine, disparitiesin emergency care, and emergency research without informedconsent.

Well-developed proposals will be reviewed on a competitivebasis by the AEM Editorial Board. The 2007 AEM ConsensusConference topic will be announced at the SAEM AnnualBusiness Meeting on May 20, 2006. Proceedings of the meet-ing and original contributions related to the topic will be pub-lished exclusively by AEM in its Special Topic Issue, in

November, 2007. Submitters are strongly advised to review pro-ceedings of previous consensus conferences, which can befound in the November issues of AEM, to guide the develop-ment of their proposals.

Proposals must include the following:1. Introduction of the topic (including brief statement of

relevance and justification for this topic choice)2. Proposed conference chairs and sponsoring groups (

i.e. interest groups, committees) 3. Proposed conference agenda and proposed presen-

ters (including plenary lectures, panels, break-outtopics, and questions for discussion)

4. Anticipated audience (stakeholder groups/organiza-tions, Federal regulators, national researchers andeducators, others)

5. Anticipated budget6. Potential funding sources and strategies for securing

conference fundingProposals must be submitted electronically to

aem@saem.org no later than May 10, 2006. Questions may alsobe directed to aem@saem.org

AEM Reviewers' WorkshopThe annual AEM Reviewers' Workshop will be held on Friday, May 19, 2006 during the SAEM Annual Meeting. The Workshop

will be held at 12:00-1:30 pm and will include lunch. The theme of the Workshop will be, "What Editors Really Want to Know"and will be presented by members of the AEM Editorial Board. All AEM reviewers are invited to attend and are asked to regis-ter by sending an e-mail to: kathryn@saem.org no later than May 1.

AEM Consensus Conference: Science of SurgeGabe Kelen, MDJohns Hopkins UniversityChair, AEM Consensus Conference Planning Committee

The AEM Consensus Conference will be held on May 17,2006, at the San Francisco Marriott. The theme of the confer-ence will be the “Science of Surge,” and it will include keynotespeakers, lectures for scientific content experts, interactive facil-itated small group sessions, and interactive conferenceattendee voting on key consensus issues.

Surge capacity, the ability of a hospital or healthcare systemto meet short term extraordinary needs of the community in theevent of a manmade or natural catastrophic event, is an impor-tant parameter of disaster preparedness. The concept of surgeextends to two areas, daily surge and disaster surge. These twoconcepts are prima facie intrinsically inter-related, but are notoverlapping constructs. Both of these concepts are a mainstayof emergency medicine, but by no means are they within theexclusive domain of the discipline. In fact, creation or mainte-nance of surge capacity as related to health care and publichealth is multifaceted and multidisciplinary.

While surge capacity is the vigor of the national healthcaresafety net and public health system, its scientific underpinningsare varied and ill-defined. The conference will focus almostexclusively on defining the scientific parameters of surge capac-ity, and will eschew simple reviews of current practice orthought. The conference will review: current scientific knowl-edge, current understanding of surge, and current understand-ing of interlinkage of the two main concepts.

The Conference will be designed and conducted to: • better define surge and its various components.• describe the current status of surge research.• determine appropriate research methodologies.• establish priorities for research.• highlight funding sources.Finally, the major output of the conference will be the

establishment of a research agenda for emergency medicine forthe scientific exploration of surge capacity. Apart from identify-ing appropriate areas of endeavors, the conference will deter-mine a plan for advocacy: i.e., means to communicate theimportance of this area as a research endeavor to related disci-plines, policy makers, and funding agencies. The conferencewill also identify potential funding sources already known to beinterested in this area.

This year’s conference is supported in part by the JohnsHopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response(CEPAR), the National Center for the Study of Preparedness andCatastrophic Event Response (PACER), the National Institutesof Health [pending], the Agency for Healthcare Research andQuality [pending].

The registration fee for the conference is only $75 andincludes lunch. All interested individuals are invited to attend.Use the Annual Meeting online registration form athttp://www.saem.org/meetings/2006/06main.htm

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2006 SAEM Annual Meeting Debra Houry, MD, MPHEmory UniversityChair, SAEM Program Committee

The Program Committee has been busy finalizing theAnnual Meeting for this upcoming May in San Francisco andwe hope that you are planning to attend. We’ve had a busyfew months finalizing the didactic grid and selectingabstracts. Below are our latest updates:

Social EventsThe opening reception will be on Thursday, May 18. This

should be a great opportunity for members to enjoy horsd’oeuvres while listening to the jazz music of the Todd DickowTrio. On Friday, May 19 our banquet or “evening event,” willbe held at the Exploratorium, a hands-on science museumwith over 650 exhibits. Attendees will have access to bothfloors of the museum and will be able to make their own takehome souvenir at the pendulum paint exhibit. We will also bebringing a taste of San Francisco to you through our “Streetsof San Francisco” menu with North Beach, Chinatown, andFisherman’s Wharf food stations. Tickets will be $85 per per-son ($45 for children) and will include dinner, two drink tickets,round-trip transportation, and access to the Exploratorium.Finally, on Saturday, May 20, we will have a short wine andcheese event featuring wine tastings from Mumm Napa,William Hill, and Clos du Bois wineries. Representatives fromeach vineyard will be on hand to provide information and winetastings.

We are also excited to offer group tickets to an Oakland A’sgame (against the Seattle Mariners) on Wednesday, May 17,the evening before the conference officially starts. We havealso scheduled short coffee breaks each day to give membersa chance to socialize.

Paper PresentationsWe received 1,117 abstract submissions this year (after

removing duplicate and blank abstracts) which is an 11%increase over last year and our best year yet. Education (102),administration/health policy (97), and cardiology (97) cate-gories had the highest number of submissions. Overcrowdingwas added as new category this year and received 40 sub-missions. We have accepted 504 abstracts this year (48%acceptance rate).

We had many excellent submissions this year and choos-ing five for the plenary session was difficult. We aimed to rep-resent basic science and public health, as well as clinical sci-ence. We selected “A clinical decision rule to safely rule-outsubarachnoid hemorrhage in acute headache”, “Comparisonof 33 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius: hypothermiaafter cardiac arrest,” “Witnessing intimate partner violence asa child does not increase likelihood of becoming an adult IPVvictim,” “An emergency department diagnostic protocol forpatients with transient ischemic attack,” and “A randomizedcontrolled trial of fixed versus escalating energy levels fordefibrillation.”

We implemented a new category for abstracts called “Latebreaker sessions.” These late breaker abstracts werereviewed by the scientific subcommittee for quality ofmethodology, preliminary results, and anticipated timely com-pletion of the study. Researchers submitting late breakerabstracts are required to complete data collection and analy-sis by April. We received 41 “late breakers,” although manydid not fit this category and were either completed studies(which were scored with the rest of regular submittedabstracts) or were surveys or chart review studies. We haveaccepted 3 late breaker abstracts, including a multi-centercardiac study and an ultrasound study.

Didactic Sessions and WorkshopsOne of the biggest changes to our didactic schedule is a 15

minute break before our didactic lunch sessions. We will nolonger be offering seated, plated lunches. Instead, we havecontracted with the Marriott to provide a lunch cart with sand-wiches and snacks for sale outside the lecture rooms. SAEMAnnual Meeting attendees will no longer have to pre-registerfor lunch lectures and can opt to buy lunch from the hotel cartor from a neighboring restaurant. We will also provide a list ofquick lunch spots within walking distance of the hotel.

In addition, the Institute of Medicine report on “The Futureof Emergency Care in the United States Health System”should be released in mid-May. We plan to have a sessiondedicated to this report with ample time to ask questions ofIOM committee members and to discuss how this may affectemergency medicine.

The SAEM Research Committee worked in collaborationwith members of the ACEP Research Committee and will beholding a Grant Writing Workshop on the pre-day,Wednesday, May 17. NIH staff will be leading sessions ongrant writing skills and how to improve your chances of get-ting funded, so this should be an invaluable opportunity formembers to get tips from the experts.

Finally, the Program Committee has just completed itsreview of the Innovations in Emergency Medicine (IEME)Exhibits. There were 79 submissions and 26 have beenaccepted for presentation. This year the selected IEMEExhibits will be published in the Abstract Supplement, whichwill be mailed with the May issue of Academic EmergencyMedicine.

The Program Committee is currently reviewing the nearly100 photo submissions. Selected photos will be posted in theExhibit Hall for the enjoyment and education of all AnnualMeeting attendees.

As always, please feel free to contact me with questionsand suggestions for the Annual Meeting. Email is the easiestway to reach me: dhoury@emory.edu. I look forward to see-ing all of you in San Francisco!

4

SAEM Membership As of 3-13-06Active – 2475 Associate – 229

Emeritus – 21 Fellow – 137Honorary – 5 Medical Student – 439

Resident – 2768

Total – 6074

Medical Student Excellence AwardEstablished in 1990, the SAEM Medical Student

Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award is offered annu-ally to each medical school in the United States andCanada. It is awarded to the senior medical student at eachschool (one recipient per medical school) who best exem-plifies the qualities of an excellent emergency physician, asmanifested by excellent clinical, interpersonal, and manualskills, and a dedication to continued professional develop-ment leading to outstanding performance on emergencyrotations. The award, presented at graduation, conveys aone-year membership in SAEM, which includes subscrip-tions to the SAEM monthly Journal, Academic EmergencyMedicine, the SAEM Newsletter and an award certificate.

Announcements describing the program have been sentto the Dean's Office at each medical school. Coordinatorsof emergency medicine student rotations then select anappropriate student based on the student's intramural andextramural performance in emergency medicine.

