Not displaying correctly? View online.

DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE NEWSLETTER

Spring 2024

As we approach our 2nd Anniversary as an academic Department, I want to recognize the incredible accomplishments of our teams. One of many things I am sincerely grateful for is the extraordinary ability of our faculty, staff, and trainees to maneuver through increasingly complex landscapes, punctuated with what, at times, seems to be insurmountable barriers. And yet, our group consistently finds ways to look at problems in a new light so we can continue to elevate the care we provide for our patients and community, and ensure those who follow have the necessary foundation to tackle whatever comes next. As with many substantial accomplishments, our wins are the result of a spirit of collaboration, intentional focus, some trial and error, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

This month, our education team welcomes a brand-new EM resident class, which has now fully expanded our residency program to 36 residents! This represents several years of hard work by our education group to not only expand our training program, but continue to offer exceptional training opportunities, and interact with our growing community in new ways. We also celebrate the success of our core clerkship in Emergency Medicine, still in its first year, and already being embraced by our Medical Students as a top-notch experience!

Our small, but mighty, research team has been hard at work securing vital funding, building collaborative relationships outside our department, and laying the foundation necessary to better support scholarly work within our Department. This summer, the resuscitation group will take an important step forward with a much-needed renovation to the translational resuscitation research lab. This will allow for expanded research opportunities and collaborative efforts with other internal and external research groups.

Additionally, we celebrate the efforts of Dr. Austin Johnson, who is spearheading the Rural and Austere Conditions Grand Challenge, the first project of its kind for the for the University of Utah!

Clinically, we have continued to be challenged by space constraints, and we are very proud of all the work our clinical teams have done to find innovative ways to better manage ED throughput. The roll out of the Rapid Assessment Zone (RAZ) has already had a positive impact on our ability to better care for patients presenting for care. We recognize and take stock in the immense effort required to get such a large initiative to the finish line – which speaks to the passion and dedication of our teams to be the very best we can be.

On the horizon, we look forward to continued growth and opportunities, and are pleased to welcome many new, fantastic EM faculty, fellows, and residents to our robust team!

Please enjoy, and help celebrate, our team’s highlights below!

Dr. Christy Hopkins

Dr. Jason Pickett: New DOEM EMS Fellowship Director

Jason (J.R.) Pickett served as the Chief Deputy Medical Director for Austin/Travis County EMS, Austin Fire Department, and the Texas Ranger Division Special Operations Group for six years. He was the Assistant Program Director for the EMS fellowship at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to his time in Texas, he was the Director of the Center for Prehospital and Operational Medicine and core faculty for the Emergency Medicine residency at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

He has served in the US Army for nearly 20 years and has had multiple overseas deployments. He is passionate about doing good medicine in bad places and bringing the hospital to the patient, no matter where they may be. His professional interests are education, tactical medicine, and medically-directed technical rescue.

J.R. came to medicine by a circuitous route, having first earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama from Carnegie Mellon University and then worked for several years as a paramedic. J.R. has been married for 23 years and has two ridiculous daughters. In his spare time, J.R. enjoys judo, mountain biking, diving, windsurfing, and regurgitating random quotes from movies that almost no one appreciates.

Patrick Hughes was an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine. He was the Associate Program Director and Simulation Director for the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Emergency Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Hughes received his undergraduate degree from the Lyman Briggs School at Michigan State University. He earned his medical degree from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He then earned his Master of Education in Health Professions from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hughes completed his emergency medicine residency at Michigan State University and went on to complete a fellowship in Medical Simulation at Summa Akron City Hospital in Akron, Ohio. 

His research interests include simulation, medical education, disaster medicine, geriatric medicine and pulmonary embolism. He has authored over 60 peer- reviewed publications and been a co-investigator or consultant on over $5 million dollars in grant funding. His simulation work was featured on CNN and in the New York Times.

Jason Tanner went to medical school at the U of U and completed an MD/PhD program where he studied molecular biology and biochemistry/metabolism. While in school he was also an active member of the Salt Lake County Search and Rescue Team, and taught wilderness first responder and other wilderness medicine courses.

