Vinay N. Kampalath, MD, DTM&H

President-Elect

University of Pennsylvania

It is with great enthusiasm that I put forth my candidacy as president-elect for the Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA) for 2025-26. Presently, I am an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where I am a pediatric emergency medicine physician and global health researcher.

I first joined GEMA in 2020, amid the pandemic, when I felt deeply unsure of my future as a global health practitioner and researcher. Joining GEMA at that juncture injected excitement and optimism into my career, and I soon found a passionate community where I could both learn about cutting-edge advances in global emergency medicine and contribute to knowledge production. I found a community that was receptive to my ideas on how to grow GEMA, and I founded the Humanitarian Taskforce shortly after joining. The HTF, which now has over 130 members, has since grown into one of the most popular subgroups of GEMA, and we now have an active community that has produced countless webinars and SAEM pulse articles and is now working on several projects to help generate evidence in the humanitarian space. I am grateful that GEMA leaders gave me space for my ideas to flourish.

In the years since joining, I have been the co-chair of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Subcommittee and have served on the GEMA ExCo for the last two years as Program Committee Liaison and IT/Social Media Chair. In these roles, my main focus has been supporting and promoting the work of GEMA members at our Annual Meeting and on our social media platforms.

As president-elect, I intend to provide all members with a space where they have the agency to shape the future of global emergency medicine. This is particularly important for medical students, trainees, members from LMICs, and junior faculty. I intend to use my position as president-elect to catalyze collaboration opportunities for GEMA members not only within the larger SAEM community but also with external organizations, such as IFEM, AFEM, CUGH, and humanitarian and global health organizations. I also hope to encourage networking opportunities between members and to promote GEMA webinars, particularly as they pertain to career development and research in global emergency medicine.

I believe that with my experience in leadership within GEMA and SAEM, combined with my passion for global emergency medicine will make me an excellent candidate for the position of president-elect. Thank you for considering me for this position!

Oriane Longerstaey, MD

Secretary

The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

In addition to being the current secretary for GEMA, I am an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Brown University and the Associate Program Director for the Armenian Unified Emergency Medicine Residency in Armenia. I went to medical school at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Carolinas, completed residency at Carolinas Medical Center and fellowship at Brown University. My current work for GEMA includes facilitating GEMA sponsorship for Pulse articles, documentation during Ex-Co and membership meetings, and working on the transition to the new GEMA website. This has been my first experience on the GEMA board and I have enjoyed working with the rest of the Ex-Co on growing our international membership and opportunities for colleagues in low- and middle-income countries. I would like to continue in this position to continue supporting this work and build more opportunities for GEMA members within SAEM.

Tierra Smith, MD

Secretary

University of Florida

Thank you for consideration for the secretary position. I believe I would be an exceptional candidate for GEMA secretary due to my organizational skills and attention to detail. My previous leadership roles include being chief resident and serving on the GME Housestaff Council. Since becoming an assistant professor with the University of Florida, I served as core faculty for the advanced emergency ultrasound fellowship. During that time, I worked closely with the global health section to develop ultrasound training curricula and training programs with our international partners. I believe these roles have given me the necessary experience to serve as GEMA secretary. If selected, I will be dedicated to helping further the mission of the GEMA.

Meagan Barry, MD, PhD

Treasurer

Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

It is with great enthusiasm that I ask you to consider my candidacy for Treasurer of GEMA for a second term. Currently, I am an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Brown University, in Providence, RI, where I work closely with many present and past GEMA Executive Committee Members. My training includes a Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (DTM&H) from the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Tropical and Preventive Medicine and the Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers' Health (CTropMed) from the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. My background includes experience in philanthropic organizations as a former member of the Baylor Research Advocates for Student Scientists, a group dedicated to improving health through science, scholarship, and innovation. My research focuses on global infectious diseases and maternal-child health.

As the current GEMA Treasurer, I have been honored to support GEMA by crafting and managing a balanced budget that supports the mission of our Academy and the incredible ongoing work of our members. Over the past year, I have gained experience with the SAEM budgetary cycle and GEMA’s financial management needs. I have advocated on behalf of our Academy for ongoing support of our key programming despite challenging economic times and ensured full utilization of GEMA’s budget to not leave any “money on the table.” Additionally, I have promoted the involvement of our colleagues from LMICs, including through the administration of scholarships for SAEM membership. If elected again, I will continue to be an advocate for academic Global Emergency Medicine within SAEM. I will strive to represent and support the incredible diversity of work that our members accomplish while continuing to advance GEMA’s mission through growing our membership base, particularly among our global colleagues, and doubling our efforts for global engagement.