Over 100 medical schools currently participate. To sub-mit the 2006 Medical Student Excellence Award recipientfrom your school (only one winner per medical school), goto: www.saem.org/awards/excelfrm.htm Submissions mustbe received at SAEM no later than June 20. The list of 2006recipients will be published in the SAEM Newsletter in latesummer.

Two New Residency ProgramsApproved

During the February meeting of the Residency ReviewCommittee - Emergency Medicine meeting two new pro-grams were approved.

The Medical College of South Carolina program is a three-year 1-3 program, and was approved for six residents peryear. The program director is Sam Kini, MD, and the chair isLaurence Raney, MD.

The University of Nevada - Las Vegas program is also athree-year 1-3 program. The program was approved for 8residents per year and the program director is Deanna Young,MD and the chair is Dale Corrison, MD.

SAEM extends its congratulations to these new programs.There are now 136 approved Emergency Medicine residencyprograms.

SAEM Medical Student Interest Group Grant Report

In November 2004, members of theEmergency Medicine StudentAssociation at the State University ofNew York at Buffalo School of Medicinereceived an SAEM Medical StudentInterest Group Educational Grant. This$500 grant was intended to fund thedevelopment of educational videos tohelp instruct medical students in thebasics of airway management. Thesevideos were to be used in coordinationwith existing teaching methods includ-ing didactic sessions and hands-onworkshops during the second-year cur-riculum. The videos were to incorpo-rate animation and graphics of airwayanatomy, step-by-step demonstrationsof airway techniques on mannequinsand cadavers, and live clinical footageof techniques being applied to patients.

The initial step towards achievingour goal was to acquire video footageof airway techniques being performedon mannequins and cadavers, as wellas simulated and real patients.Technical equipment and support wasprovided through the Department ofEmergency Medicine at Erie CountyMedical Center (ECMC). Mannequins,cadavers, and other supplies were pro-vided by the University at BuffaloSchool of Medicine. Much time was

spent acquiring live footage of tech-niques being applied to real patients atthe ECMC Emergency Department.With our filming efforts, along with alibrary of previously filmed footagethough the Department of EmergencyMedicine at ECMC, we were able toacquire video demonstrating tech-niques such as head positioning, airwayadjunct use, mouth-to-mask and bag-valve-mask ventilation, use of suction,endotracheal intubation, and both nee-dle and surgical cricothyrotomy.Dialogue and voiceover scripts describ-ing airway management techniqueswere written and revised to be incorpo-rated with the video during final editing,using textbooks and expert input asresources. With the gracious assis-tance of Fritz Schultz in the Departmentof Emergency Medicine at ECMC, seg-ments of acquired footage have beenedited and combined with audiovoiceovers, graphics, and dialoguefrom emergency physicians to createclear and succinct video files thatexplain and demonstrate common air-way maneuvers.

While our initial proposal suggestedthat we would be using the DVD formatas our final media for distribution to stu-dents, the decision was made to place

the finished video segments on a cen-tral computer server which can beaccessed through the internet by stu-dents located both on and off campus.This change was felt to increase theease of availability to the information,as well as allow for continual additionsand modifications to the video files asmedical knowledge changes and ourwork on this endeavor continues. Theuse of a central computer server forstorage and distribution of the mediaalso enabled us to save on DVD pro-duction costs. Since the grant fundswere initially dedicated to advancingairway management education formedical students, we felt a suitable usefor the funds would be to purchase twocricothyrotomy simulators and sup-plies, which can be used in conjunctionwith the educational videos during thesecond-year curriculum.

We would like to express our thanksto SAEM for enabling us to attempt toenhance the education of ourselves andour classmates. We would also like tothank those that assisted us in ourefforts at ECMC, especially Dr. JeffMyers and Fritz Schultz, for all of theirsupport and encouragement.

5

The SAEM Research Fund – Rapidly Approaching 5 Million Dollars!Brian Zink, MDUniversity of MichiganChair, SAEM Development Committee

It has been a very good year thus far for the SAEMResearch Fund. Member contributions have been frequentand generous. At the end of January for the 2006 campaign,members and friends have donated $25,670. In December weunveiled a new brochure to highlight how donations lead tohigh quality emergency medicine research. The brochureincluded quotes from Research Fund grant recipients, andtestimony from donors on why they chose to give. Over thepast six months we have worked closely with HammondRosebush, LLC, our new development consultants, to honeour message and plan our appeal for high level donations tothe Research Fund. Because of new contributions and asound, successful investment strategy, the SAEM ResearchFund has grown impressively to $ 4,966,347 as of January 31,2006. Yes, that’s just $ 33,653 short of five million dollars inour Research Fund! We are on our way to establishing thelargest single source of emergency medicine research fundingin the world – a Fund that can eventually function as anendowment, and provide even more research training grantsthan it does now.

The SAEM Research Fund will be front and center in SanFrancisco at the Annual Meeting. Look once again for a spe-cial oral abstract at the end of the Plenary session, presentedby one of our Past Presidents whose humor is matched only

by his generosity in donating to the Research Fund. We willexpress our thanks to contributors with a Donor Luncheon onSaturday, May 20 where I will do a special presentation on“The 1970’s Emergency Medicine Resident”. Members will beable to make a donation at the registration area. TheDevelopment Committee will be meeting, and working withour development consultants to strategize further for our mul-tiyear campaign for the Research Fund.

In this Newsletter we will highlight big donors and newdonors. A record number of members contributed at a $500or higher level. This honor roll of major givers is noted below.Also, is a list of new donors, who were inspired to give for thefirst time, and perhaps will become regular donors and moveup the giving level chain. If you have not yet contributed tothe SAEM Research Fund this year, please consider a dona-tion. If you have already given this year, consider makinganother donation now or at the Annual Meeting. We keeptrack of your cumulative donations, and will advance your giv-ing level once you reach the next threshold. Donations can beconveniently made on-line at www.saem.org

With your help, we can announce at the Annual Meetingthat the SAEM Research Fund is in excess of 5 million dol-lars!

Contributed $500 or more in 2006campaignCarolyn Annerud, MDBrent Asplin MDMichelle Blanda MDKris Brickman, MDSteven Davidson, MD, MBALeon Haley, MDJames Hoekstra MD Judd Hollander MD Jennifer Isenhour, MDKenneth Iserson MD Jeffrey Kline MD Roger Lewis MD Joseph Lex, MD

(in Honor of Alan A. Clark, MD)Gretchen Lipke, MDJohn Marx MD Brian O'Neil MD Gene Pesola, MDChristine Sullivan, MDScott Syverud MD Ron Walls MD Robert Wears, MDBrian Zink, MD

First Time Contributors in 2006CampaignChristine Abbott-Kletti MDJeanne Basior MDRonald Benenson MDEdward Bernstein MDHerbert Bivins MDAndrew Chang MD

Michael Chansky MDDennis Cochrane MDJim Comes MDD. Mark Courtney MDMichael Cudnik, MDMatthew Emery MDBarnet Eskin MD, PhDChristopher Fee MDWilliam Fernandez MDAlbert Fiorello MDCamilo Florez MDJohn Fowler MDBroderick Franklin MDPaul Gordon MDCharles Graffeo MDJeffrey Hackman MDJeffrey Hom MDShkelzen Hoxhaj MD, MPHJohn Kanegaye MDEric Katz, MDBrian King MDDawne Kort MDAndrew Langsam MDRebecca Lipscomb MDAnil Mahajan, MDJeffrey Manko, MDGerard Martin MDChadwick Miller MDAngela Mills MDJames Miner, MDJuan Nieto, MDMary Palmer MDChristopher Pergrem MDDouglas Rockacy MD

Philip Shayne MDMichael Silverman, MDHoward Smithline MDLatha Stead MDJoshua Stillman MDMark Su MDAndrew Ta MDGary Tamkin MDVictoria Thornton MDMichael Touger MDSteven Vance MDMichael VanRooyen MDAndrea Vogler MDPaul Walsh, MDAnthony Weekes MDJohn Wightman MDCharles Worrilow MDHeinz Zimmermann MD

To make a donation to theSAEM Research Fund

* Use the online form at https://www.periwinkle.net/saem/research.htm

* Send check payable to SAEM ResearchFund to SAEM, 901 North Washington

Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906* Contact SAEM via phone (517-485-5484)

or email (saem@saem.org)100% of all contributions go directly to the

Research Fund. All administrative costs are paid by SAEM.

Please support the SAEM Research Fund andthe future of EM Research.

6

American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care CommitteeClifton W. Callaway, MDUniversity of PittsburghSAEM representative to the ECC/AHA

Over the past two years, I have served as the SAEM liaisonto the Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) committee(ACLS committee) of the American Heart Association (AHA).This group is the component of the AHA that develops a con-sensus statement about the science behind resuscitation(recently appearing in Circulation 112; November 29, 2005).The scientific statements developed by the ECC are used toformulate the guidelines. These guidelines are the basis ofthe AHA courses: CPR, ACLS and PALS. In addition, the ECCexists under the auspices of the International LiaisonCommittee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), which is an interna-tional organization of societies, including the AHA.

During this process, the ECC has a number of exchangesby email, teleconference and in-person meetings. All of theparticipants in the ECC process have devoted tremendouseffort and time without pay. There is incredible expertiseamong the individuals gathered together. There are realefforts extended by the AHA to make the process scientifical-ly rigorous and also transparent with regards to conflicts ofinterest. Each speaker must tabulate any conflicts of interestin writing, and these conflicts are projected or are available tothe group whenever an individual speaks.