For the past several years, Dr. Tanner has been at Yale finishing his EM residency and completing a wilderness medicine fellowship. Moving forward, his goal is to build on his molecular background and develop impactful research that combines his passion for science and Emergency Medicine. He also looks forward to pursuing solutions to important problems affecting emergency care in wilderness and austere settings.

Outside of work, he and his wife are proud parents of two daughters, and they love to explore the beauty of the natural world by hiking, skiing, camping and picnicking. They have enjoyed living in Connecticut for the past several years but are very excited to move out west again!

Helen Palatinus completed her EM training at Northeast Ohio Medical University and previously was an attending physician at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She joined the University of Utah as the inaugural Emergency Medicine Resuscitation Research Fellow for the DOEM and is completing her Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI).

Since joining the translational resuscitation research group, she has been awarded the AHA ReSS early career travel award and was selected to represent her MSCI program cohort at the 2023 Utah CTSI translational research symposium for her project "Association of Intramuscular Epinephrine and Cardiac Arrest Outcomes." She has also secured a $50,000 EMF grant to examine the pharmacokinetics of IM epi in a large animal model of cardiac arrest. She is excited to continue to contribute to the growth of our robust resuscitation program at the University of Utah!

Holden Wagstaff obtained his medical training at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and EM training right here at the University of Utah! He recently finished his EMS and StrokeNet Fellowship through the National Institute of Health. He currently serves as EMS director for Sweetwater County and Mountain West ambulance services.

Holden was recently accepted into the CTSI STARS T32 program and will be joining the EM research faculty at the completion of his training!

Ryan Ernst completed his training at Sinai Grace in Detroit, Michigan, and currently works as faculty at the University of California San Francisco Fresno. He serves as the Director of the Global EM Education fellowship at UCSF Fresno, focused on teaching EM in countries where it is not a well-developed specialty, with collaborations in Vietnam, Guatemala, and Kenya. He also serves as the Director of Education for EM:RAP Global Outreach and is the creator and director of a global scholars program, which mentors international junior EM faculty. He has a strong clinical interest in trauma resuscitation and was the co-creator and co-director of the EM:RAP Trauma Fundamentals conference. He was recently an instructor for trauma care for the Diploma in Mountain Medicine in Nepal.

He enjoys many of the common outdoor pursuits such as skiing, climbing, and mountain biking, and is currently working on his surfing and tomato growing.

Hannah Loewenberg will be joining the Rock Springs faculty after finishing up her Wilderness Medicine Fellowship here at Utah! Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, she found her way to the Smokey Mountains where she learned how to whitewater kayak and became a kayak instructor, backpacking guide and outdoor trip leader.

Wilderness adventure sparked her interest in austere medicine and started her on her path toward becoming a physician. Hannah loves blues music, Disney movies, ghost stories, homemade chili, moonshine and reading by the fire.

Daniel Drewry grew up in Memphis, TN and then attended Sewanee: The University of the South where he played college soccer and studied biology before returning home and attending the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. He trained at a busy level 1 trauma center, Ascension St. John, in Detroit, Michigan.

Dr. Drewry loves sports, especially basketball, and Memphis BBQ! His favorite thing to do when he is home is to watch the Memphis Grizzlies while enjoying BBQ nachos. He is currently enjoying learning how to ski.

Dr. Julia Ruggieri! Selected as Resident Member-at-Large for the CORD Board of Directors

Dr. Patrick Ockerse and Dr. Jennifer Cotton: Selected by the Academy of Health Science Educators’ Advancing Excellence in Education Committee for the 2024 Interprofessional Education Team Award

Dr. Gillaume Hoareau PhD: Recent article in Nature: Scientific Reports and Award of TWO $1 Million+ grants funded!! 

