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DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE NEWSLETTER

April 2026

Spring is a time for fresh beginnings, and this season brings so much to celebrate across our department. We are thrilled to welcome new team members, fellows, residents, and students whose energy, talent, and enthusiasm will enrich our community in countless ways. Their arrival reminds us that our department continues to grow not only in size, but in strength, spirit, and shared purpose.

It is also a joy to recognize the many accomplishments and milestones highlighted in this issue — the dedication of our trainees, the excellence of our faculty, the impact of our research, and the many ways our team supports one another and the patients we serve. Together, we are building something truly special: a department grounded in compassion, energized by curiosity, and inspired by the people who make it all possible.

With sincere gratitude,

Christy,

Department Of Emergency Medicine Website

DOEM Mission Statement

West Valley City: 24-bed Emergency Department - anticipated opening in 2028. 

Future Faculty Meeting Dates:

April 20 – 10:30-12:00 pm

May 11th – 10:30-12:00 pm

June 8th – 10:30-12:00 pm

July 20th – 10:30-11:30 am

Welcome Krisie Hernandez!

I am a Medical Assistant with over 9 years of experience, including Huntsman Cancer Institute, Redwood Health Center, and clinical trial research. I live with a black cat (Onyx/Nyx) and maybe 300 plants. I enjoy exploring new hiking trails and waterfalls, rock hounding, attending my Brazilian Jiujitsu classes, and reading about quantum physics/mechanics. I’m very organized, great at multi tasking, and always smiling with a positive disposition.

Krisie's primary focus will be post-ED discharge care transitions. She'll be calling and following up with patients we identify as high risk for bounce-back or decompensation. This includes: Following up with LWBS patients who have certain abnormal labs, calling geriatric discharges, checking in on patients you're concerned about, for example, someone you worry won't pick up their meds or a patient who needs help scheduling a PCP appointment.

She'll also be supporting our geriatric initiatives and the ED Heal at Home program. In addition, she'll help with departmental admin tasks such as FIT testing.

Special thank you to the hard work of our selection committee members (Emily Sanchez, Arion Lochner, Harsh Singh, Brian Merritt, Julia Ruggieri, Ellie Norris) and our program leadership team whose countless hours dedicated to recruitment truly make our program exceptional!

Phoebe Draper is excited to return to her hometown of Salt Lake City as the new medical education fellow! Phoebe completed residency at NYU/Bellevue hospitals in New York City. After residency she worked as a faculty member at NYU. In her spare time she loves to eat sushi with her husband, run with her GSP Domino, oil paint, and ski Alta/Snowbird. If you need recs for the best pizza slice in New York City, she’s got you. She brings a passion for clinical teaching, communication/teamwork skills, and women’s health. She most looks forward to working alongside medical students and residents to provide excellent patient care and to create a safe, engaging and fun learning environment.

Hi there! My name is Jessie Davis, and I am beyond thrilled to be joining the team here soon! I’ve been an EM attending since 2020 and have spent my life thus far between Colorado, Washington, Montana, and a small mountain town in California. I am very much looking forward to this next chapter balancing my fellowship training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine with continuing my EM practice and sharing some new adventures! 

My name is Chris DeFeo, and I am from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA.  I attended St. George's University, based in the Caribbean, but I was lucky enough to study at its branch campus in Newcastle, UK.  This was an unforgettable experience, even though it was cut short by COVID.  I completed my clinicals in the US and was fortunate to match in Emergency Medicine at the St. Luke's University Health Network Anderson Campus in Pennsylvania.  During Residency, I developed a passion for improving emergency care for pediatric patients, which led me to pursue a fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.  In full disclosure, I never saw myself coming out west, but after interviewing and taking time to visit Utah, I fell in love.  A little about me outside of medicine.  I graduated from undergrad as a mathematics teacher and taught for 8 years before pursuing medicine.  I played NCAA Division III lacrosse in college and continue to coach at the high school level.  Coaching has brought me so much joy and excitement that my residency program even worked with me to find time to coach during training.  With my background in teaching through various activities. I have built a passion for creating memorable learning experiences.  I do everything I can to make educational experiences unique, exciting, and interactive.  While I look forward to bringing my rambunctious personality to Utah, I am even more excited to take in everything Utah has to offer in return! 

Hey, everyone! My name is Christianne Jafari. I grew up in southern Missouri (Branson) and went to the OG AT Still University in Kirksville, MO for medical school. I am currently finishing up my last year of residency at Washington University in St. Louis. I, of course, love the mountains and hiking when I have the time, along with rock climbing. I am also looking forward to now being in a place to learn how to ski! Aside from the outdoors, I am a big T Swift fan, love brunch, bar trivia, scary movies, binge-watching TV shows, and fooling myself into thinking I have a green thumb. I also love board games and will be looking to recruit a posse. I am excited to get to know and work with everyone!