The review of scientific evidence for Consensus 2005 fol-lowed a very regimented and rigorous format. Beginning earlyin 2004, members of ILCOR were invited to complete “work-sheets” that reviewed the evidence to answer specific ques-tions. These questions were developed prior to my involve-ment with the ECC. An example of the format for a questionis “What is the optimal drug therapy for asystole?” A work-sheet writer would interpret this question by phrasing it into ahypothesis, such as “Administration of atropine improvesresuscitation and survival after cardiac arrest.” It is importantto recognize that any person could submit a worksheet on aparticular topic. The ECC recruited experts from around theworld to complete these worksheets.

Completing a worksheet involves a search of the literatureand a detailed rating of the papers supporting or contradict-ing the hypothesis. Papers are rated according to quality (fair,good or excellent), research design or level of evidence (from

randomized clinical trials to laboratory studies to extrapola-tion from other diseases) and whether they support or contra-dict the hypothesis. The worksheet author then summarizestheir assessment of the literature in a draft consensus state-ment, such as “There are no clinical data to support adminis-tration of atropine during cardiac arrest” or “Case reports(level of evidence 5) document cases where atropine adminis-tration was associated with survival after cardiac arrest.”

In January 2005, there was a large meeting of ILCOR/ECCin Dallas at which the worksheets were presented and dis-cussed in posters, symposia and group breakouts. In additionto the ECC / ILCOR members, experts in resuscitation from allover the world attended this meeting. Although worksheetcontributions were solicited, completed worksheets wereposted at a website (and can still be reviewed at american-heart.org) and comments on worksheets were welcomed atthe website, it is unclear to me how well this process waspublicized outside of the ECC. After discussion at thesemeetings, the worksheet contents were fashioned into the sci-entific statements. Professional scientific writers wereemployed to help with this process.

During my attendance, it became clear that the role ofliaisons from organizations such as SAEM was not welldefined. The other members of the ECC have included me inall discussions. I have been able to provide input on manytopics. However, I sometimes did not receive drafts of mate-rials from the AHA home office that were being discussed,and I was not asked to provide any input to the home office.Recognizing this oversight, the ECC has made it an actionitem for the next few months to clarify the role of liaisons.

What is the importance of the ECC to SAEM? Most pro-fessionally health care providers are required to take ACLSand PALS for credentialing. Moreover, many of us are instruc-tors for these courses. Therefore, the content of the coursesthat will be derived from the ECC consensus statementsaffect each of us. Conversely, we have significant expertiseabout teaching emergency care to students, residents andparamedics. Therefore, the AHA should solicit our input intoits materials.

“Anyone, Anything, Anytime – A History of Emergency Medicine”Available to Research Fund Donors at the Annual Meeting

Glenn Hamilton, MDWright State UniversitySAEM President

As most of you know, the Board has enlisted the aid of afund raising consultant to guide its efforts toward the contin-ued development of the Research Fund in the coming years.Chuck Hammond from Hammond and Associates has beenhelpful in helping us produce the Research Fund brochurerecently sent out, planning our upcoming Donor Event for theAnnual Meeting, and encouraging creative ideas as part of ourfund raising planning and efforts. One of those ideas willoccur at the Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Brian Zink,MD, author of the book, “Anyone, Anything, Anytime – AHistory of Emergency Medicine” has offered to provide asigned copy of the book to any member who contributes aminimum of $100 to the Research Fund. Elsevier, the book’spublisher, has generously donated the first 25 books in sup-

port of this project. Our goal is to gain at least 200 new con-tributors to the Research Fund through this incentive. Lookfor a table in the registration area and please request theemergency medicine text when you make a contribution tothe Research Fund during the Annual Meeting. We wouldencourage faculty members who may already have a copy ofthis book to contribute and offer it to an emergency medicineresident or interested medical student who is joining them atthe meeting. Dr. Zink has pledged to contribute all author roy-alties to the Research Fund in addition.

This year, the Board has carefully examined how theResearch Fund may best benefit the membership, and willcontinue to do so as its fund raising efforts progress. Pleasetake advantage of this offer at the Annual Meeting.

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Membership Recruitment Effort Creates Two New Dues Discount ProgramsGlenn C. Hamilton, MDWright State UniversitySAEM President

This year the Board of Directors established a membershipsubcommittee. The goal of this subcommittee was to devel-op recruitment and retention programs for members. Our res-ident discount program which is celebrating its 10th anniver-sary this year has continued to be very successful and allowliterally thousands of residents the opportunity to participatein the Society’s activities including receiving AcademicEmergency Medicine. This year, the Board of Directors sup-ported two initiatives developed by the membership subcom-mittee.

First, is the Young Physician Discount, this means recentresidency graduates are eligible for the first two years afterresidency graduation. The membership rate for the first yearfollowing residency is $185, and the second year is $275.Members eligible for the Young Physician Discount may alsobe considered as participating faculty for departments whoare considering the Institutional Membership.

The Institutional Membership is a new initiative toincrease the number of faculty members joining the Society.Under this program, institutions may pay a reduced fee of$300 per member (a nearly 20% discount) if 100% of the full-time academic faculty are enrolled. To qualify for theInstitutional Membership, a letter from the Chair or MedicalDirector must list all full-time academic faculty and a singlepayment is preferred to accompany the letter. “AcademicFaculty” is defined by the Chair or Medical Director and part-time faculty may be included at the discretion of that individ-ual.

This information was shared with Department Chairs andChiefs of the academic programs in Emergency Medicine inthe late Fall of 2005. We have had an excellent response todate with approximately 125 new members having joined theSociety. It is now up to us to make sure they clearly see thebenefits of being an SAEM member. We are appreciative ofthe following institutions who have participated in this newinstitutional membership to date:

• Brown University• Carolinas Medical Center• Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center • Indiana University• Johns Hopkins University • North Shore University• Northwestern University• Oregon Health & Science University• Regions Hospital• University of California, Irvine • University of California, Davis• University of California, San Francisco• University of California, San Francisco – Fresno• University of Iowa• University of Louisville• University of Mississippi• University of North Carolina• Wayne State University• Wright State University• York Hospital

A summary of SAEM membership rates are listed below:

Active $ 365Associate $ 350Institutional Member with 100% participation $ 300 First year graduate $ 185Second year graduate $ 275Resident or Fellow $ 90Group Resident Discount $ 75Student $ 70

If you have further questions or ideas about these initia-tives and our continued efforts to demonstrate the value ofSAEM membership to faculty, residents and medical studentsin emergency medicine, you are welcome to contact SAEM atsaem@saem.org.

SAEM Michael P. Spadafora Medical Toxicology ScholarshipDr. Michael P. Spadafora was an academic emergency physician and medical toxicologist who was a member of

SAEM and the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) and was dedicated to resident education. After hisdeath in October 1999, donations were directed to SAEM for the establishment of a scholarship fund to encourageEmergency Medicine residents to pursue Medical Toxicology fellowship training.

The scholarship recipient will be chosen to attend the 2006 North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology(NACCT), in the fall and will receive $1250 for travel, meeting registration, meals, and lodging. Any PGY-1 or 2 (orPGY-3 in a 4 year program) in an RRC-EM or AOA approved residency program is eligible for the award. The dead-line for application is May 1, 2006. Scholarship recipients will be announced at the SAEM Annual Meeting. The recip-ient will be required to submit a summary of the meeting for publication in the SAEM Newsletter.

Applications must be submitted electronically to saem@saem.org and include:1. Curriculum Vitae of applicant2. Verification of employment and letter of support from the applicant’s program director3. Letter of nomination from an active member of SAEM and/or ACMT4. 1-2 page essay describing the applicant’s interest and background in Medical ToxicologyPlease note that ACMT has developed a similar scholarship program. Contact ACMT for futher information.

8

SAEM’s Future in Public Policy Reform

Lance Scott, MDEast Carolina UniversitySAEM Board of Directors

In the November/December issueof the SAEM newsletter, I discussedmyths shared by some emergencyphysicians regarding public policyadvocacy and lobbying (see below).My comments were based, in part, onmy experience as a Legislative Aide onCapitol Hill working for a Member ofCongress on the House Subcommitteeon Health.

In general, I feel there is an unfortu-nate reluctance on the part of emer-

gency physicians to aggressively lobby local and national law-makers. While physicians actively contribute to political cam-paigns, data shows that their commitment to lobbying is farinferior to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries.(“Debunking the Myths of Lobbying,” SAEM Newsletter,Nov/Dec, 2005)

In May, my tenure on the SAEM Board of Directors ends.In this article, I hope set out a framework for the next SAEMBoard as it transitions to a new advocacy agenda.

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Goal #1: Decide to LeadThere seems to be a strong resistance within SAEM to

embrace a national leadership role to advance AcademicEmergency Medicine. Some members feel that anything thatdiverts our attention from our core goal “to foster EmergencyMedicine Research” is mission drift and should be deempha-sized. As a result, much of our time and money is spent onmembership, the growth of our Research Fund and the devel-opment of academic grants and fellowships.

The expansion of our membership, the growth of ourResearch Fund and the development of grants and fellow-ships are noble goals. I do not intend to diminish their impor-tance. I argue, however, that we need to look towards thehorizon if we intend to secure our specialty’s future. Medicareand Medicaid budgets are going to tighten, not loosen. Thefinancial mechanisms for GME reimbursement will continue tobe strained. As more and more Americans enter the realm ofthe uninsured and underinsured, overcrowding issues willlikely worsen not improve. Threats to national security,bioterrorism, flu pandemics and disaster relief will all furtherstretch the resources of our departments.

In my view, it will not matter ten years from now if SAEM’sResearch Fund doubles in size if our academic departmentsare decimated by decreased federal research funding, shrink-ing faculty salaries, increased job stress from dumping/over-crowding and overall low morale from nursing shortages, mal-practice costs and department safety issues.