"Near-infrared spectroscopy for kidney oxygen monitoring in a porcine model of hemorrhagic shock, hemodilution, and REBOA"       - Scientific Reports

Title: Development of GJA1-20k as a novel treatment for hemorrhagic shock: minimizing mitochondrial injury to mitigate ischemia-reperfusion injury
Sponsor: Department of Defense
Mechanism: PRMRP Technology/Therapeutic Development Award (TTDA)
Funding Period: 04/15/2024 - 04/14/2028
Total Award: ~$3,055,694

Title: Advanced Resuscitation Products for Canine Hemorrhagic Shock
Sponsor: Defense Health Agency / USAISR (Sub)
Funding Period: Pending
Total Award: ~$1,286,830

Dr. Peter Taillac: 2025 Distinguished Faculty Service Award Nominee!

Dr. Jeff Druck: Elected to the SAEM board

Dr. Harrison McUmber teaching ultrasound at University Medical Center and Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as part of his Global Health elective!

Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Cotton! Awarded the Early Career Educator Award! 

Dr. Molly Enenbach: Wilderness Medicine

Hi everyone! My name is Molly Enenbach, the incoming Wilderness Medicine fellow. Currently I am a PGY3 at COPA. I grew up in the four corners region in New Mexico, played soccer in undergrad, then moved to Phoenix for medical school and residency. When I'm not working, I like spending my time outside running, hiking, camping, skiing, doing triathlons, and hanging out with my family and dogs. I am passionate about austere medicine and global health.

Excited to work with you all!

Dr. Landon McNeely: EMS

Landon McNeely is originally from rural Texas, completed undergrad studies at Baylor and then did a quick 5-year detour into operations and data analysis before returning to med school. Within medicine, Dr. Landon is excited to further his training in EMS, with a focus on more austere EMS and wilderness EMS systems. Outside of medicine, spends as much time in mountains as possible, whether skiing, climbing, or just beside the campfire. 

Fun fact: a lot of years ago, Dr. McNeely missed advancing to the second round of American Ninja Warrior by just a couple people!

Dr. Nate Dreyfus: EMS 

Nate Dreyfus grew up in Saint Louis, MO and blames this midwestern upbringing for his boring, friendly earnestness. He found his way into medicine by an indirect route that included a couple of years working in conservation fieldwork, EMS, and as a Clinical Research Coordinator before starting medical school. He has spent time living in Chile, Alaska, Colorado, Vermont and now California where he is completing residency at UCSF Fresno. During residency he has fulfilled leadership roles within the UCSF Fresno Parkmedic program, served a yearlong position as Chair of the EMRA Research Committee, completed the Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine through WMS, and performed with the EM resident band (Frequent Flyers).

He is enthusiastically mediocre at running, skiing, mountain biking, cooking, traveling, music and writing about himself in the third person.

Dr. Cam Mecham: Ultrasound 

Cam Mecham is originally from Pleasant Grove, UT. He completed medical school at RVUCOM - Southern Utah and will soon complete his residency training at Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Lubbock, TX.

Dr. Mecham enjoys getting outdoors to run, cycling, and weight lifting, with the hope of shortly getting back into competing in IRONMAN Triathlons in the near future. He is incredibly excited to come to The University of Utah to continue his training for the next year and looks forward to expanding his knowledge, gaining experience, and getting back in the mountains of his home state.

Dr. Hannah Wolsiefer-Leak: Palliative Care

Hey all, thanks for welcoming me into your group! I trained at the University of New Mexico and subsequently moved to southern Oregon with my husband Jake and our dogs. We have been so fortunate to live in the mountains for the past 8 years and are excited to continue that trend!

Pretty much every moment not working is spent outside, with our dogs, or working on my small business. There’s nothing better than skijoring or trail running with my husky/border collie mix Zuni, gravel riding, or backpacking in the area.

My pandemic project / answer to arrival fallacy was starting Down Dog Bags, which makes ultralight down sleeping bags and top quilts for dogs who backpack and adventure with their humans. We are so excited to use our bags in some new mountains this summer :)

Looking forward to meeting everyone!