Fun fact: "I am easily bribed by free food"

Aryan Madani is an Emergency Medicine resident at Kings County Hospital Center / SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, New York. He is deeply interested in medical education, FOAMed, global health, and digital media, with a focus on creating concise, high-yield educational content for learners at all stages of training.

Aryan is the creator and editor of multiple educational video series through the Clinical Monster platform and is also a member of the social media editorial team at Annals of Emergency Medicine, where he develops short-form medical education content. He hopes to continue building a career at the intersection of medical education, systems-based care, and global emergency medicine, with the goal of teaching and collaborating in both domestic and international settings.

Hi everyone! I’m Megan, a third-year resident at the University of Connecticut, and I’m so excited to be joining the University of Utah EM team. I grew up in Baldwinsville, NY (upstate New York) and went to medical school at the University of Vermont, so this will be my first real adventure living outside the East Coast.
Outside of work, you can usually find me rock climbing, hiking, or skiing —and I’m especially excited to finally experience Utah’s famous powder for myself. I’m really looking forward to exploring the area, getting outside as much as possible, and meeting all of you soon!

Ray Nokovich is currently finishing her EM/IM residency in Philadelphia. She originally is from Alabama where she completed her undergrad, masters, and medical degree. Her interests include both wilderness medicine and critical care medicine and she hopes to work in both fields in the future. Additionally, Outside of work, she enjoys the outdoors, all things food, and live music. She is very excited for what this next year will entail in Utah. 

Hi! I’m Sierra Hawthorne. I’m from Oregon, which means I was basically raised on mountains, strong coffee, and an emotional dependence on rain. After that, I did Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Arizona, where I learned how to operate in triple digit heat, pronounce “saguaro” correctly, say things like “it’s a dry heat” without irony, and cope with the fact that the only precipitation for months at a time was sunscreen.

In true Emergency Medicine fashion, I’m into skiing, hiking, and travel—because apparently EM doctors are legally required to have at least three outdoor hobbies and a passport in active use. If there’s a trail, a summit, or a new country to wander around, I’m there. My dog comes with me whenever possible and serves as my adventure partner and my primary source of life advice.

I’m unreasonably excited to start fellowship in Utah. I get to combine prehospital medicine with mountains, snow, and the kind of outdoor activities that make my loved ones say, “Is that…safe?” I can’t wait to work with incredible EMS crews, learning how to improve systems of care, and finding the best outdoor escapes within hospital range. 

Russ Johnson - Sunrise Las Vegas

Alayna Fendler - VTU Carilion Clinic

Blake Martin - Dartmouth

Tessa Jolley - OHSU

Abby Hamilton - U of Vermont

Isabel Shimanski - Utah

Adam Gaudin - Baystate

Brandon Wilde - Duke

Matthew Vierkant - U of Rochester

Amelia Barber - VA - Omaha, Nebraska  

Joshua Berko - Utah Emergency Physicians 

Felix Braun - St Luke’s Hospital - Boise, ID  

Rachel Brehm - Utah Emergency Physicians 

Brennan Enright - Utah Emergency Physicians 

Ashlynn Felker - Mat-Su Regional Medical Center - Palmer, Alaska

Christina Gibbs - Team Health

Ethan Grant - Community Faculty for the University of Utah

William Harousseau - Team Health

Cara Lembo - Univ of Utah PEM Fellowship

Michael Mc Elligott - Washington State

Sofia Tuttle - Utah Emergency Physicians 

EM had a huge showing at the School of Medicine Awardees for Excellence in Teaching and Educational Leadership!
Please give a round of applause to our amazing educators below and huge congrats to Drs. Jones, Awad, Stephen, Hughes, and Beaulieu.

Thank you for all that you do!

EM Chief Residents!

After another highly competitive selection process, we are excited to announce your Chiefs-Elect. Every individual who participated demonstrated clinical excellence, administrative thoroughness, and, most importantly, a strong dedication to progress and collaboration.

Jared Katz

Maddy Ekey

Morgan Williams

Paige Leonhardt 

Congratulations Dr. Michael Morgan: awarded the 2026–27 Presidential Societal Impact Scholar Award! 

Congratulations Dr. Tanner: accepted into the Neuro-EM K12 Scholars Program!

Congratulations Dr. Ownbey: accepted into the SAEM eLEAD program!

Congratulations Dr. Beaulieu: recipient of the SAEM Early Educator Award!

