Challenges Junior and Mid-Career Faculty Face in Academic Emergency Medicine and How to Support Them (AACEM Sponsored)

Career advancement in Academic Emergency Medicine varies by individual, department, and academic interest. For the first time in their careers, many junior faculty find they have the opportunity to choose their own path, after a strictly laid out and finite journey from undergrad to medical school, residency and fellowship. Additionally, mid-career faculty require guidance as they advance their careers on the regional and national levels. It is important for chairs to understand the challenges facing junior and mid-career faculty as they work to develop their niche, as well as ways to support them and retain a productive, balanced, diverse workforce. Members of the AACEM executive committee have varied experiences with this in their own departments, and will lead a discussion on ways to support advancement and retain valued faculty members in Academic Emergency Medicine. They will also create a forum for junior faculty to share their own experiences, success, challenges, and opportunities. Specific topics to be addressed include: • How can junior faculty develop and foster a relationship with their chair and other senior faculty members? • How do junior faculty develop their niche and strategically say “yes” to opportunities early on in their career? • What does career planning look like across the various missions in Academic Emergency Medicine? • What steps can associate professors take to continue to advance their careers on the regional and national level?

Presenters:

  • Mary E. Tanski, M.D, M.B.A.
  • Lewis S. Nelson, M.D
  • Jane H. Brice, MD, MPH
  • Rich Hamilton, MD MBA
  • Ian B. K Martin, MD, M.B.A.
  • Susan B. Promes, MD, MBA
Authors

  • Mary E. Tanski, M.D, M.B.A.

    Oregon Health & Science University

    Mary Tanski, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.E.P. is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR. She is co-director of the emergency medicine administration fellowship and serves as faculty in the OHSU Healthcare MBA program, where she teaches the Operations and Quality Improvement course.


    Dr. Tanski was elected to the Board of the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine and serves as member at large. She serves on the AACEM Diversity and Equity taskforce and is also active in the Academy of Women in Academic Medicine. Her professional and research interests include emergency department operations, healthcare quality, mentorship, and leadership development. She is an oral boards examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine, and a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

    Dr. Tanski received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Michigan State University and her medical degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She completed her Emergency Medicine residency served as Chief Resident at George Washington University, and her fellowship in Emergency Department Administration as well as her Masters of Business Administration at OHSU.

  • Lewis S. Nelson, MD, MBA

    Dean and Chief of Health Affairs

    Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine

    Lewis S. Nelson, MD, MBA, joins Florida Atlantic University as Dean and Chief of Health Affairs at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. A nationally recognized leader in academic emergency medicine (EM), medical toxicology, and addiction medicine, Dr. Nelson brings over three decades of experience in medical education, clinical care, and academic leadership to FAU.

    Prior to joining FAU in 2025, Dr. Nelson served as Professor and founding Chair of EM at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, where he also held the position of Chief of Service for the Emergency Department at University Hospital of Newark. His leadership drove remarkable growth: expanding the residency program, doubling the faculty size, establishing five fellowship programs, and increasing clinical revenue by 40% while maintaining a strong focus on educational excellence and research productivity. He also served as Chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology and Addiction Medicine, developing innovative approaches to addressing substance use disorders and other public health challenges.

    Throughout his career, Dr. Nelson has shaped medical education, health policy, and clinical practice through key national leadership roles. He has served as President of the Association of Academic Chairs in Emergency Medicine (AACEM), held positions on the Board of Directors for both the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, and led the American College of Medical Toxicology as President. His work with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and various professional organizations and governmental agencies has shaped medical education, health policy, and clinical practice nationally.

  • Jane H. Brice, MD, MPH

    President

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

     Jane Brice is the University of North Carolina Chair of Emergency Medicine. A tenured professor of Emergency Medicine, she took the helm of the department in 2015 after 20+ years of service as a faculty member. She holds adjunct appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Social Medicine. She is a UNC graduate with degrees in education/physical education (1974), medicine (1994), and epidemiology (1998). She is an accomplished investigator having held multiple federal grants with a focus on the care of patients in the out-of-hospital environment provided by Emergency Medical Services personnel. As a well-published and recognized expert in the prehospital care, she is the Editor-In-Chief for Prehospital Emergency Care. She is a certified coach and invested in her own growth as a person and as a leader as well as the growth of her faculty. She is passionate about baseball, Star Wars, and dill pickles.