Dr. Karl Koivisto: Sports Medicine

My name is Karl Koivisto. My patients like to call me Doogie Howser when I walk through the door, but despite my inability to grow adequate facial hair, I am actually 33 years old and coming up on 4 years out of my residency at UPMC in Pittsburgh. I have been working in my home state of Minnesota since graduating residency; two and half years at a Level II urban trauma center and one and half years at a more rural busy community hospital with a smattering of moonlighting at critical access hospitals.

I have been married for ten years to my wife Brita, who is a PA in emergency medicine and primary care. We have a 1.5 year old daughter and two Cavapoos. We also are excellent at timing and have a child due on August 4th, just 4 days after my fellowship begins...wish us luck :) In addition to my family, I enjoy running and I recently picked up Nordic skiing, but was told that I really need to get back into alpine skiing while in Utah. We are all very excited to move west and look forward to meeting you!

Dr. Brian Merritt: Education 

Hey everybody!

I’m Brian Merritt, and I’m incredibly excited to be joining the team as the incoming medical education fellow. I grew up in rural western Pennsylvania, where I also completed my undergraduate and medical education before making the move to sunny Florida for residency. My fiancé and I couples matched in the Tampa area for residency, and will be moving to SLC with our dog, Marcy, in just a few short months. My fiancé will be starting in the PICU fellowship at the U as well!

I love to fly fish, hike, and spend my time outdoors. My passions within medicine include education, EBM, and procedural skills. I’m so excited to join the team, to continue my education and to live in such an amazing area!

Looking forward to working with you all soon!

Dr. Laura Voges: Ultrasound

I am from Lookout Mountain, GA, attended undergraduate school at University of Georgia, and went to medical school at Mercer University in Savannah, GA where I met my fiancé. I moved to West Virginia for residency in Emergency Medicine.

I love all outdoor activities, especially hiking, backpacking, running, and mountain biking. In my free time you can find me outside, cooking up a new recipe, reading a good book, or hanging out with my fiancé and dog.

 Dr. Anisha Tailor: Global Health 

My name is Anisha Tailor, and I am currently finishing up my Emergency Medicine residency at McLaren Macomb Hospital in Michigan. While I currently live in Detroit, I am originally from the land up north, Canada! I love cooking dishes from around the world, traveling to new countries and exploring new places, and spending time outdoors with my fiancé. My most recent trip was to Rhodes, Greece, where I had the opportunity to present a case at the Mediterranean Emergency Medicine Congress conference!

I am passionate about providing access to emergency care practices in developing countries, and contributing to emergency medicine education and expansion. I am so excited to be joining the Global Health team at the University of Utah!

Hi EM Family!

We feel incredibly fortunate for the opportunity to represent our residency program this year, and we're thrilled to share some of our goals and ideas for the upcoming year.

Our primary aim is to foster a welcoming learning environment in the department while working hard to improve and excel as physicians. Throughout the year, we will spotlight the remarkable academic achievements of our residents, and continue to foster transparency between the department and the residency program.

We are committed to ensuring that orientation months and retreats remain meaningful experiences for our incoming interns and rising senior residents. We will collaborate closely with leadership to ensure that every month of residency offers valuable learning opportunities.

We recognize the importance of building and maintaining strong connections within our department, and plan to organize department-wide social events with our amazing nurses, techs, and staff. Furthermore, we are dedicated to maintaining a diverse and inclusive learning environment by continuing to recruit amazing residents. We will continue to prioritize resident learning.

To our outgoing chief residents, thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to this department and to the program. Thank you for setting such high standards as role models, advocating tirelessly for us, and for effecting meaningful change for our residents. We are honored to follow in your footsteps and have some very large shoes to fill.