 Congratulations to Dr. Taillac and Dr. Dorey for their contribution to the :

JAMA | Original Investigation

Emergency Department–Initiated Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Congratulations to Dr. Youngquist and              Dr. Brant-Zawadzki: NHTSA/DOT award of $5,000,000 for the Roadway EMS Physician Response Program for Salt Lake County, Utah project!! 

Shoutout to PGY2 Dr. Jack Moore for an outside of the hospital save! Dr. Moore was shopping for pokemon cards post-shift, as one does, when someone collapsed in the store. He initiated CPR until EMS arrived, and ultimately ROSC was achieved and EMS took over. 

Shoutout to PGY3 Dr. Ethan Grant for an emergent pericardial drain placement! Dr. Grant astutely ultrasounded a very sick peri-code patient, diagnosing tamponade and macgyver-ing a pericardial drain using the central line kit they had nearby. Amazing catch!

Jonas Brodsky, recipient of the 2026 the Drew Youngquist Legacy Scholarship Award. Jonas works with the event medicine group as an EMT.

Exceptional representation from our education group at CORD 2026! Congratulations to our very own Dr. Beaulieu who was chosen as the 2027 Vice Chair for CORD AA and Conference Chair for 2028 and to Dr. Ruggieri was chosen as the junior track chair for the resident/chief resident track for 2027!

A huge thank you to UCEP for sponsoring the 2nd Annual Research Symposium! A wonderful event that helps to showcase our talented EM students and residents! This event would not be possible without the hard work of our research resident director, Dr. Patrick Hughes and our EM faculty mentors! Thanks to everyone for their contributions and support of our students and residents!!

DOEM RESEARCH – Spring 2026 (October – March)

New Awards

PI: Emad Awad, PhD

Title:

Sponsor: University of Utah

Mechanism: One-U RAI Fellowship

Amount: $126,000

Dates: 01/01/2026 – 12/31/2028

PI: Olivia Pearson, MD (Mentor: Patrick Hughes, DO, MEHP)

Title: Targeted Risk Reduction in the Winter Backcountry: An EM-Led Behavioral Intervention for Avalanche Injury Prevention

Sponsor: Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation (SAEMF)

Mechanism: SAEMF Resident & Medical Student Research Grant (RAMS)

Amount: $5,000

Dates: 7/1/2026 - 6/30/2027

PI: Sarah Petelinsek (Mentor: Patrick Hughes, DO, MEHP)

Title: Investigating Malpositioned IUDs as a Cause of Acute Pelvic Pain

Sponsor: Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Foundation (SAEMF)

Mechanism: SAEMF Resident & Medical Student Research Grant (RAMS)

Amount: $5,000

Dates: 7/1/2026 - 6/30/2027

PI: Jason Tanner, MD, PhD

Title: GJA1-20k as a Novel Mediator of Neuroprotection in Ischemic Stroke

Mechanism: Neuro-EM K12 Program

Sponsor: University of Michigan (NIH/NINDS - Prime)

Amount: $632,610

Dates: 7/1/2026 - 6/30/2029

PI: Jason Tanner, MD, PhD

Title: GJA1-20k as a Novel Mediator of Neuroprotection in Ischemic Stroke

Sponsor: University of Utah Research Foundation (UURF)

Mechanism: UURF Interdisciplinary Research Initiative

Amount: $27,500

Dates: 4/18/2026 – 4/17/2027

PI: Jason Tanner, MD, PhD

Title: TANNER StrokeNet Fellowship 2025

Sponsor: StrokeNET Fellowship

Amount: $ 50,000

Dates: 12/1/2025 - 11/30/2026

PI: Scott Youngquist, MD, MS (Co-PI: Graham Brant-Zawadzki, MD)

Title: Roadway EMS Physician Response Program for Salt Lake County, Utah

Sponsor: Department of Transportation / NHTSA

Mechanism: SS4A Grant Program

Amount: $5,000,000

Dates:  TBD 2026

PI: Scott Youngquist, MD, MS

Title: A Multi-Site Feasibility Trial to Support Implementation of Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy for Dizziness and Vertigo in the Emergency Department

Sponsor: Northwestern University (Prime: NIH)

Mechanism: NIH R21

Amount: $126,748

Dates: 08/01/2026 – 07/31/2027

MISC NEWS & SERVICE

Congratulations to Dr. Jason Tanner and Dr. Emad Awad for their acceptance into the UU CTSI VPCAT Research Scholars Program! The VPCAT Research Scholars Program has been designed to offer intensive mentorship and support to early-career faculty members engaged in clinical and translational research in transitioning to accomplished, funded principal investigators. VPCAT leverages the resources of our institution to augment departmental resources in support of early-career faculty investigators using a holistic framework, the Matrix Mentoring Model, that includes five levels of mentorship: self, scientific, peer, senior, and staff. During the 2-year program, scholars receive training in scientific career development, grant writing and management, and leadership designed to create empowered principal investigators.