One way to ensure a vibrant future for AcademicEmergency Medicine is to embrace a leadership role in healthcare reform. Take for example the recent budgetary debateregarding NIH funding. On December 21, 2005, the U.S.Senate passed its version of the Labor, Health and HumanServices (LHHS) appropriations bill. Funding for the NationalInstitutes of Health (NIH) increased by 0.5%, the lowestincrease in more than 30 years. Appropriations for TheCenters for Disease Control (CDC) were actually cut by 4%.At no point during the final negotiations of this bill did SAEMassume a leadership role. We didn’t make an official visit toCapitol Hill, we didn’t write a letter to the CommitteeChairman and we didn’t mobilize a large number of SAEMmembers to write or contact their respective Members ofCongress.

Whether or not visits and letters would have made a differ-ence to save last year’s NIH funding is less important aswhether SAEM is prepared to act aggressively when it comesto public policy reform. In my view, SAEM doesn’t have achoice. We can either lead or have the future of AcademicEmergency Medicine dictated by someone other than aca-demic emergency physicians.

Goal #2: Develop a Public Face One of the first steps for SAEM as it moves to embrace a

more aggressive leadership role in public policy is to developa public face. Some of this development has already started.For example, the SAEM Board recently authorized an over-haul of the Society’s website to help streamline access to ourvast informatics. The first stage of the website modernizationwill be completed by May 2007.

Second, SAEM must develop a public relations strategy. Astanding committee on public relations should be establishedto develop long term goals. Several questions would need tobe addressed by this committee including, for example, defin-ing SAEM’s relationship with print, on-air and on-line mediaoutlets.

Finally, SAEM must develop a streamlined mechanism forpublic relations. Whether we like it or not, SAEM will need theability to write a letter to a Senator or make a comment to a

The Myths and Realities of LobbyingMyth #1: Non-Profit Organizations (NPO’s) such as SAEM can’t lobby.Reality: Federal laws allow NPO’s to engage in a wide range of lobbying activities including face to face meetings, educa-tional seminars and testifying before Congressional Commit-tees.Myth #2: SAEM shouldn’t lobby; we have better things to do.Reality: Our speciality is directly linked, possibly more than any other medical specialty, to federal law and public policy. We can either engage lawmakers now or sit back and let others shape the future of our specialty.Myth #3: Lobbying is dirty, too controversial.Reality: While sometimes “dirty,” lobbying is perfectly legaland the only game in town. The pharmaceutical industry and insurance companies tend to play this game much better thanwe do.Myth #4: There is no need to come to Washington if nothing is going on.Reality: The perfect time to educate a Member of Congress is when things are quiet. Visiting once a year is just not enough.Myth #5: Physicians are already an effective lobbying force.Reality: Physicians are effective campaign contributors; we are poor lobbyists.

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newspaper reporter without vetting these comments througha protracted committee system. In my view, SAEM’sPresident and the Executive Committee should be givenexplicit authority to engage media outlets, lawmakers andpublic officials on a day-to-day basis. This authority would beenhanced with the help of a skilled press secretary but hiringa press secretary is not an immediate priority. The short-termpriority for SAEM is to develop a cogent public relations strat-egy that permits rapid executive action.

Goal #3: Define Our AgendaThere are a variety of emergency medicine public policy

goals and multiple players in the legislative arena. TheAmerican College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), for exam-ple, lobbies on behalf of emergency physicians on a variety ofissues. Some SAEM members feel that SAEM lobbying activ-ities would be duplicative to ACEP and, therefore, wasteful. Iargue that ACEP is not SAEM. Even on its best lobbying day,ACEP has very little incentive to advocate goals uniquelyimportant to academic emergency physicians. Consider thefollowing goals, none of which are listed as an ACEP top pri-ority.

Increase Emergency Medicine Academic ResearchFunding. As demonstrated during the last appropriationsdebate, funding for health care research and education areshrinking. SAEM could be help prevents future cuts byaggressively lobbying those in charge of the budget process– namely, Congress and the White House.

Preserve Graduate Medical Education (GME) funding.Graduate Medical Education (GME) funding helps teachinghospitals pay for resident training expenses. Most academicphysicians take GME funding for granted because the fundingmechanism under Medicare has existed relatively unscathedfor decades. In my view, the GME holiday is over. As moreseniors become Medicare eligible and benefits shrink, it willbe harder to justify siphoning Medicare funds to train resi-dents. SAEM needs to start lobbying the merits of this pro-gram now to prevent future cuts. Emergency Medicine will behard pressed to develop new residencies without a robustGME program.

Link Emergency Medicine Training to HomelandSecurity. Millions of dollars in Homeland Security funds arebeing pumped into education and training yet little effort hasbeen made to channel these funds to Academic EmergencyMedicine. The link between pre-hospital medical providersand Homeland Security has been fairly well-established. Inmy view, the link between Emergency Medicine ResidencyTraining and Homeland Security is equally important. Asdemonstrated during Hurricane Katrina, emergency physi-cians are essential medical decision makers during times ofnational crisis. The workforce shortage of board-certifiedemergency physicians and the development of advance train-ing techniques in mass casualty, bioterrorism, and infectiousdisease pandemics should be a national security/health prior-ity.

Goal #4: Define Our ArenaIt is important for SAEM to define our agenda. It is also

important for us to define our arena. It is obvious that SAEMneeds to focus it efforts in Washington, DC. Congress is anobvious target for reasons already stated. Additional arenasshould be addressed on a case-to-case basis. For example,the President has recently established a task force to reviewthe future of Medicaid. There is also an ongoing reform initia-tive at the NIH, the Roadmap Initiative, designed to reshape

NIH grant priorities. SAEM will have to decide the extent towhich it will be involved in these reform initiatives.

SAEM should constantly be on the lookout for uniquemedia opportunities. For example, in May, the Institute ofMedicine (IOM) will publish a three-tiered report on the “TheFuture of Emergency Care in the United States HealthSystem.” There will be several events during the media roll-out of this report including testimony before Congress. In myview, the unveiling of the IOM report to Congress is the per-fect opportunity for SAEM leaders to meet face-to-face withMembers of Congress, to introduce SAEM to decision makersat HHS and the White House and to unveil our legislativeagenda for 2006.

Goal #5: Be Simple, Be SmartThe most important thing for SAEM to remember as it

develops a legislative/lobbying strategy is to keep it simple.For example, ACEP has a political action committee (anaccount that directs money to political campaigns) but SAEMdoes not need one. ACEP also tends be involved in multiplesstates at once but SAEM does not need to do this -- at least,not initially.

What SAEM really needs is a physical, day-to-day pres-ence in Washington, DC. We need to have someone walkingthe halls of the White House, Congress, NIH, or wherever it isneeded. We need someone introducing SAEM to committeestaff members, developing professional friendships with offi-cials at the White House and talking with various health careadvocacy groups. If a Senate Committee wants to hold ahearing on “Bioterrorism and the Healthcare Safety Net,”SAEM should be available to that committee including offer-ing names of individuals who could testify and compiling cur-rent data that helps define the relevance of EmergencyResidency Training in the context of a national disaster.

Establishing a human presence in Washington, DC soundsexpensive but it isn’t. SAEM could wield a considerableamount of political clout in Washington without ever con-tributing a single dollar to an election. Our lobbying effortswould be simple, smart, education-focused and significantlyless expensive than similar efforts by other health care organ-izations.

Essentially SAEM has a decision to make about our spe-cialty’s future. Our goal is steadfast, “to improve patient careby advancing research and education in EmergencyMedicine.” Yet, the strategies we have employed to achievethis goal must evolve. We first must recognize that our spe-cialty is inexorably linked to public policy, specifically, federallegislation. Second, we must understand that leadership inhealth care reform requires involvement on a day-to-day basiswith streamlined mechanisms for rapid response. Third, wemust recognize that academic emergency physicians are thebest advocates for the future of Academic EmergencyMedicine.

We must stop thinking about the future of AcademicEmergency Medicine as something we ask for; we must thinkabout it as something we shape. My hope is that the nextSAEM Board will come embrace a leadership role in publicpolicy reform and exert focused, yet aggressive lobbyingstrategies to secure our specialty’s future.

The opinions shared in this article do not reflect the sentimentof the SAEM Board of Directors. This is the second of a twopart series from Dr. Scott regarding SAEM and EmergencyMedicine Public Policy Advocacy.

Academic AnnouncementsSAEM members are encouraged to submit Academic Announcements on promotions, research funding, and other items of

interest to the membership. Submissions must be sent to saem@saem.org by April 1 to be included in the May/June issue.

Steven L. Bernstein, MD, has been awarded a one-year$99,790 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation totest an educational and clinical tobacco control interventionfor emergency physicians. In addition, Dr. Bernstein has beenawarded a one-year, $47,830 grant from the Bronx Center forhis project, "Racial and Economic Disparities in Access toNicotine Replacement Therapy in New York City Pharmacies."Dr. Bernstein is Associate Professor of Clinical EmergencyMedicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in theBronx.

Michael Brown, MD, MSc, has been promoted to Professorof Epidemiology and Emergency Medicine at the MichiganState University College of Human Medicine. Dr. Brown is thedirector of the emergency medicine residency at the GrandRapids/MERC Michigan State University Program.

Gregory Connors, MD, has been appointed Vice Chair of theDepartment of Emergency Medicine at the University ofRochester.

Theodore R. Delbridge, MD, MPH, has been namedProfessor and Chair of the Department of EmergencyMedicine at the Brody School of Medicine at East CarolinaUniversity as of March 1. Dr. Delbridge received his medicaldegree from Eastern Virginia Medical School and completedhis residency and fellowship training at the University ofPittsburgh, where he has served as an Associate Professor ofEmergency Medicine.