-Julia, Chris, Morgan & Alex

Dr. Mitchel Faulkner: 

"Dr. Faulkner is an absolute pleasure to work with and we are so grateful he is on our team. He shows up to work with a great attitude and is eager to teach. He is receptive to feedback and an adaptable teacher, having countless learning pearls to offer but also asking us when is the best time for a little teaching so we can find time when both of us are going to get the most out of it. He was a phenomenal team player on my last ED shift. My goal was to see as many patients as possible and he not only sat back and let me get after it, but sneakily started my note, history, general Physical exam and the basics of my MDM on several patients, which made me feel incredibly supported in my goal to strictly maximize learning that shift. We LOVE seeing him as the attending on our shifts!" -PGY1

"Dr. Faulkner actively seeks out questions, tasks, and scenarios that challenge me to push my skills. He does so in a manner that encourages autonomy, creates a sense of trust, and pushes us to become better doctors from our own motivations. He leads by example, and shows up ready to work hard to help us learn and to help the patient - it feels like a true team effort. I walk away from Dr. Faulkner shifts feeling like I’ve tried really hard, learned meaningful things, and grown as a genuine human being and doctor. Dr. Faulkner is a powerful, empowering, and engaging force in the department, and many thanks for his work here at the U!" -PGY2

"Who doesn’t absolutely LOVE working a shift with Mitchel?! Mitchel is so committed to resident learning, and he is one of the best clinical educators I’ve ever worked with. He will go out of his way to identify individualized learning points: creating white-board lectures on night shifts, asking questions to find out how he can prepare us best for our upcoming careers, and crushing low-acuity patients to allow residents to focus on critical care and procedures. Mitchel also volunteers his time outside of work, including running an awesome scenario during Winter MedWars! He has great energy, gives feedback to make us better doctors, and really works hard to be the best teacher, clinician, and team player in the department. Thank you for everything you do, Mitchel! We are so lucky to have you!"-PGY3

Dr. Keaton Morgan: 

"Keaton Morgan is a beloved attending at the U! When I see his name on shift admin, I already know I’m going to have a shift absolutely full of learning, encouragement and challenge. (Not to mention 1,000 Epic tips, but we try not to badger him too much on this.) He holds the balance so well of being extremely approachable, yet also pushing us to learn, grow, and step out. I know on shifts with him I can stretch myself and when I fall short he is going to make it a moment that I am grateful to have learned from. There are also a few timely jokes, so I can guarantee it will be a fun shift. In short, the interns love Keaton!" - PGY1

"Keaton is such an incredible attending, teacher, and mentor! I always look forward to a shift with him. First of all, he is an Epic wizard and will rapidly correct your EHR inefficiencies on shift. He is an attending that I feel prioritizes on shift teaching and I always walk away with several new pearls or interesting tidbits. Even in procedures that I’ve done with him, he is patient and calm. I’ve also had him follow-up on challenging cases we’ve had together and email me later on, which I really appreciate."- PGY2

"Keaton is an exemplary physician, human, and team player and is long overdue for this Teaching Award. Although he is primarily known for his role in the IT world, and frequently saves us all from the horrors of EPIC, he's so much more than just a computer genius. Keaton practices evidence-based medicine that always puts the patient at the forefront of his plans, and is a relentless advocate for each individual human he cares for. He's also well-known amongst the residents for his charting/workflow efficiency pearls – every time you work with Keaton, he's going to fix your EPIC for the better! More importantly, though, Keaton exemplifies what it's like to be a well-rounded emergency physician. He's engaged in research and bedside excellence, but also is a proud father and husband and (rumor has it) a badass runner! He never fails to provide feedback on shift, and brings enthusiasm and intentional teaching to every resident interaction. We are so lucky to have him as part of our EM family, and as a role model. I know that all of my classmates, in addition to myself, hope to be the kind of doc he so gracefully embodies." - PGY3

We love you, Mitchel and Keaton! Congratulations on such well-deserved awards!

University of Utah Students who matched into Emergency Medicine Programs: 

See our most recent FY2024 Q2 Research Newsletter for more! 

The Remote & Austere Conditions (RAC) Grand Challenge funds innovative responses to the threats and obstacles of these extreme environments. From advances in communication and robotics, breakthroughs in patient triage and patient resuscitation, to effective behavioral and community interventions, the RAC Grand Challenge seeks bold approaches to enhance the safety and well-being of populations living in challenging areas with limited or no resources.