Dr. Holden Wagstaff, MD was accepted into the 2025 Neuro-EM Scholars Pipeline Program, in anticipation of his upcoming application to the Neuro-EM K12 program.

Study Section Service:

Department of Defense - 2026 Medical Research and Development Command - Broad Agency Announcement

Society for Critical Care Medicine - Discovery Committee

Committee Service:

Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Research Committee for the 2026–2027 term

Dr. McIntosh and his team are advancing a novel, sensor-driven heated glove liner—developed through a University of Utah–supported startup—that can detect and prevent frostbite in extreme conditions. Following their 2024 High Tech West win, the technology is already being tested with military partners and moving toward real-world deployment

https://www.research.utah.edu/research-impact/the-impact-of-high-tech-west-how-2024-winners-are-mitigating-frostbite/

https://www.price.utah.edu/2026/03/16/price-engineering-entrepreneurship-advances-frostbite-prevention-technology 

National

Workshops & Lectures

Utilizing Nutritious Connections to Tackle Common Problems

Megan Fix, Casey MacVane, Daniel Egan

Moderators: Allie Beaulieu, TJ Hartridge, Patrick Hughes, Robert Stephen, Andy Mittelman, Minh Evans, Christina Hajicharalambous, Rachel Williams, Lauren Wendell, Tim Fallon

Supporting Learners with Disabilities in Emergency Medicine: Real Scenarios, Real Solutions

Flavia Nobay, Megan Fix, Ryan Bodkin, Julie Pasternack

Backup Policies and Practices in Emergency Medicine Residencies: A National Perspective

Amy Mariorenzi, Allison Beaulieu, Eric Lee, Timothy Friedman, Kaitlin Lipner

Demystifying the MSPE - Pro Tips from the Dean's Office

Kristin Lewis, Megan Fix, Megan Osborn

Before You Climb the ladder: Why You Don’t Want to Be Dean of Students

Megan Fix, Flavia Nobay, Kaushal Shah

Developing a Roadmap for Advancing Resident Research

Brian Merritt, Patrick Hughes, Julia Ruggieri

Thumping through Tanzerouft

Jack Moore, CPC

Research that Resonates: An Interactive Workshop that Mentors You Through the Research Process

Sarah Petelinsek, Patrick Hughes, Julia Ruggieri

Abstracts & Posters

Casil P, Raps C, Hughes P, Merritt B, Kelner R, Beaulieu A

A Simulation-Based Curriculum to Prepare Emergency Medicine Residents for the New ABEM Certifying Examination

Beaulieu A, Merritt B, Ruggieri J, Kelner R, Drapkin Z, Raps C, Druck J, Hughes P, Stephen R. Equipping Medical Students to Actively Receive Feedback: A Pre-Internship Workshop to Enhance Feedback Literacy. 

Larson K, Kelner R, Merritt B, Ruggieri J, Fix M, Beaulieu A, Hughes P. Training the EM Educator: A National Assessment of Medical Education Fellowship Curricula and Outcomes.

Merritt B, Kelner R, Larson K, Ruggieri J, Fix M, Beaulieu A, Hughes P. Building Future Educators in Emergency Medicine: A Study of Medical Education Scholarly Track Curriculum.

Merritt B, Larson K, Kelner R, Ruggieri J, Fix M, Beaulieu A, Hughes P. Mapping the Meded Landscape: How Emergency Medicine Residency Programs Structure Scholarly Tracks.

Beaulieu A, Merritt B, Ruggieri J, Stephen R. Developing Resident Educators: A Cross-Specialty Graduate Medical Education Workshop Initiative.

Beaulieu A, Merritt B, Ruggieri J, Kelner R, Raps C, Hughes P, Fix M, Druck J, Stephen R. Empowering Residents: A Learner-Driven Workshop to Enhance Feedback Engagement in Emergency Medicine.

Posters

Magnin M, Kim M, Brindejonc M, Schuhler T, Victoni T, Allaouchiche B, Hoareau GL, Pouzot-Nevoret C.