William Dribben, MD, has received a Research Career Award(K08) from the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders andStroke. His five year, $800,000 grant is to study MagnesiumInduced Development Neuroapoptosis. Dr. Dribben is anAssistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis.

The Homeland Emergency and Learning Preparedness (HELP)Center within the Department of Emergency Medicine atWright State University has a received a $300,000 contractfrom the Ohio Department of Health. The grant is to supporta series of Basic and Advanced Disaster Life Support Coursesin each of the Homeland Security Regions in Ohio and GlennC. Hamilton, MD, is the principal investigator.

Stephen R. Hayden, MD, has been named Editor-in-Chief ofthe Journal of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Hayden is also thedirector of the residency program at the University ofCalifornia, San Diego.

Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, MPH, has been named the ActingDirector of the Charles McC. Mathias Jr. National StudyCenter for Trauma and EMS. The National Study Center wasdesignated by Congress in 1986 to serve as a focal point forresearch related to trauma, emergency medicine, and emer-gency medical systems.

Christopher Kahn, MD, has been awarded a two-year,$124,000 F-32 training grant from AHRQ for his project,

"START Triage: Improving a Tried and True Methodology. Dr.Kahn is the Disaster/EMS fellow at the University of California,Irvine and his faculty co-principal investigator is SamuelStratton, MD, MPH.

Sam Keim, MD, has been promoted to tenured AssociateProfessor at the Department of Emergency Medicine at theUniversity of Arizona.

Brooke Lerner, PhD, has been appointed Director of theCenter for Disaster Medicine and Emergency Preparednessfor the University of Rochester.

Shahram Lotfipour, MD, of the University of California, Irvine,has been awarded a $60,000, two-year intramural grant tostudy older adult driver safety and driver screening. He wasalso awarded $35,000 for a two-year intramural grant for anovel teaching module for fourth year medical students.

Harvey Meislin, MD, has been awarded the David WagnerAward by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine(AAEM). Dr. Meislin is the chair of the Board of Directors of theAmerican Board of Medical Specialties and Chair of theDepartment of Emergency Medicine at the University ofArizona.

Heather Prendergast, MD, has been promoted to AssociateProfessor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois.She also serves as Co-Director of Residency Research, Chairof the Emergency Cardiac Care Committee, and theEmergency Medicine Liaison for the Divisions of Geriatricsand Cardiology.

Manish N. Shah, MD, was appointed Regional EMS MedicalDirector and Rollin J. (Terry) Fairbanks, MD, MD, EMT-P,was appointed Associate Regional EMS Director for theMonroe and Livingston Counties EMS system in New YorkState. In addition, Dr. Fairbanks is the principal investigator ofa $599,911 AHRQ grant, "The ED Pharmacist: A NovelApproach to Error Reduction in EM" and the principal investi-gator of a $100,000 NIH grant, "Development of a NationalEMS Patient Safety Reporting System."

Federico Vaca, MD, of the University of California, Irvine'sDepartment of Emergency Medicine Center for Trauma andInjury Prevention Research, has been awarded a three-year,$625,000 grant from the State of California, Office of TrafficSafety to develop and implement innovative approaches toalcohol screening and brief intervention in ED patients withalcohol use problems.

John Younger, MD, has been appointed Associate Chair forResearch at the University of Michigan Department ofEmergency Medicine. Dr. Younger is an Associate Professorof Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan.

Robert J. Zalenski, MD, has been named the recipient of theBrooks F. Bock, MD, Endowed Professorship. Dr. Zalenski isa professor of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University.

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President’s Message…(continued from page 1)In the 2003-2004 Program Requirements for Residency

Education in Emergency Medicine, the statement under CoreFaculty Development (III.E.) states “Each program shouldencourage the academic growth of its core faculty. Facultydevelopment opportunities should be made available to eachcore faculty member. A written plan for each member of thecore faculty should be prepared and consultation with thecore faculty member for whom the plan is being developed.At the time of the program review, an example of a corefaculty development plan must be included in the ProgramInformation Forms.” Examining the most recent iteration ofthese same Program Requirements approved September,2005, (III.B.6), the now subtended core faculty developmentheading states “Each program should encourage theacademic growth of its core faculty. Faculty developmentopportunities should be made available to each core facultymember.”

This removal of the proscriptive sentences supporting thetwo basic intent sentences for “Core Faculty Development”may simply represent a ‘cleaning up’ of the document andimproving of syntax. But, for a long time watcher of the fragilefaculty development initiatives and varying commitment atvarious institutions throughout our specialty, it could be readas a concerning step backward. This is the first time sinceJuly, 1987 the RRC-EM has not expanded its commitmentand guidance for faculty development. I don’t know therationale for this shift. Perhaps the integration of facultydevelopment into our training programs is sufficiently strongto stand on its own and now needs only the moderateencouragement of the phrase “should be” and simplycontinued inclusion in our central guiding document foremergency medicine education. I worry the changed phrasingmay be perceived as lessened intent and allow individuals orinstitutions who were weakly committed to the validity of itspurpose an escape route. Unfortunately, there does need tobe some vigilance about the things that keep us at the frontmargin (the euphemistic, “cutting edge”) of progress anddevelopment in any human endeavor. Such edges are alwaysat risk, much like the arts when budgets are cut or millage’sfail. Constant advocacy must come from some voice that isheard.

This may be preaching to the choir, for if you’ve read thisfar, you are already likely a member of an advocate group forfaculty development, that is SAEM. With the RRC-EM shiftingever so slightly, it will rest even more significantly onorganizations such as ours, Department Chairs, ProgramDirectors and individual faculty within our specialty to makesure the interest, energy and enthusiasm for the necessity offaculty development doesn’t take a similar diminished shift onthe grand scale. And how do we accomplish that?

As individuals, there are at least six guides for personalfaculty development:1. Be academically oriented – know the values of your

institution and department, know you job, expectationsand rewards, and know your anticipated career plans andpathway.

2. Know thy time—master the conscious, prioritizeddecision making about one’s activities and how they areorganized and managed.

3. Know thy field – staying up to date generally as well astwo or more specific areas of interest is essential tomaintaining a fresh excitement about emergencymedicine that can last a lifetime.

4. Teacher heal thyself – each individual must acceptresponsibility for honing their craft.

5. Understand the difference between management andleadership. The first relates to tasks and theiraccomplishment, the second relates to the vision fromwhich these tasks may be derived.

6. Avoid the sins of academic hubris--first and foremostforgetting the Rousseauean “social contract” that broughtyou to this role in the first place.

As an academic unit in the institution, the followingelements must be considered and encouraged:1. The organization and implementation of faculty

development planning is the responsibility ofdepartmental/divisional leadership. Individual faculty willhave the most occasions to develop themselves, but thelong vision, organizational resources, and implementationpersistence in making this happen must come from “thetop”.

2. The activities pursued as part of faculty developmentshould be linked to the values of the institution asreflected in promotion criteria. Linking ones individualfaculty as well as departmental values to the schoolvalues is part of integrating planned promotion into thejob description.

3. The “perfect faculty” is created by the assembled skillsand talents of all the faculty combined.

4. The scope of faculty development content must remain asbroad as possible and is continually under revision.

5. The principles of adult education must be applied. Mostimportantly, the learner must be active in the learningprocess and have the opportunity to practice newknowledge and skills such that they are transferred in thereal world.

6. The expectation for faculty development is integrated intothe evaluative process. This is because evaluation hasalways driven learning. This is the basis for the RRC’ssignificant influence in the first place.

7. Anticipate creativity and accept some failures. Facultydevelopment can not become burdensome. The moreopen the setting to discuss specific faculty needs, thebetter the potential for creativity to occur. Don’t be afraidto try something and fail. This too is the basis for learning.

Societally, although many elements of SAEM support andencourage faculty development activities, the FacultyDevelopment Committee is most specifically charged with theresponsibility of fostering these pursuits within themembership. This year a talented group under the leadershipof Chair, Ted Christopher, MD, has worked hard to progress intheir assigned objectives and beyond. These objectivesincluded:1. Develop a series of didactic proposals on academic skills

development for submission to the 2006 Annual Meeting.This talented group submitted a staggering 9 didacticproposals. A number were accepted and one of the mostinteresting is the new “Faculty Development Workshop”with only 25 slots available in the course, the goal is anindividually oriented faculty development experience,something only a few programs in the country havepresented for their faculty members.

2. Develop a proposal for the Board for a FacultyDevelopment Consultation as part of the ConsultationService. This service has existed for some time, but itwas appropriate for its content to be reviewed and the

(continued on next page)

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President’s Message…(continued from previous page)

entire concept revitalized as another offering from SAEMfor its constituent membership.

3. Develop a proposal to the Board for creating an AcademicLeadership Skills Course to be sponsored by SAEM. Thisis a senior level course directed at individuals interested inmoving from a mid-career level to Chair/Dean’s Office/EMLeadership positions. The first draft of this course hasbeen presented to the Board, and comments are currentlybeing returned to the Faculty Development Committee.There is a specific need for this course as the currentsenior leadership of emergency medicine, especially theDepartment Chairs, look to moving into new positions orretirement. The best means of implementing this careerbuilding asset is currently being discussed.

4. Take the “Skill Sets for Clinicians-Teachers” developed bythe GME Committee and create an educational tool toassist faculty in learning these skills. This objective is stillunder development.