J. Austin Lee, MD, MPH

Treasurer

Indiana University

I have been glad to serve GEMA as the treasurer for the past two years and would be glad to continue to serve our community in this role. I've been an active member of GEMA for the past 8 years, and have served on a variety of GEMA committees. I have relevant experience as an active member on the IFEM finance committee, and am familiar with the SAEM budget cycle and financial management needs. I appreciate your consideration and the opportunity to serve!

Thaer Ahmad, MD

Member-at-Large

Advocate Christ Medical Center

I serve as Assistant Program Director and Global Health Director at Advocate Christ Medical Center. I completed my residency in Detroit at St. John and earned my MD from Rush University Medical College. My academic and clinical work is complemented by leadership roles in medical ethics, antibiotic stewardship, and global health education. I am an active member of SAEM’s Global Emergency Medicine Academy and have contributed to research and publications focused on trauma-informed care, ethics, and international emergency response. As well as participated in GEMA's WHO TOT course.

In addition to my academic roles, I have been deeply involved in medical humanitarian relief and have served as a board member for multiple humanitarian organizations. My work includes global health capacity building projects and emergency response efforts in low-resource and crisis settings. These experiences have shaped my commitment to equity, resilience, and innovation in emergency care.

I believe in SAEM’s mission of advancing academic emergency medicine through inclusive leadership, global collaboration, and mentorship. If elected, I aim to strengthen and increase opportunities for global health engagement, support emerging leaders in academic EM, and advocate for sustainable and ethical emergency care globally.

Priya Arumuganathan, MD

Member-at-Large

University of Pennsylvania

As a global emergency medicine (EM) fellow and MPH candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, I am dedicated to advancing emergency care worldwide through a blend of academic rigor, hands-on international experience, and commitment to health equity. My work spans diverse educational roles, including course director for the Perelman Medical Student Botswana Simulation Training, where I guide learners in key global health principles and essential skills for resource-limited environments. As core faculty for the certificate program in emergency medicine (Pakistan), I support the training of non-EM-trained physicians by teaching foundational EM concepts and developing individualized support curricula. Additionally, my role as visiting faculty at the University of Botswana allows me to mentor residents in academic research and ePOCUS certification, helping to empower the first generations of EM-trained physicians in the country.

My commitment to global health is deeply personal. As the daughter of immigrants displaced by the Sri Lankan Civil War, I am driven to promote health equity and improve healthcare access for marginalized communities. This dedication extends to my roles as fellow representative for the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship Consortium (GEMFC) and as an associate scholar with the Penn Center for global health, where I emphasize mentorship, sustainable capacity building, and empowerment of emerging global health leaders.

If elected as member-at-large, I would be honored to support GEMA’s mission by fostering mentorship, promoting international engagement, and contributing to sustainable growth in global emergency medicine. I look forward to collaborating with GEMA’s diverse community to make quality emergency care accessible for all.

Joseph Ciano, DO, MPH, MS

Member-at-Large

University of Pennsylvania

I running for the member at large position in GEMA.

I currently work clinically at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and in rural Montana at Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital under the Indian health services system. I serve as the current cochair to the American Indian/Alaskan native health GEMA committee. In addition to these roles, I serve as the assistant program director of an emergency medicine physician training course in Durgapur, India (Masters in emergency medicine certification course), I work as a content contributor and author for the IFEM – endorsed international emergency medicine education project, and Editor for the Global EM Literature Review (GEMLR), among other projects, nationally and globally.

If chosen in this role, I hope to support my fellow Ex-co members through my networking and experience in other leadership positions, improve collaborations between GEMA and other SAEM groups, and help increase LMIC members and partnerships.

Emma G. Cortes, DO

Secretary

Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

I am an emergency medicine-family medicine physician, and current global health fellow at Brown University. I have been committed to helping GEMA grow through serving as the co-chair of the American Indian-Alaska Native Health Committee since 2022, and on the executive committee for the past 2 terms. As the GEMA program committee liaison, I helped plan the annual meeting for SAEM25. At this meeting, members from around the world shared their ideas and vision about the future of GEMA, and I want to continue serving to help make that vision a reality. I am excited to apply what I’ve learned from the past years to expand the GEMA community, amplify the voices of its members, and advance the mission of making global emergency medicine equitable and just.

Nicole Irgens-Moller, MD

Member-at-Large

Stanford University

I am a pediatric emergency medicine clinical assistant professor at Stanford University with over 16 years experience in global health. My journey began in 2008 with community outreach in Mali and expanded to include epidemiologic research in El Salvador, patient care in Ecuador and Guatemala, and now focuses on medical education in Pakistan, Rwanda, and Mexico, both in-person and virtually. I am committed to sustainable global health, believing involvement should not be limited to those who can get on a plane.