Vasopressor use does not worsen sublingual microcirculation in a porcine model of non-traumatic hemorrhagic shock

Abstracts

Ramezani A, Silverton N, Hoareau GL, Saint-Pierre L, Kuck K

Diffusion-corrected urinary PO2 sensing for bedside renal oxygen monitoring” &

“Medistant: Multi-Modal AI Assistant for Medical Device Identification and Guidance (BEST ABSTRACT)

Posters

Jack Moore, Madison Ekey, Michael J. Moss

Pediatric Rattlesnake Bite Resulting in Myokymia

Jack Moore, Madison Ekey, Michael J. Moss

Diethylene Glycol Toxic Ingestion With Confirmatory Testing and Serum Levels Pre/Post Dialysis

Local/Regional

See the full list of presenters and awardees HERE

PUBLICATIONS

(OCTOBER 2025 – MARCH 2026)

Stolbach A, Cole JB, Hoyte C, Kiernan E, Mazer-Amirshahi M, McKay C, Moss M, Nelson LS, Warrick B, Hays H. ACMT and AACT Position Statement: Preventing Occupational Opioid Exposure to Emergency Responders. J Med Toxicol. 2026 Jan;22(1):94-102. Epub 20251016. doi: 10.1007/s13181-025-01101-9. PMCID: PMC12834874

Awad E, Abushanab H, Darwish R, Hunt-Smith T, Shubair M, Druck J. Age and gender disparities in administration of opioid for cardiac chest pain in the emergency department. PLoS One. 2025;20(12):e0339037. Epub 20251226. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0339037. PMCID: PMC12742741

Smith M, Zhang B, Willick S, Abushanab H, Awad E, Jones J. Association of Temperature and Cloud Conditions with Skiing and Snowboarding Injuries. Wilderness Environ Med. 2025 Oct 17:10806032251382446. Epub 20251017. doi: 10.1177/10806032251382446.

Wagstaff H, Ledyard HK. Blood Pressure Management in Neurologic Emergencies. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2026 Feb;44(1):123-141. Epub 20250913. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2025.08.008. PMCID: PMC12768389

Palatinus HN, Youngquist ST. Bridging the translational gap: can early intramuscular adrenaline improve outcomes in a swine model? Resuscitation. 2025 Oct;215:110780. Epub 20250815. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2025.110780.

Incze MA, Szymczak JE, Done E, Stolebarger L, England N, Marshall E, Raju S, Gray M, Saunders M, Ciarkowski CE, Willey JC, Bristol AA, Amaton U, Vaughn VM. Building a Network for Community-Engaged Research Related to Substance Use Disorder Care Transitions: A Commentary With Protocol. Subst Use Addctn J. 2026 Jan;47(1):209-215. Epub 20250812. doi: 10.1177/29767342251358099. PMCID: PMC12705235

Mamer LE, Stephen R. Carotid and Vertebral Artery Dissections. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2026 Feb;44(1):239-248. Epub 20251016. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2025.08.015.

Zola J, Petelinsek S, Hughes PG. Clinical outcomes after removal of malpositioned intrauterine devices in the emergency department. Am J Emerg Med. 2026 Mar;101:79-83. Epub 20251225. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2025.12.029.

Laughter C, Alsayyed A, Shubair M, Johnson A, Awad E. Comparing physician and advanced care provider use of opioids for treatment of acute chest pain in the emergency department. Am J Emerg Med. 2026 Jan;99:110-113. Epub 20250922. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2025.09.037.

Gaither JB, French R, Knotts M, Lerman M, Harrell AJ, McIntosh S, Rice AD, Cole R, Gilmore S, Hindman DE, Edwards C, Nguyen HN, Truxillo M, West J, Yeoh A, Davis T, Shirazi FM, Wilson BZ, Debevec JT, Schertz M, Walter FG. Consensus Guideline for Care of Patients in the Prehospital and Aerospace Settings with Exposures to Hydrazine and Hydrazine Derivatives. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2026;30(1):121-129. Epub 20250103. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2024.2442097.

Kruse M, Gaudin A, Smart L, Hughes PG, Morgan MH. Crusted Scabies leading to osteomyelitis and bilateral below-the-knee amputations - a case report. Am J Emerg Med. 2026 Jan;99:531-533. Epub 20251018. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2025.10.039.

Petelinsek S, Zhang P, Colbert-Getz J, Hartridge T, Furman N, Hughes PG. Decision-Making in the Backcountry and Its Clinical Applications in Medical Education-a Pilot Experiential Learning Workshop. Wilderness Environ Med. 2026 Mar;37(1_suppl):75s-79s. Epub 20250505. doi: 10.1177/10806032251334298.