  • Rich Hamilton, MD, MBA

    Drexel University

    Dr. Hamilton is Professor and Chair, Emergency Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine. He is the Regional Associate Dean for the Crozer Keystone Campus and EM System Chair of the Crozer Keystone Health System. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University College of Medicine. He trained at the San Diego Naval Hospital and the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, completed an EM Residency at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center / Albert Einstein and his Toxicology Fellowship at New York City Poison Control Center / NYU Bellevue. Dr. Hamilton's research interests include environmental toxicology, pharmacology, acute care toxicology, applying game theory to medicine, and aerospace medicine. He has received awards for his teaching and research and is a widely published author of manuscripts, textbooks, and book chapters, and patents.
  • Ian B. K. Martin, MD, MBA

    Ian B. K. Martin, MD, M.B.A.

    Medical College of Wisconsin

    Ian B. K. Martin, M.D., M.B.A., FACEP, FAAEM is System Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Medical School and Emergency Physician-in-Chief for Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Health System. At MCW, he holds appointments as Eminent Scholar and Professor with Tenure of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine. Dr. Martin is also Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity. Before this, he served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at West Virginia University School of Medicine as well as Emergency Physician-in-Chief for West Virginia University Health System.


    Recognized as a national academic leader, Dr. Martin was elected to the Board of the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine and now serves as its Secretary-Treasurer. Before this elected national service, he completed terms as Immediate Past-President, President, President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, and an At-Large Member of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. In 2020, he was appointed by the Mayor of Milwaukee to the City of Milwaukee Board of Health, and the same year, he was also appointed to the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment External Board.

    Dr. Martin’s research interests include elucidation of optimal models for emergency department-based HIV and hepatitis C testing as well as acute care disease burden epidemiology and impact of health systems change in the developing world. His research findings, and other global health-related initiatives, have culminated in a host of publications in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals. A skilled leader and accomplished academician, Dr. Martin enjoys a broad reputation – frequently presenting, on invitation, at national and international conferences.

    Dr. Martin’s many honors include the 2018 Marcus L. Martin, M.D. Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion Award by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, the 2020 Drexel University College of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award, and the 2020 Georges Benjamin, M.D. Award for excellence in education, research, and service by the National Medical Association’s Emergency Medicine Section. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Martin was also named recipient of the Notable Heroes in Health Care Award by BizTimes Milwaukee. He was selected by class of 2023 student members of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) MCW– beta Chapter to join them as a member of this prestigious national honor medical society.

    Dr. Martin earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Duke University. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Medical College of Pennsylvania-Hahnemann School of Medicine (now Drexel University College of Medicine) and his Master of Business Administration degree from University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. Dr. Martin trained in Emergency Medicine and General Internal Medicine in the University of Maryland Medical System and R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore – where he also served as Chief Resident.

    Dr. Martin is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine.

  • Susan B. Promes, MD, MBA

    Penn State University

    Dr. Promes is a tenured Professor at Penn State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and has served as Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine since 2014. Prior to 2014, she spent seven years at the University of California San Francisco where she served as Vice Chair for Education, the Emergency Medicine Residency Program Director and Director of Curricular Affairs in the GME office and prior to that was at Duke University as the inaugural Emergency Medicine Residency Program Director and Director of the medical school Capstone course. Her scholarly work has centered around topics germane to emergency medicine medical education and clinical guidelines for the practicing emergency physician. In addition to many peer review publications, she has edited multiple McGraw Hill board review books to prepare physicians for the emergency medicine board exam. She is an internationally recognized leader in academic emergency medicine and was chosen by the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine to be the editor of their new journal entitled Academic Emergency Medicine Education and Training. The journal debuted in January 2017. She was the recipient of the 2020 Hal Jayne Excellence in Education award from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine and the 2024 Judith E. Tintinalli Outstanding Contribution in Education Award.

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