My longest partnership is with the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, where I have the honor of teaching and mentoring future global health leaders. This work enables year-round engagement in global health and the development of virtual curricula accessible anywhere and anytime. I also prioritize addressing health disparities at home; one of my most rewarding projects was an APP-funded grant to create an adolescent health curriculum on reproductive health and vaping cessation for the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. I am passionate about enhancing pediatric preparedness within all health systems, including our own.

I would be a valuable addition to the GEMA team as I bring a pediatric perspective to global emergency medicine. Dr. Leff and Dr. Kampalath are doing a phenomenal job heading the pediatric EM committee, and I think I would be a valuable collaborator and pediatric voice on the executive committee.

Catalina Gonzalez Marques, MD, MPH

Member-at-Large

Brigham and Women's Hospital

As member-at-large I would work to serve the membership of Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA) members. One of my main goal would be continuing to work towards GEMA becoming a more inclusive academy. Aim to work with the Ex-Co to continue to find pathways and areas of collaboration with our international colleagues, especially those from LMICs that can bring such valuable lived experience to the GEMA community. I would also support the executive committee in promoting the work of GEMA across SAEM and increase collaboration with other academies.

Andrew Louis Stricklin, MD

Member-at-Large

UT Southwestern

I am a graduate of the Texas A&M University College of Medicine, completed my emergency medicine residency at University of Texas Health San Antonio, where I served as a chief resident my senior year, and following residency, I completed a fellowship in global health and public health there as well. Since graduating, I have become an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern and is a member of the Emergency Disaster and Global Health (EDGH) division, where I assist in training disaster/global health fellows, and participate in global health projects and research. My area's of focus since joining the faculty at UT Southwestern have been emergency medicine development and disaster risk reduction in Nepal, public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and public health system resiliency to nuclear disasters. I have been a member of SAEM for years, and have presented at previous annual meetings. If elected, I would like to foster an environment that promotes better communication, improve initiatives that further the advancement of education and research, aids in funding global health for trainees and young faculty, which can often be difficult for them to obtain.

Chase C. Westra, MD

Member-at-Large

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

After participating in the Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA) throughout training, I’m looking for more committed and consistent involvement early in my academic career. Thus far, I've attended HTF, decolonization, and BEC subcommittee meetings and completed the BEC TOT course at my first SAEM conference. Soon after, I traveled to Nairobi with a group of collaborators I’d met at the conference to teach the WHO BEC course to graduates of the University of Nairobi School of Medicine. I am now working with subcommittee leaders to help facilitate the BEC TOT course at next year’s conference in Philadelphia. As a member of the executive committee, I hope to offer perspective and advocacy for resident and young physician career development through involvement in the academy. This group has offered invaluable opportunities for networking and project collaboration, and I hope to continue gleaning academic skills and savvy from the incredibly prolific and inspiring group of members involved in GEMA.

Adebisi Adeyeye, MD

Medical Student/Resident Representative

University of Lagos

Being nominated for the medical student/resident representative of the SAEM Global Emergency Medicine Academy(GEMA) community is an honor for which I am most grateful.

My story begins from my home country of Nigeria where I attended the University of Lagos. During my time in medical school, I encountered the ‘Accident and Emergency’ (A&E) department and fell in love at first sight. The externally cluttered and chaotic atmosphere was calming for me and felt like home and this experience changed the trajectory of my career in medicine. Choosing to pursue emergency medicine at that time was one of the hardest decisions I ever made because the specialty did not exist in Nigeria and there were no formal educational or training opportunities yet.

I took the initiative of founding the first student-led emergency medicine (EM) interest group in West Africa, EMIG Nigeria, which catered to both students and early career doctors, offering structure, resources, mentorship and a community. Through our provision of supplementary educational resources leveraging international collaborations, FOAMed, and simulation resources, we have contributed to significant increase in the awareness and interest of emergency medicine as a career choice among students and doctors in Nigeria and witnessed several of our members commence training globally. Fortunately, EM residency training has also commenced in Nigeria a few years ago. Similarly, by serving as co-vice president of the African Federation of Emergency Medicine student group, I have actively engaged in global EM education efforts for undergraduate students in Africa and have supported the establishment of EMIGs in other countries.

Within SAEM and GEMA, I have actively engaged as a member over 3 years, supporting planning efforts, and contributing to the development of GEMA sessions at the SAEM annual conference on two occasions. My work with GEMA also includes being a recipient of the SAEM GEMA scholarship, contributing to a video on decolonizing emergency medicine from a student perspective, and publishing two articles in SAEM Pulse sharing insights from my experiences in Nigeria. I have also co-authored two global EM papers within the group.