Felker A, Tanner J. Diagnosing Temporal Lobe Epilepsy in the Emergency Department: A Case Report. Clin Pract Cases Emerg Med. 2026 Feb;10(1):20-23. doi: 10.5811/cpcem.43526. PMCID: PMC12890336

Petelinsek S, Kelner R, Champion N, Mahoney K, Zhang P, Hughes PG. Do I Really Belong Here? An Exploration of Impostor Syndrome in Backcountry Users. Wilderness Environ Med. 2026 Jan 21:10806032251412895. Epub 20260121. doi: 10.1177/10806032251412895.

Tonna JE, Anderson-Bell D, Peckham ME, Hoareau GL, Drakos S, DeHavenon A, Alexander MD, Johnson AM, Steenblik J, Youngquist ST. ECMO-facilitated rapid and deep hypothermia reduces brain injury on MRI following prolonged cardiac arrest in a translational swine model. Resusc Plus. 2025 Nov;26:101072. Epub 20250820. doi: 10.1016/j.resplu.2025.101072. PMCID: PMC12446619

Morris J, Sommer M, Braun F, Klapthor B, Beaulieu A, Fix M. Effects of Volume Overload: A Case Report of an Edema Bulla. J Educ Teach Emerg Med. 2026 Jan;11(1):V6-v8. Epub 20260131. doi: 10.5070/m5.52206. PMCID: PMC12880884

Cools E, Swol J, Wanscher M, Brugger H, Pasquier M, McIntosh S, Musi M, Oshiro K, Gordon L, Walpoth B, Hoffman JRH, Follis F, Zafren K, Paal P, Giraud R, Podsiadlo P, Martucci G, Darocha T. ELSO 2025 Narrative Guideline on the Use of ECMO for Accidental Hypothermia. Asaio j. 2025 Nov 1;71(11):865-874. Epub 20251022. doi: 10.1097/mat.0000000000002557.

D'Onofrio G, Herring AA, Hawk KF, Perrone J, Cowan E, McCormack RP, Dziura J, Matthews AG, Pantalon MV, Owens P, Martel S, Coupet E, Jr., Lofwall MR, Walsh SL, Edelman EJ, Carpenter JE, Strout TD, Baumann MR, Anderson E, Barrett TW, Dorey A, Taillac P, Cochran G, Crandall CS, Wilson J, Manteuffel J, Cole JB, Whiteside LK, Jones C, Samuels E, Huntley K, Fiellin DA. Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Jama. 2026 Mar 17;335(11):948-960. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.27019. PMCID: PMC12895321

Jones J, Crockett DM, Kharkar V, Petelinsek S, Haaland A, Cotton J. Expedited Care for a Patient With Uncertain Myocardial Infarction Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Critical Access Emergency Medicine: A Case Report. Cureus. 2025 Nov;17(11):e96828. Epub 20251114. doi: 10.7759/cureus.96828. PMCID: PMC12702625

Merritt B, Tuttle AS, Ruggieri J, Kelner RH, Stephen R, Hughes PG, Beaulieu AM. Factors Influencing Evaluation Completion During Emergency Medicine Sub-internships: A Multi-site Observational Study. Cureus. 2025 Oct;17(10):e95750. Epub 20251030. doi: 10.7759/cureus.95750. PMCID: PMC12664334

Petelinsek S, Zhang P, Colbert-Getz J, Hartridge T, Furman N, Awad E, Kelner R, Hughes PG. Getting lost to find insights - a quasi-experimental evaluation of outdoor experiential learning as a method to teach clinical decision-making and decision science concepts. BMC Medical Education. 2025;25(1). doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07533-9.

Petelinsek S, Shimanski I, Fix M, Mendenhall T, Hughes PG. Hidden in plain sight: A malpositioned intrauterine device as the culprit of acute pelvic pain - a case report. Am J Emerg Med. 2025 Oct;96:300.e303-300.e306. Epub 20250617. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2025.06.037.

Hockstein MA, Johnson NJ, Horns JJ, Youngquist ST, Cho SM, Tonna JE. Impact of Advanced Cardiac Life Support Medications on Discharge Neurological Function for Survivors of Cardiac Arrest When Using ECPR. Circ Heart Fail. 2026 Mar;19(3):e013420. Epub 20260107. doi: 10.1161/circheartfailure.125.013420.

Grandhi R, Gautam D, Owens MR, Anthony I, Botros D, Richter KR, Cortez J, Enniss T, Lombardo S, Ledyard HK, Koch R, Menacho ST. Impact of Modified Brain Injury Guideline Incorporating Neurosurgical Consultation on Resource Utilization and Follow-Up Care in Complicated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Neurosurgery. 2025 Oct 28 Epub 20251028. doi: 10.1227/neu.0000000000003839.