Please reach out to Dr. Austin Johnson for more information. 

RACGrandChallenge@Utah.edu 

EMS Section welcomes Dr. Jason Pickett from Austin, Texas, our newest EMS faculty member and the new EMS Fellowship Director! We thank Dr. Graham Brant-Zawadski for doing an incredible job during this last year as interim director.

The EMS Community Bridge Program: Thanks to a grant secured by Dr. Peter Taillac, West Valley City and Salt Lake City Fire Departments will now offer buprenorphine to patients going through opioid withdrawal and enroll patients in freely-available addiction services from point of contact in the field and in any emergency department to which their patients are transported. This is an exciting opportunity for the University Emergency Department to widen the scope of its efforts to combat the opioid crisis. 

The Ultrasound section has several highlights this year!

The Ultrasound Fellowship is just finishing the first year of being fully accredited, due to a lot of hard work on the part of Dr. Chris Kelly and Dr. David Crockett. As well, our EM residents now have the option of participating in an US track during their training which offers advanced POCUS skills to our trainees!

The new Ultrasound SIM lab is complete!! There will be TEE trainers and IV/central line phantoms; more details coming soon! The new US procedure notes have been refined and are working well with the US QA process, US Vault thanks to the hard work of Dr. Keaton Morgan and Dr. David Crockett. Finally, The POCUS group has been mentoring multiple other departments in the use of POCUS and two services (Neonatal ICU, and Internal Medicine) now are successfully billing for some scans; Family Medicine, and other services coming on line soon!

Fellows Jordan Rode and Ben Verseman passed their critical care echo board exams, keeping our program as having the most alumni who have passed this exam!

Upcoming plans: Jordan will be working at Providence St Joseph Hospital in Eureka, CA and Ben will be working at Jordan Valley West here in Salt Lake City.

In January, Wilderness Medicine hosted a very successful journal club focusing on avalanche education. The fellows lead an interesting discussion on time of day of a rescue and outcomes, as well as difference in education and preparedness amongst backcountry users in the East. We also had residency significant other Joe Trovato with Propagation Labs introducing new technology in avalanche forecasting and snowpack analysis.

The Wilderness Medicine fellows participated in the Winter MedWar this past February. They helped to host teaching on frostbite, hypothermia, and avalanche resuscitation and traveled to the Tetons to teach avalanche physiology and rescue strategies to Teton National Park Rangers, Teton County Search and Rescue, and Targhee Ski Patrol.

Former Wilderness Fellow Mack Brickley and TJ Hartridge have just submitted their abstract to the Wilderness Environmental Medicine Journal concerning Epoprostenol and the CIVD Reflex and its further implications on potential novel treatments for Frostbite.

The Global Health section is working with the University of Utah Global Health office on an USAID proposal to provide education on acute trauma and rehabilitation care in Ukraine. We are also working with the neurosciences department to design the acute care portion of the neuro rehabilitation curriculum for the MAIR Clinic in Morocco. Faculty interested in giving virtual lectures as part of the Department of Surgery's Global Trauma Collaborative should reach out to Dr. Jane Yee.

Dr. Scott Berndt will be traveling to Vietnam this May as part of the DOEM GH Vietnam collaboration. GH is continuing our partnership with Northern Navajo Medical Center by sending fellows and faculty for the next academic year. Do not hesitate to reach out if you want to learn more about the experience!

In addition to working clinically, Dr. Claudia Bouvier has been working with Dr. Ty Dickerson the director for Global Health at the medical school and professors from the School of Nursing to co-direct an interprofessional educational learning (IPE) course, Preparation for Global Health Engagement. In addition, she continues to work with Sacred Valley Health in Peru on current and future programs focused on education and community health for remote villages in the high Andes. Please contact her with any questions or interest in traveling to Peru.

Finally, the Emergency Medicine in Rural Indigenous Community Conference is this April! Please reach out to Dr. Jane Yee if you would like to help teach one of the procedure workshops, or attend some fun lectures!