5. Create a recommended text-based library with anannotated bibliography for faculty development to assistin training faculty in specific academic and administrativeskills. This is not due for a few months and is also “underconstruction”. The library for faculty development haslong held a personal interest and to close this message I’dlike to share a few favorites plus one new candidate:• The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker was first

published in 1967. Dr. Drucker passed away last yearat the age of 95, still heralded as the founder ofmodern management technique. This is a must readfor all faculty. It also comes with a warning label. Thisis a business book. That means within its 200 pluspages there are actually about 15-20 pages ofessential information. The rest is sometimes boringand repetitive example. The best way to read thisbook is to dictate the key points as you read itthoroughly one time. Then, you’ll never need to readit again, but can always refer back to the key pointswhich are most valuable for a long term perspectivecareer in any profession.

• How to Write and Publish Papers in the MedicalSciences by Edward Huth – just the best written andmost pertinent text on the topic I’ve ever read. Dr.Huth will teach you not only how to write papers, buthow to read them. His step by step elementalapproach takes both the mystery and anxiety out ofthis process. A must read for anyone serious aboutan academic career as publication is still central topromotion.

• How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life byAlan Lakein. The classic time management text, only160 pages. If you’re too busy to read this, you’vealready defined the need to do so!

• The newest recommendation was a gift from one ofmy faculty. Perhaps the ultimate reward for anyfaculty development effort is having the conceptaccepted and returned to you in kind. The book is,‘Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress FreeProductivity,’ by David Allen, 2003, Penguin Books($15). It is my current read, and at 259 easy readingpages, it may actually replace Lakein as the favorite.As always, there is some gimmickry, but read it with anote pad or recorder at hand and allow it to help you

maintain a long term productive career. This certainlythe best way to advance the admirable goals ofacademic emergency medicine.

Update on International Emergency MedicineAt the close of the last President’s Message entitled

“SAEM and Its Global View,” I mentioned the Board ofDirectors was currently voting on several proposals from theInternational Task Force. Those votes are now in and thefollowing have been approved:1. International Memberships. The dues to be set at an

annual published rate as determined by the Board ofDirectors. Members from developing countries definedby World Health Organization Standards would pay areduced rate. This rate must cover our costs and begreater than the medical student rate. The benefits wouldinclude access to the web site, online access to theNewsletter and other materials, use of the membershiprate for SAEM Meetings. These benefits would beincluded in the reduced rate for developing countries.These individuals cannot vote or hold office and the By-laws will need to be modified to be clear on this issue.Including what occurs if full active dues are paid.

2. Faculty development and mentoring. The Society willwork to identifying SAEM members who would be willingto serve as faculty mentors either at their institution or asvirtual mentors providing expertise with clinical,educational, research and administrative skills.

3. International distance learning. The Board supportedapproaching AEM and Elsevier to provide internationalmember access to journal articles online at cost to moremembers from developing countries. We were aware thatElsevier already did this for several associations.

4. Curriculum implementation. The Board consideredpublishing or posting of articles and teaching materials oncurriculum implementation on the SAEM web site with aspecific link for international members on the web site.

5. Regarding rotations for US medical students andresidents. The Board supported developing centralcriteria that make up a valuable rotation and educationalexperience with some standardization of goals andobjectives for international EM rotations and a simpleevaluative tool for evaluating them. This effort could bean objective for the upcoming year. They also agreed tosupport a forum for international fellowship directors tomeet and develop a standardized model or agenda forinternational electives to be met during these rotations.There was agreement that a web link page for residentand medical student international interest groups andlinks to available affiliate web site for current visa andother requirements should be made available as part ofthe SAEM website.

6. Lastly, regarding EM fellowships, the Board approved toprovide support for expanding information oninternational fellowships on the SAEM web site.

As has been noted above, most of these approvals wouldbe possible objectives for either the Task Force if appointedfor a second year and/or the International Interest Group. Mythanks to several of you who were kind enough to respond tothe comments made the last time regarding SAEM’s supportof International Emergency Medicine. The last messagecomes next, always worth the wait.

The SAEM Newsletter is mailed every other month to approxi-mately 6000 SAEM members. Advertising is limited to fellowshipand academic faculty positions. The deadline for theMarch/April issue is April 1, 2006. All ads are posted on theSAEM website at no additional charge.

Advertising Rates:Classified ad (100 words or less)

Contact in ad is SAEM member $120Contact in ad non-SAEM member $145

Quarter page ad (camera ready)3.5" wide x 4.75" high $350

To place an advertisement, email the ad, along with contact per-son for future correspondence, telephone and fax numbers,billing address, ad size and Newsletter issues in which the ad isto appear to: Elizabeth Webb at elizabeth@saem.org

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FACULTY POSITIONSCOOK COUNTY HOSPITAL – The Department of Emergency Medicine seekshighly qualified and motivated applicants for the position of AssociateChairman. Candidates should possess significant academic and administrativeskills. The Associate Chairman will have a lead role in the Department ofEmergency Medicine, which is a unified department with the emergency physi-cians, emergency nursing and the clerical personnel reporting to the Chairman.The Department of Emergency Medicine see 125,000 visits per year and theclinical area is located within a state of the art newly built hospital with anadvanced electronic patient tracking system. Interested candidates should con-tact Jeffrey Schaider, MD, Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, 1900West Polk Street, 10th Floor, Chicago, IL 60612. Tel – 312 864 0066. E-mail –jschaider@ccbh.org

IMC – The International Medical Corps is seeking an emergency physician ornurse to assist with the implementation of the USAID-supported ‘EmergencyMedicine Development Initiative’ in Azerbaijan. The program manager will pro-vide technical support to assist in developing emergency medical services inAzerbaijan. Ability to communicate with senior level government representa-tives is important. Requirements include 5 years of emergency medicine expe-rience. Desired skills include experience in hospital management, health poli-cy and/or international development. A masters degree in public health is aplus. The position is immediately available. Please contact Adam Sirois,Regional Director of the IMC at adam.sirois@imc-az.org.

PENNSYLVANIA – SEEKING 2 EM PHYSICIANS to join 44 BC physicians and 11PAs evaluating over 114,000 patients at the three sites of 800-bed Lehigh ValleyHospital. Must be EM Residency trained. All electronic ERs. Collegial groupsalaried by hospital, with super benefits! Level I Trauma, Regional Burn Center,EM Residency. Eligibility for faculty appointment at Penn State/Hershey. LVHlocated in the beautiful Lehigh Valley, with 750,000 people, excellent suburbanpublic schools, safe neighborhoods, 10 colleges and universities, moderate costof living, one hour north of Philadelphia and 90 minutes west of NYC. Email CVto carol.voorhees@LVH.com. Phone (610) 402-7008.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – Davis School of Medicine, Department ofEmergency Medicine is conducting a faculty search for a fellowship trainedEmergency Medical Services (EMS) Director. Candidates must be residencytrained in Emergency Medicine with board certification/preparation and be eli-gible for licensure in California. University of California, Davis, Medical Center,one of the nation’s “Top 100 Hospitals,” is a 576 bed academic medical center.With approximately 60,000 emergency visits annually, our program providescomprehensive emergency service to a large local urban and referral populationas a level one trauma center, paramedic base station and training center, andserves as the primary teaching site for a fully accredited emergency medicineresidency program. Our residency training program in Emergency Medicinebegan more than a decade ago and currently has 34 residents. Salary and ben-efits are competitive, and commensurate with training and years of experience.Sacramento is located near the northern end of California's Central Valley, withclose proximity to Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, and the "wine country" of theNapa and Sonoma Valleys. Sports enthusiasts will find Sacramento's climateand opportunities ideal. The American River Bike Trail follows 30 miles of river-front, horseback riding, golf and tennis are year-round activities. Areas for ski-ing, backpacking, mountain climbing, fishing, boating, and rafting are all readi-ly accessible. Interested candidates should submit a letter outlining interests andexperience, and curriculum vitae to Deborah Diercks, MD, EmergencyMedicine Search Committee Chair; Emergency Department, University ofCalifornia, Davis, School of Medicine; 2315 Stockton Blvd., PSSB 2100;Sacramento, CA 95817. Applications must be received by May 1, 2006 to befully considered.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE – Department of Emergency Medicineis seeking a one year Clinical Instructor for July 2006. UCI Medical Centerlocated in Orange County is a Level I Trauma center. This position combinesemergency management/disaster medicine and public health training with thatof traditional EMS. Candidates must have completed an ACGME-accreditedEmergency Medicine Residency. Salary based on level of clinical work. Send/e-mail CV to Carl Schultz, MD, UCI Medical Center, 101 City Drive, Route 128-01, Orange, CA 92868, schultzc@uci.edu. UCI is an equal opportunity employ-er committed to excellence through diversity

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA/JACKSONVILLE – We are actively recruiting BoardCertified or Board Eligible Emergency Medicine Physicians in an exciting oppor-tunity to expand our Department. We have a volume of over a 90,000 patientvisits per year including Trauma patients. In addition to a competitive salary, weoffer the full range of University of Florida state benefits that include health, life,disability insurance, vacation & sick leave, 403B retirement plan with immedi-ate vesting, and sovereign immunity occurrence medical liability insurance.Individuals will be appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor or AssociateProfessor. If you are interested in this opportunity please fax (904) 244-5666 ormail your letter of interest and CV to Dr. Kelly Gray-Eurom, Department ofEmergency Medicine, University of Florida/Jacksonville, 655 W. 8th Street,Jacksonville, Florida 32209. Deadline to apply for position 4/1/06 . EOE/AAEmployer.