Palatinus HN, Felker AA, Colton T, Brant-Zawadzki G, Youngquist ST. Improving Utstein accuracy: concordance of bystander CPR reporting by paramedic documentation vs. telecommunicator audio review. Resusc Plus. 2025 Nov;26:101122. Epub 20251010. doi: 10.1016/j.resplu.2025.101122. PMCID: PMC12596511

Magnin M, Chapelle A, Junot S, Allaouchiche B, Schuhler T, Lac R, Bondoux V, Hoareau GL, Kim M, Victoni T, Pouzot-Nevoret C. Indirect assessment of autonomic nervous system balance for prediction of hemorrhage: A preclinical study in a porcine model. Res Vet Sci. 2025 Nov;196:105915. Epub 20250923. doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2025.105915.

Hartridge TT, McIntosh S, Awad E, Torre M, Milliner B, Brickley R. Inhaled Epoprostenol Augments Cold-Induced Vasodilation: A Double-Blind Crossover Trial. Wilderness Environ Med. 2025 Nov 28:10806032251387526. Epub 20251128. doi: 10.1177/10806032251387526.

Beaulieu AM, Merritt B, Ruggieri J, Kelner RH, Raps C, Hughes P, Druck J, Fix M, Stephen R. A Learner-Driven Workshop to Enhance Feedback Engagement in Emergency Medicine. Cureus. 2026 Feb;18(2):e103910. Epub 20260219. doi: 10.7759/cureus.103910. PMCID: PMC13005656

Taylor D, Anderson K, Dathatri S, Klig JE, Park H, Fix M. Medical student coaching in the U.S.: a national survey of clinical skills educators. BMC Med Educ. 2025 Oct 24;25(1):1486. Epub 20251024. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-08115-5. PMCID: PMC12551266

Shah MI, Adelgais KM, Chamberlain JM, Wang HE, Morgan LA, Riviello JJ, Said RR, Sullivan JE, Ghaffari KF, Kothari KM, Saidinejad M, Lowe RA, Fowler RL, Counts CR, Morris CR, Studnek JR, Glober NK, Ward CE, Clemency BM, Patrick N, Munn RD, Brant-Zawadzki GM, Martin-Gill C, Nishijima DK, Li K, Sepulveda N, VanBuren JM. Methodology for the Pediatric Dose Optimization for Seizures in Emergency Medical Services (PediDOSE) study. Trials. 2025 Dec 13;27(1):53. Epub 20251213. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-09342-3. PMCID: PMC12821847

Morris J, Petelinsek S, Wagstaff H, Merritt B, Kelner R, Levine R, Hughes PG. Mixed reality simulation outperforms video for peripheral venous catheter placement training. Am J Emerg Med. 2026 Apr;102:218-220. Epub 20260117. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2026.01.025.

Marcolini EG, Fix ML. Neurologic Emergencies. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2026 Feb;44(1):xv-xvi. Epub 20250822. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2025.08.001.

Alter SM, Fukuoka-Armitage KM, Wallace MW, Solano JJ, Clayton LM, Hughes PG, Shih RD. Patients in Rhabdomyolysis Presenting to the Emergency Department. JACEP Open. 2025;6(6). doi: 10.1016/j.acepjo.2025.100269.

Steimle MD, Steenblik J, King BD, Gooch AA, Baird J, Yee J, Pascucci V, Carlson M, Ockerse P. A pilot study of coughing into the shirt to disrupt respiratory pathogen transmission. International Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2025;18(1). doi: 10.1186/s12245-025-00892-6.

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Toxicology 

Dr. Moss recorded 3 episodes about Poison Centers with the American Academy of Pediatrics Virtual Curbside podcast. Find them at https://vcurb.com/ or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dr. Moss testified during the 2026 Utah legislative session on the increase in kratom and 7-hydroxymitragyine calls to the Utah Poison Control Center.

Dr. Moss presented on trends in drug use at the University Emergency Department and Poison Center at the governor’s Fentanyl Task Force meeting.

Dr. Moss did interviews for several pieces on kratom with U of U Health Social Media, KUER, Deseret News, KUTV, and Telemundo.

EMS

The EMS Fellowship: We will be welcoming two new EMS fellows coming to us from the University of Arizona and Washington University in St. Louis: Dr Sierra Hawthorne and Dr Christianne Jafari, respectively. Dr. Pickett is now on Army active-duty deployment in Poland. Holden Wagstaff and Chris Ryba will be picking up the fellowship duties while he’s away.