The mission of SAEM GEMA to lead the advancement of academic emergency medicine by improving the global delivery of emergency care through research, education, and mentorship resonates deeply with me and captures the essence of my professional journey to date. My experiences so far have lent me a unique understanding of privilege and the lack of it, how diversity shapes the world, and the need to create structures that work for everyone. I earnestly look forward to bringing these experiences into this role.

As I transition into residency, I am excited about furthering my contribution to the work of global EM education and research particularly within SAEM GEMA to create equitable, impactful change in emergency medicine worldwide.

Shering Torres, MD

Medical Student/Resident Representative

The Ohio State University

My name is Shering Torres. I am a first-generation Guatemala-American and current PGY2 in emergency medicine (EM) at The Ohio State University. Throughout my childhood, I spent frequent workdays alongside my parents and members of their Spanish-speaking humanitarian ministry traveling between Southern California and both Mexico and Guatemala. The primary objective of our group was to provide emotional, spiritual and monetary support to underserved communities where even basic living amenities were a privilege. These trips were impactful and demonstrated the vital role that socio-economic factors play in determining equitable health outcomes. Collectively, these experiences left a lasting impression and encouraged me to continue to seek opportunities to engage in international service. While in college, I had the opportunity to participate in multiple humanitarian mission trips to Guatemala that involved helping organize health clinics within local, rural pueblos. During medical school, I continued to serve the small, rural community of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Our efforts involved helping to raise funds for the preservation of local, natural resources accessed by nearly two-million Guatemalans. My goal, as a resident representative, is to ensure Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA) continues to be a source of support and collaboration for emergency medicine residents aspiring to be global health leaders within all communities, both domestic and international. It is my commitment to work on behalf of emergency medicine resident colleagues to ensure that GEMA continues to facilitate connections for advancing professional excellence in the global health community.

Taylor Burkholder, MD, MPH

President-Elect

University of Southern California

With immense gratitude to GEMA for years of academic support and opportunities, I am running for President-Elect to contribute to the academy’s efforts to strengthen our global academic mission and amplify diverse voices that are more representative of our global community. Over the past 8+ years, I have served in multiple GEMA executive committee roles—including Resident Representative, IT Chair, Treasurer, and Grants & Development officer—and represented GEMA on the SAEM Foundation Grants Committee, reflecting my longstanding commitment to advancing our academy’s vision and connecting us with the larger SAEM organization. I am eager to put those experiences and connections to use alongside the GEMA leadership.

Echoing recent strategy brainstorming by our membership at the Annual Meetings, my priorities include expanding inclusive membership with LMIC representation, further developing GEMA’s research and educational resources, fostering equitable partnerships, and enhancing networking and career development opportunities for our members. Together, I believe we can continue to grow GEMA as the leading global platform for innovation, scholarship, and partnership in global emergency care.

About me:
I’m an associate professor at the University of Southern California and the Director of Academic Programs at the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health. My research interests include health service delivery interventions in resource-limited settings, health and human rights, and the governance of access to emergency care globally. I teach courses on pre-departure training and the responsible, ethical practice of global health to medical and public health students at USC.

Education & Training:
MD/MPH: Tulane University
Residency: Denver Health
Fellowship in Global Emergency Care: University of Colorado
Translational Research Career Development (KL2) Program: USC

Rmaah Memon, MD

Secretary

University of Pennsylvania

As secretary, I will aim to promote effective communication, organization, and global mentorship of GEMA’s members. I have been involved with GEMA for several years and have previously served on the Executive Committee as Resident Representative (2022-2023) and IT chair (2024-2025), during which time I piloted initiatives to improve member engagement, including launching GEMA’s official instagram presence. I have also co-chaired the BEC, Digital Health, and AWAEM/GEMA Travel Grant committees for the past two years, through which I have strong ties with GEMA members both in the US and globally.

I’m a second-year Global Emergency Medicine Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, where I have been involved with multiple cross-institutional projects during my fellowship. I completed the six-year B.A./M.D. program at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and completed my residency at the the Harvard Affiliated EM Residency Program at MGH/BWH. My global work centers on training community health workers and physicians in low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on Pakistan, and creating digital tools to advance global emergency medicine education. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to GEMA’s mission and its collaborative spirit. It would be a privilege to continue serving the GEMA community as secretary and supporting its mission to advance emergency care worldwide.

Florian Schmitzberger, MD, MS

SAEM Program Committee Liaison

University of Michigan

I've been on the GEMA executive committee for multiple years, having most recently served as the development and grants officer. I really appreciate the work of the executive committee and hope to continue working on it. As a member of the SAEM program committee, I would like to serve as the SAEM Program Committee Liaison for next year and continue the extremely strong work so far.