Our mission is to improve patient care by advancing research and education in emergency medicine.

The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) is dedicated to the improvement of care of the acutely ill and injured patient by improving research and education. To achieve this mission, SAEM influences health policy through forums, publications, inter-organizational collaboration, policy development, and consultation services for physicians, teachers, researchers, and students. SAEM represents excellence and leadership in academic emergency medicine and its values include idealism and quality in all endeavors, nurturing and camaraderie and diversity among members, as well as creative and symbiotic interactions with other organizations.

 

SAEM provides administrative support to the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (AACEM) and the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD), as well as to the SAEM journal, Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM). SAEM is a 501c3 not for profit organization and is headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), the Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF), the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association, the Society of Teachers of Emergency Medicine (STEM) and the University Association for Emergency Medicine (UAEM) all originated in Lansing.

 

SAEM was formed in 1989 from the amalgamation of the University Association for Emergency Medicine (UAEM) and the Society of Teachers of Emergency Medicine (STEM). For over twenty years STEM and UAEM helped shape the specialty of emergency medicine, particularly by shaping education and investigation in this dynamic field.

SAEM is the sponsor of the monthly, peer-reviewed journal, Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM). AEM publishes information relevant to the practice, educational advancements, and investigation of emergency medicine. The mission of the journal is to promote the advancement of emergency medicine research, education, and clinical practice. The research of SAEM members contributes significantly to the scientific content and development of the journal. AEM is governed by an Editorial Board led by Editor-in-Chief, Michelle H. Biros, MD. The electronic version of AEM can be found at www.aemj.org.

 

The SAEM Newsletter is published six times a year and provides information on the activities of SAEM and other organizations that have an impact on academic emergency medicine. Topics often include education, faculty development, research and grant opportunities, ethical issues and 'positions available' advertisements. A section of the Newsletter is devoted to residents interested in a career in academics.

 

The SAEM web site at www.saem.org is open to members and non-members alike and provides a vast amount of information and resources relevant to academic emergency medicine. Examples are listed below:

• The Educational Resources section of the web site includes curricula, peer-reviewed articles, slide sets, and articles.
• The Faculty Development Handbook, a 44 chapter text dedicated to professional maturation in academia.
• The EMRA/SAEM Academic Handbook provides advice to residents considering a career in academic emergency medicine.
• The SAEM Residency Catalog provides up to date information on all RRC-EM approved residency programs, as well as direct links to the residency programs' web sites. Lists of emergency medicine fellowships and medical student rotations are also on the web site.
  Special sections of the web site are devoted to residents and medical students, including a Virtual Advisor Program for medical students and a Residency Vacancy Service.
  An archive of SAEM Newsletter articles and past Annual Meeting information, including hand-outs to select didactic sessions are available.
  
• The front page of the web site is updated frequently and includes announcements and current SAEM deadlines.
  

The SAEM Annual Meeting in May is the largest forum for the presentation of original research in emergency medicine and attracts approximately 1,700 attendees. Recent developments in academic emergency medicine, through the presentation of original scientific presentations (both poster and oral formats) and didactic sessions, comprise the bulk of the Annual Meeting. Workshops, lunch sessions, and special sessions such as the annual Chief Resident Forum, the Medical Student Symposium, Innovations in Emergency Medicine Education Exhibits, and the Photo Display are also popular components of the conference. AEM convenes a Consensus Conference and the Semi-Final CPC Competition is held the day before the Annual Meeting. The SAEMBoard of Directors meets during the Annual Meeting, as do the Society's committees, task forces, and interest groups. In addition, the AEM Editorial Board, the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD), the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (AACEM), the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA), and other organizations and groups convene meetings at the Annual Meeting.

 

SAEM sponsors regional meetings to encourage and support participation in academic emergency medicine at the local level. SAEM provides administrative and logistical support for the regional meetings which currently number six: Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Southeastern, New York, New England, and Western. The meetings are developed locally by regional planning committees. Regional meetings generally include the presentation of original research, keynote speakers, and educational offerings for medical students, and are usually one or two days in length. Guidelines and a formal application are available.

The Society of Academic Emergency Medicine improves patient care by fostering research in emergency medicine. The Society does this in several ways. Our Research Fund provides Training Grants to promising researchers to assist them in beginning or furthering their research career in emergency medicine. The winners of these grants are selected by our Grants Committee.The Research Committee serves as a resource for finding funding opportunities, and in preparing materials that are helpful to all of SAEM’s members in improving their research skills. The society assists members in creating collaborations through its Interest Groups.  Members present and discuss their research at the society’s Annual Meeting, held each spring, as well as its Regional Meetings, held throughout the country at different times of the year. SAEM also presents didactic sessions and workshops at the Annual Meeting that cover research design and methodology, and statistics, as well as sessions presenting State of the Art sessions which discuss research to date and present an agenda for future research needs.

One of SAEM's most important activities is the representation and advocacy of academic emergency medicine in the medical community. SAEM actively represents academic emergency medicine:

• As a member of the Council of Academic Societies of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
• As a parent organization of the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
• By working closely with the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine and the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors.
• By meeting regularly through officers' meetings with the American Academy of Emergency Physicians (AAEM), the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), and the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA).
• By providing representatives to the Emergency Medicine Foundation.
• As an organizational member of the Council of the Section for Surgical and Related Medical Specialties in the American Geriatric Society.

In addition, each year SAEM provides liaisons, representatives, and input to many organizations, conferences, and projects.