Event Medicine: In 2025 our event medicine team covered 654 events, including at the Delta Center, the Maverik Center, and the new Salt Lake Bees stadium. We added residents and even medical students to Delta Center event teams, which has been a big hit. One resident wrote, “I think this is an invaluable learning opportunity as a resident and is an excellent supplement to our in-hospital training.” We recently added the LDS Church as an event medicine client and our team covered the April General Conference at the conference center. 

AirMed: Breaking ground on a new hangar on April 20 and recently took over sole air medical dispatching from VECC this month. The AirMed crews have enrolled multiple patients in the Department of Defense funded PAIN study, comparing prehospital ketamine to fentanyl in injured patients. 

Research: The EMS section was awarded a $5M Safe Streets 4 All grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to improve outcomes for patients injured in motor vehicle collisions in Salt Lake County. The award funds our roadway physician response and a prehospital blood transfusion program. We also continue to enroll in two prehospital trials: PediDOSE, a study of midazolam dosing for pediatric seizure funded by the NIH and the aforementioned PAIN trial.

The GEM Section team continues to support the weekly online lectures for the Vietnam EM Diploma, and we are preparing to host two visiting Vietnamese EM physicians in August.  The Resident Global Health Scholarly Track is progressing with enthusiasm.  The collaboration with University of Botswana continues with our resident and ultrasound team visiting in April - Brennan Enright, Jamal Jones, and Matt Suzor.  Ryan Ernst gave a lecture for the Brazilian EM Society ABRAMEDE on “Decision Making Amidst Uncertainty”, and will be putting on a workshop on teaching to teach, called TEACHERIA at Incrementum in Spain.  Alex Gallaer participated in the ACEP Teaching Fellowship.  The fellowship hosted a book club featuring “Yellow Dirt”, and a virtual speaker from Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF).  

University of Utah has developed a collaboration with the University of Botswana EM Program, and the inaugural visit included R3 Cara Lembo, Fellow Anisha Tailor, and Section Chief Ryan Ernst.  One of the major projects of the visits was the implementation of the Primary Trauma Care course, with students and future instructors being trained.  Dr. Lembo stayed for the month to learn and work clinically in the ED with the Botswanan residents.  Dr. Tailor and Dr. Ernst both lectured for a meeting of the Botswana Society for Emergency Care. This collaboration will provide opportunities for residents, fellows, and faculty to visit, learn, and teach moving forward. 

Both GEM Fellows (Anisha Tailor and Alex Gallaer) attended and lectured at the Vietnam Society for Emergency Medicine in Ninh Binh, Vietnam.  Dr. Tailor, accompanied by Dr. Jane Yee and Dr. Ernst, along with members of the UC Davis Global Health team, directed the graduation and initiation of the latest class of the Vietnam EM Diploma at Cho Ray University in Ho Chi Minh City.  Additional collaborations were explored at Bach Mai and Hanoi Medical University in Hanoi.  

Dr. Ryan Ernst was invited to give a virtual lecture on “Decision Making Amidst Uncertainty”  for the Brazilian EM Society ABRAMEDE, and lectured at the EMS Conference in Rusutsu, Japan on “CPR in 2026: State of Play”.

The department is proud to highlight its ongoing collaboration with the Indian Health Service (IHS), which continues to provide meaningful and impactful clinical opportunities. Faculty members and fellows interested in working with IHS are encouraged to reach out to jane.yee@hsc.utah.edu for additional information. These experiences are highly rewarding and address a critical and ongoing need for care. Participation is not limited to those involved in global health—any interested faculty or fellows are welcome to get involved.

In other news, the AAEM 4 Corners Plus local chapter has officially received national approval. The newly established chapter includes board members Chris Kelly, Andrew Zwijack (resident), and Jane Yee. This milestone marks the beginning of new opportunities for collaboration, leadership, and professional development within the region.

Ultrasound Section

US fellow Dr. Matthew Suzor passed the CCEeXAM Examination of Special Competence in Critical Care Echocardiography

Dr. Megan Hilbert also passed the CCEeXAM Examination of Special Competence in Critical Care Echocardiography

Dr. Matthew Suzor is presenting 2 case reports at the annual Association of for Medical Ultrasound (AIUM) conference in Philadelphia, PA in May 2026

Dr. Jamal Jones and Dr. Matthew Suzor will be traveling to Botswana to assist in ultrasound education while helping to establish a longitudinal relationship 

Wilderness Medicine

The Wilderness Medicine group teamed up with Teton County Search and Rescue to teach backcountry life threat assessment. It’s always inspiring to connect with a community that’s so committed to showing up prepared and ready to help when it matters most. Proud of our Wilderness Medicine Fellowship crew for helping share practical skills that can make a real difference out there.