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH – The Department of Emergency Medicineoffers fellowships in Toxicology, Emergency Medical Services, Research, andEducation. Structured coursework along with intensive interaction with thenationally-known faculty is provided. We offer research and teaching opportu-nities with faculty, medical students, residents and other health care providers.The University of Pittsburgh is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and will wel-come candidates from diverse backgrounds. Each applicant should have aMD/DO or equivalent degree and be board certified/prepared in emergencymedicine. Please contact Donald M. Yealy, MD, University of Pittsburgh,Department of Emergency Medicine, 230 McKee Place, Suite 500, Pittsburgh,PA 15213 to receive information.

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH MEDICAL CENTER (UPMC) Shadyside Hospitalis a tertiary-care teaching hospital within the city of Pittsburgh. The campusincludes the nationally–renowned Hillman Cancer Center, offers a full range ofspecialty and subspecialty services, and supports numerous teaching programs.The progressive Emergency Department sees 36,000 patients annually with 52hours of physician coverage and 22 hours of physician-extender coverage daily.Shadyside is an upscale area of the city with great housing and easy access tonumerous amenities of Pittsburgh, and is also a short commute from Pittsburgh’sfinest suburbs. Candidates should have a record of excellence in administrativeleadership and clinical skills, as well as a background includingacademic/teaching activities. Interested candidates should send a letter of intro-duction and CV to Dr. Robert Maha, Quantum One, 2 Hot Metal Street, 2ndFloor, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 or via email at mahar@upmc.edu. Phone: 412-432-7404.

PENNSYLVANIA, PITTSBURGH: Exceptional Medical Director opportunity atthe nationally-renowned Magee-Womens Hospital. Magee is part of the presti-gious UPMC Health System and the full service ED sees 10,500 patients annu-ally including both male and female patients. In addition to maintaining its sta-tus as a center of excellence for women’s healthcare, Magee is now expandingits services to include comprehensive medical/surgical care. This position pro-vides a tertiary care setting with academic and research opportunities.Candidates should be board-certified in emergency medicine and preferencewill be given to candidates with an interest/background in women’s health care.Excellent compensation package with full benefits including paid malpracticewith tail, employer-funded retirement plan, paid health insurance, CMEallowance, etc. Contact Dr. Robert Maha at 412-432-7404 ormahar@upmc.edu

THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH – Health Sciences Center has a position availablein the Division of Emergency Medicine for a residency-trained physician with aninterest in academics and residency training to start July 1, 2006. The Universityof Utah is the primary medical teaching and research institution in the state. TheE.D. has a census of 33,000 visits annually and is an ACS-certified Level-1Trauma Center. The Division of Emergency Medicine runs the AirMed helicop-ter service, two regional EMS systems, and the Utah Poison Control Center.Additionally, we began the first Emergency Medicine Residency program inUtah in July 2005 with eight residents. Candidates must be board certified/pre-pared and have a demonstrated interest in research and education. Competitivesalary with excellent benefits package. The University of Utah is an EEO/AAemployer and encourages applications from women and minorities. Send CV toErik D. Barton, M.D., M.S., Chief, Division of Emergency Medicine, 1150 MoranEye Center, 175 N. Medical Drive East, Salt Lake City, UT 84132; 801-581-2730; fax 801-585-6699; erik.barton@hsc.utah.edu.

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EMERGENCY MEDICINEOPPORTUNITY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

Central California Faculty Medical Group, affiliated with theUniversity of California San Francisco Fresno Medical EducationProgram is seeking additional clinical faculty members and corefaculty members. The position is located in Fresno at UniversityMedical Center and will move to a new 56,000 sf ED. A new

UCSF Fresno 70,000 sf education and research building opened inlate 2004. Fresno’s Medical Education Program is home to

approximately 180 residents. The EM Residency began in 1974 andis a fully accredited 1-4 program, graduating 8 residents/ year. The

ED sees approximately 60,000 culturally diverse patients / year. Thehospital is a Level 1 trauma and burn center serving the Central SanJoaquin Valley. We are also the major Base Station for the Fresno

EMS System and provide medical control to the adjacentSequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks. We are seeking faculty with

interest in (but not limited to) clinical teaching and research,postgraduate medical education, toxicology, wilderness medicine,

and pediatric emergency medicine.Must be Board Eligible/ Certified in Emergency Medicine

Send CV and 3 references to:Gene Kallsen, M.D., Chief

C/o Diane O’Connor, CCFMGFAX: (559) 453-5233

E-mail: diane.oconnor@ccfmg.orgVisit our websites at www.ccfmg.org and www.fresno.ucsf.edu

UCSF is an affirmative action / equal opportunity employer. TheUniversity undertakes affirmative action to assure equal employment

opportunity for underutilized minorities and women, for personswith disabilities, and for covered veterans.

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Section of Emergency MedicineYale University School of Medicine

Associate Section ChiefThe Section of Emergency Medicine at Yale University School of

Medicine is seeking to fill the position of Associate Section Chief at theAssociate Professor level or above. The candidate should be an experiencedclinician with demonstrated excellence in administrative and interpersonalskills. In conjunction with the Chief, he/she will assist with the overallmission of the Section, to excel in clinical practice, education, and research.Responsibilities will include oversight and direction of clinical operations, inconjunction with the Medical Director of the Emergency Department,specifically the development and monitoring of quality measures.

Candidates must be board certified in Emergency Medicine, obtainlicensure in Connecticut, have a minimum of 7 years of experience withsignificant administrative responsibility within a Section or Department ofEmergency Medicine in an academic setting. The successful candidate willalso have significant administrative experience, as well as demonstratedleadership skills and a strong commitment to medical education and clinicalexcellence.

Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary practice site. It is a level Itrauma center with approximately 70,000 adult ED visits per year. Inaddition, a satellite ED on the Connecticut shoreline with an annual censusof approximately 10,000 adult and pediatric patients per year.

Rank and salary will be commensurate with education, training andexperience. For more information, contact Dr. Gail D’Onofrio at (203) 785-4404 or gail.donofrio@yale.edu. To apply, please forward your CV andcover letter via fax at (203) 785-4480, email jamie.petrone@yale.edu, ormail at Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Sectionof Emergency Medicine, 464 Congress Ave, P.O. Box 208062, New Haven,CT 06519-1315.

Yale University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer andwomen and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.

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The Department of Emergency Medicine at MetropolitanHospital Center in NYC is actively recruiting a ResearchDirector as well as additional faculty for our primary site.Preference will be given to experienced academiciansideally with an advanced degree and/or fellowship inToxicology or Ultrasound. Live and work in the culturallyrich and diverse borough of Manhattan. Our program isaffiliated with the academic department of EmergencyMedicine at New York Medical College and access to allrequisite educational resources. We have an activeHospital Emergency Management program with a stateof the art decontamination chamber. Our hospital is partof HHC, one of the largest public health care systems inthe world, boasting over 1,000,000 ED visits per year inNYC! We are a fully-accredited EM residency trainingprogram with 24 residents who rotate to four sites,acquiring a vast exposure to varied pathologies andpatients with socioeconomic backgrounds. We have anenterprise-wide electronic medical record system whichbenefits our residents by encouraging detailed follow-upof their patient encounters and is ideal for retrieving datafor research projects. Competitive salary and benefitsand a diverse faculty, resident and nursing staff.

Please send CV to Gregory Almond, MD MPH,Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, Room2A18, 1901 First Avenue, NY, NY 10029 or via email atgregory.almond@nychhc.org

Director, Academic AffairsDepartment of EM

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center

We are searching for an emergency medicinephysician experienced in research, academics,and grant writing with a track record of refereedpublications to assume a key leadership role inour department. We are looking for an enthusias-tic, energetic individual who is 5-10+ years post-EM residency graduation and desires an opportu-nity to lead a team of talented, dedicated residen-cy faculty and be part of an EmergencyDepartment committed to scholarship, clinicalexcellence, community service, and humanisticvalues. An MS or MPH would be a very desir-able plus. Please contact or forward your CV/let-ter of interest to Marc Borenstein, MD, Chair,Department of EM, Newark Beth Israel MedicalCenter, 201 Lyons Ave, Newark, NJ 07112,phone, 973-926-7562, e-mail, mborenstein@sbhcs.com.

POSITION AVAILABLE - FACULTY:

Illinois: The Resurrection Medical CenterEmergency Medicine Residency Program inChicago, IL, seeks Ultrasound Director fororganization, implementation and supervision ofall aspects of the Emergency MedicineUltrasound training program. Responsibilitiesinclude developing and implementing Ultrasoundcurriculum, education of faculty and residents,research, and further program development.BC/BE in Emergency Medicine, with at least 2years as clinician/educator OR fellowship trainingin EM Ultrasound. We boast a dedicated faculty,a rich, acute and divergent patient population,and intense didactic, clinical, and researchtraining. Position offers significant protectedtime, competitive salary and benefits. See website: http://www.reshealth.org/education/rmcemergency/welcome.cfm. Send CV and letter ofinterest to Marc Dorfman, MD, Program Director,Resurrection EM Residency via fax: (773) 594-7805, or e-mail: mdorfman@reshealthcare.org ormailto :mdorfman@reshealthcare.org.

