EM Faculty and Residents Take the Stage at 2025 SAEM Annual Meeting

May 23, 2025

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Faculty and residents from the Department of Emergency Medicine were featured prominently at the 2025 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Annual Meeting, contributing to a wide range of forums, panels, and educational sessions. Their presentations and leadership reflect UW's continued commitment to advancing emergency care, education, health equity, and workforce sustainability.

Drs. Sachita Shah, Doug Franzen, and Chris Buresh stand by the UW EM table at the residency fair. — (From left to right: Drs. Sachita Shah, Chris Buresh, and Doug Franzen)

Leadership Forum

Susan Stern, MD
Dr. Susan Stern, Professor and Chair of Emergency Medicine, led a session at the SAEM Leadership Forum titled “Winning Support: ROI and Effective Advocacy for Departmental Growth.” Sponsored by AACEM and the Vice Chairs Interest Group, the forum focused on experiential learning for current and aspiring leaders. Dr. Stern’s session offered practical tools for advocating for departmental resources amid financial constraints, with an emphasis on effective negotiation and stakeholder engagement.

Workshops

Doug Franzen, MD, MEd
Dr. Franzen facilitated the CDEM-sponsored workshop “The Art of Writing Multiple Choice Questions,” which supports the national M4 EM exam used by thousands of students annually. The session combined best practices in question-writing with a hands-on component to refine and develop assessment tools that align with core EM knowledge.

Didactic Sessions

Doug Franzen, MD, MEd
Presented “Updating the Medical Student Curriculum: Why the Time Is Now.” The session explored the need for a unified emergency medicine clerkship curriculum that meets modern educational standards across institutions. Attendees participated in breakout discussions to help shape the future direction of national EM education.

Chris Buresh, MD, MPH, DTM&H
Dr. Buresh presented “Establishing Best Practices for Pediatric Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department.” This PECARN-supported session focused on addressing under-prescription of buprenorphine for adolescents and invited feedback on draft consensus guidelines aimed at improving pediatric OUD care in EDs.

Anna Condella, MD
Dr. Condella participated in the Critical Care Interest Group-sponsored panel “We Need a Win,” exploring the implementation of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) programs. Panelists addressed success metrics, staffing challenges, and strategies for sustainable program development across a range of hospital systems.

Callan Fockele, MD, MS (Organizer)
Chris Buresh, MD, MPH, DTM&H (Presenter)
Drs. Fockele and Buresh organized and presented the session “Critical Care, Compassionate Choices,” which highlighted harm reduction strategies in the ED. Physicians from three institutions discussed practical applications, resource challenges, and opportunities for expanding care models to better serve people who use drugs.

Dave W. Lu, MD, MS
Dr. Lu presented “What Are You Doing After Graduation?” on behalf of the SAEM Workforce Committee and ABEM. The session examined findings from a nationwide survey of over 9,500 EM residents, exploring evolving career goals in the post-COVID era.

Ivan Zvonar, MD (Co-presenter)
Dr. Zvonar joined a panel presentation of the “Top Medical Education Articles of 2024,” offering insights from the AEM Education and Training editorial team to help clinician-educators enhance bedside teaching and stay current with educational literature.

Sachita Shah, MD (Co-presenter)
Dr. Shah presented “Health Care for Indigenous Communities in America,” a GEMA- and ADIEM-sponsored session that examined disparities in care and career pathways for improving outcomes in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Kirstin Woody Scott, MD, MPhil, PhD (Organizer/Presenter)
Dr. Woody (R-2) organized and presented “Financial Toxicity in Emergency Medicine: The True Cost of Care,” focusing on the financial burdens of emergency care and the role of physician advocacy in improving affordability and reducing debt-related harm.

Marie C. Vrablik, MD, MCR (Co-presenter)
Participated in “Best Practice Updates on Management of Agitation,” a session offering evidence-based approaches to behavioral emergencies, including de-escalation techniques and trauma-informed care.