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Boston Harvard Affiliated Teaching Hospital

The Department of Emergency Medicine of theHarvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth IsraelDeaconess Medical Center has positions availablefor faculty committed to academic emergencymedicine. Board certification or preparation inemergency medicine with four years of training orexperience are prerequisites. The base hospital isBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Level Itrauma center, with an ED that sees nearly 50,000patients a year, and the seat of a three yearemergency medicine residency. We provide neededdirection for three 911 systems. Academicopportunities include access to lab space,international programs, and teaching at HarvardMedical School. Salaries are highly competitive forthe community and are incentive based. We areseeking faculty with interests in academics, EMS,ultrasound, sepsis, basic science, or postgraduateeducation.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and HarvardMedical School are Equal Opportunity Employers.Women and minorities are particularly encouraged toapply. Please send a cover letter indicating yourinterest in an academic position, CV, and the namesof three possible references to:

Maureen Blicker, Administrative CoordinatorDepartment of Emergency MedicineBeth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterOne Deaconess Road (W/CC2)Boston, MA 02215

OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY

PROFESSOR & CHAIRDEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

The School of Medicine of the Oregon Health & ScienceUniversity is recruiting candidates for the Chair of theDepartment of Emergency Medicine. The successful candi-date will be board certified by the American Board ofEmergency Medicine and possess outstanding clinicalskills, excellence in scholarly activity and a proven recordof administrative leadership. Additionally the candidatemust have a strong commitment to medical student andresident education. OHSU has a strong basic scienceresearch program, an organized faculty practice, a largegraduate studies program and a nationally recognized cur-riculum reform program for medical students. Candidatesshould forward a letter of interest and a current curriculumvitae to the attention of Drs. Edwin Everts and SharonAnderson at lockartn@ohsu.edu.

OHSU is an affirmative action equal opportunity employer.

POSITION AVAILABLE MEDICAL TOXICOLOGY FEL-LOWSHIP: UC Davis has an unexpected opening in it's2 year medical toxicology training program starting July1, 2006. This ACGME approved fellowship with 4 fulltime faculty provides comprehensive training in toxicolo-gy and extensive opportunities for patient care, transla-tional research, graduate education and teaching. UCDavis is a division of the California Poison ControlSystem; an integrated system receiving over 300,000calls /year.

Educational experiences include hazardous materialstoxicology, hyperbaric medicine, occupational, environ-mental and regulatory toxicology as well as administra-tive and medical direction of poison control systems.Applicants must qualify for California licensure and havecompleted a residency in Emergency Medicine, InternalMedicine or Pediatrics. This position is open until filledbut no later than June 30, 2006. Reply to: R. StevenTharratt, MD, MPVM, FACMT, c/o Betty Boyd, 4150 VStreet, Suite # 3400, Sacramento, CA 95817. (916) 734-3564, betty.boyd@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

The Department of Emergency Medicine, Mayo Clinic College ofMedicine, is seeking a full-time Academic Emergency Physician to joinits faculty in Jacksonville, FL on the northeast coast.

This opportunity includes clinical practice in a high-acuity ED (36,000visits per year) that serves as a leading tertiary care center for the southeast US and the local area. Dynamic faculty with commitment to practice, education, research, and excellence. Teach EM and off-service residents. Numerous opportunities in research, withadministrative support, collaboration between sites, and intramuralfunding available. Building a new, state-of-the-art Mayo ClinicHospital/ED.

The successful candidate will be an individual with demonstratedinterest in Academic Emergency Medicine as proven by performance in residency, fellowship training or faculty positions.

EM residency-training and state (Florida) medical license eligibilityrequired. Learn more about Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL at: www.mayoclinic.org.

For further information, please contact:

Wyatt W. Decker, M.D.Chair, Dept of Emergency Medicine, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and RochesterMayo Clinic College of Medicine, 1216 Second Street SW, Rochester, MN 55902Phone (507) 255-6501; e-mail: decker.wyatt@mayo.edu

Mayo Foundation is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer and educator. Post offer/pre-employment drug screening is required.

Academic Emergency PhysicianJacksonville, FL

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SAEM 2006 Research GrantsEmergency Medicine Medical Student Interest Group GrantsThese grants provide funding of $500 each to help support the educational or research activities ofemergency medicine medical student organizations at U.S. medical schools. Established or devel-oping interest groups, clubs, or other medical student organizations are eligible to apply. It is notnecessary for the medical school to have an emergency medicine training program for the studentgroup to apply. Deadline: September 8, 2006.

EMF/SAEM Medical Student Research GrantThese grants are sponsored by SAEM and the Emergency Medicine Foundation. A maximum of$2,400 over three months is available to encourage research in emergency medicine by medical stu-dents. Deadline: TBA.

Research Training Grant This grant provides financial support of $75,000 per year for two years of formal, full-time researchtraining for emergency medicine fellows, resident physicians, or junior faculty. The trainee musthave a concentrated, mentored program in specific research methods and concepts, and completea research project. Deadline: November 3, 2006.

Institutional Research Training GrantThis grant provides financial support of $75,000 per year for two years for an academic emergencymedicine program to train a research fellow. The sponsoring program must demonstrate an excel-lent research training environment with a qualified mentor and specific area of research emphasis.The training for the fellow may include a formal research education program or advanced degree. Itis expected that the fellow who is selected by the applying program will dedicate full time effort toresearch, and will complete a research project. The goal of this grant is to help establish a depart-mental culture in emergency medicine programs that will continue to support advanced researchtraining for emergency medicine residency graduates. Deadline: November 3, 2006.

Scholarly Sabbatical Grant This grant provides funding of $10,000 per month for a maximum of six months to help emergencymedicine faculty at the level of assistant professor or higher obtain release time to develop skills thatwill advance their academic careers. The goal of the grant is to increase the number of independ-ent career researchers who may further advance research and education in emergency medicine.The grant may be used to learn unique research or educational methods or procedures whichrequire day-to-day, in-depth training under the direct supervision of a knowledgeable mentor, or todevelop a knowledge base that can be shared with the faculty member’s department to furtherresearch and education. Deadline: November 3, 2006.

Emergency Medical Services Research FellowshipThis grant is sponsored by Medtronic Physio-Control. It provides $60,000 for a one year EMS fel-lowship for emergency medicine residency graduates at an SAEM approved fellowship training site.The fellow must have an in-depth training experience in EMS with an emphasis on research con-cepts and methods. The grant process involves a review and approval of emergency medicine train-ing sites as well as individual applications from potential fellows. Deadline: November 3, 2006.

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

Board of DirectorsGlenn Hamilton, MDPresident

Jim Hoekstra, MDPresident-Elect

Katherine Heilpern, MDSecretary-Treasurer

Carey Chisholm, MDPast President

Jill Baren, MDLeon Haley, Jr, MD, MHSAJeffrey Kline, MDCatherine Marco, MDRobert Schafermeyer, MDLance Scott, MDEllen Weber, MD

EditorDavid Cone, MDDavid.Cone@yale.edu

Executive Director/Managing EditorMary Ann Schroppsaem@saem.org

Advertising CoordinatorElizabeth Webbelizabeth@saem.org

“to improve patient care byadvancing research andeducation in emergencymedicine”

The SAEM newsletter is published bimonthly by the Society for AcademicEmergency Medicine. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the

authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAEM.

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

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

GRAND RAPIDS MIPERMIT # 1

SAEM

Newsletter of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

ABEM Requests Suggestions for Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment ReadingsA cornerstone of ABEM's EMCC program is the concept ofLifelong Learning Self-Assessment (LLSA), which is devel-oped to promote continuous learning on the part of ABEMdiplomates. ABEM facilitates this learning by identifying anannual set of readings to guide diplomates in self-study ofrecent Emergency Medicine (EM) literature. ABEM welcomes and requests that EM organizations andABEM diplomates submit suggestions for readings. ABEMhas received a significant number of recommended qualityreadings. Developing high-quality LLSA tests is dependent onhigh-quality readings. Submission Criteria for LLSA ReadingsABEM has established the following criteria for LLSA readings:1. Focused on recent advances or current clinical knowledge

in Emergency Medicine;2. Clinically oriented in content;3. Drawn from peer-reviewed EM journals, peer-reviewed

journals from related primary specialty fields, textbookchapters, or updated practice guidelines;

4. Published in printed or electronic form within the immediatefive years preceding the LLSA test in which it will be used;

5. Related to either the designated content areas for a givenyear (approximately 50%), or to the remaining contentareas (approximately 50%) of the EM Model "Listing ofConditions."

Content of the 2008 LLSA TestCurrently, ABEM is soliciting readings for the 2008 LLSA test,for which the designated content areas will be Procedures andSkills Integral to the Practice of EM and EnvironmentalDisorders. ABEM will select approximately 50% of the read-ings for the 2008 LLSA from these two designated areas, whileapproximately 50% of the test content will be drawn from theremaining content areas of the EM Model Listing of Conditions.

How to Submit Recommendations for LLSA ReadingsFor each reference submitted, ABEM must receive the follow-ing two items: 1. Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment Reference

FormComplete an LLSA Reference Form for each reference thatyou recommend to ABEM. Be sure to provide all request-ed information for each reference, including the article titlecompletely written out, the journal name, etc. Do not useabbreviations. Do not alter the form in any way, except toadd the requested information in the space provided. TheLLSA Reference Form is available from ABEM and mayalso be downloaded as an MS Word document from theABEM website, www.abem.org. The form can be comput-er-printed or typewritten.

2. One Paper Copy of the Article, Chapter, or Other TextOne paper copy of the article, chapter, or other text forwhich you have submitted a reference must be mailed orfaxed to ABEM to be considered for inclusion. Electroniccopies of readings cannot be accepted due to copyrightrestrictions.

References received by June 1, 2006, will be consideredfor inclusion in the 2008 LLSA module. Materials submittedafter that date will be considered in the future. Recommendations may be submitted via fax or mail: FAX:517.332.3943; Mail: LLSA References, American Board ofEmergency Medicine, 3000 Coolidge Road, East Lansing, MI48823For questions or comments regarding the process for recom-mending references for the LLSA component of the EMCCprogram, contact Timothy J. Dalton, Examination andEvaluation Project Specialist, at the ABEM office, telephone517.332.4800. For general questions about LLSA or about theoverall EMCC program, contact Robert C. Korte, Ph.D., SeniorPsychometrician.