People

Washington University in St. Louis

Vidya Eswaran completed her MD at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. and residency training at the Northwestern University Emergency Medicine Residency Program (NUEM) based in Chicago, IL. She then moved to San Francisco, CA for a fellowship in the National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP, formerly Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program) where she obtained a Masters Degree in Clinical Research. She has held a number of leadership positions in the Emergency Medicine Residents Associations as well as the American College of Emergency Physicians' Social Emergency Medicine Section, and serves as Managing Editor for Policy Prescriptions, a health policy blog. Her research interest lies in topics related to Social Emergency Medicine and health equity, with a specific focus on behavioral health and care for incarcerated, and recently incarcerated, populations. She believes strongly in community engagement and trainee mentorship throughout the research process.

Secretary

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

President-Elect

University of Florida- Jacksonville

President-Elect

Brown University

President-Elect

Massachusetts General Hospital

President-Elect

Duke University

​Dr. Natesan is an associate professor and associate program director in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Duke University. She earned her medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine in 2009. ​

Dr. Natesan has completed extensive training in medical education, including the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Teaching Fellowship, the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator Program, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Medical Education Research Certificate Program, the Duke Educational Skills Longitudinal Mentorship Program, and the Duke Academy for Health Professions Education and Academic Development (AHEAD) Certificate Program. ​

In her current role, Dr. Natesan focuses on advancing education, clinical teaching and feedback, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She serves as the co-founder and director of the Duke Graduate Medical Education Medical Education Leadership Track (MELT), a longitudinal program for residents and fellows that has graduated over 150 trainees since 2018. Additionally, she co-chairs the Duke GME Professional Development Committee, providing resources to all training programs at Duke. ​

Dr. Natesan has received several prestigious awards, including the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine Junior Faculty Teacher Award, the ACEP Junior Faculty Teacher Award, and the CORD Academy Scholar Award for Teaching and Evaluation. She has also been recognized with the Duke Emergency Medicine Faculty Teacher of the Year award, the Duke School of Medicine Professionalism Award, and the Distinguished Faculty Award. ​

Dr. Natesan has held leadership positions in various national committees, serving as co-chair of the CORD Best Practices Subcommittee, chair of the CORD Academy for Scholarship Research Pillar, and vice chair of the CORD DEI Committee. She has also served as the chief academic officer for the ALiEM Faculty Incubator Program and on the executive committee for SAEM’s Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine. ​

Actively involved in community outreach, mentorship, and pipeline programs, Dr. Natesan has led institutional and national conferences on holistic review for resident recruitment, implicit bias, and upstander training against microaggressions. Her primary research interests include clinical teaching and feedback, incorporating innovative strategies in the emergency department, and advancing DEI initiatives. 

Bylaws Committee Member

Vanderbilt University

My name is Katrina Gipson and I am an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University where I serve as the inaugural Director of Advocacy. Recently, I was faculty at Emory University and the founding health policy fellowship director. Hailing from Ann Arbor, MI, I have a BS in biomedical engineering from Yale, an MPH in health management & policy from the University of Michigan, and an MD from Case Western Reserve University. I completed my intern year and emergency medicine residency training at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and a health policy fellowship at George Washington University.

I am immediate past-president of ADIEM and a member of AWAEM and AGEM. I served as co-chair of the education subcommittee of the former equity and inclusion committee, a member of the Consensus Conference planning committee, and I’ve had the pleasure of presenting didactics and publishing with many of you. SAEM cultivates a network of resilient leaders, researchers, and mentors who will usher us into this next phase of health care. SAEM equipped me with the clarity and humility to set the agenda for our specialty’s academic impact. I hope to influence that impact and represent our membership’s interests as a member of the SAEM Bylaws Committee.

Transformative leadership is measured by the growth of its team. I am running for the SAEM Bylaws Committee to ensure that we have the resources to pursue academic excellence for improved health care outcomes. I want to grow our research financing. I want to combat medical mis/disinformation perpetuated in the media with evidence-based medicine. I want our colleagues to feel safe when taking care of whoever presents to their emergency departments. The growth of our specialty reflects the health and growth of our most vulnerable patients, the most vulnerable members of our team.

Secretary

Washington University

My educational background includes holding a master’s in business administration and master’s in healthcare administration. For the past two decades I have been working in academic medicine and have found it to be extremely rewarding both personally and professionally.

I joined the Academy of Administrators in Academic Emergency Medicine (AAAEM) in March 2022 and have since served on the Strategic Planning Committee, Education & Professional Development Committee and Membership Committee. Currently I serve on the Strategic Planning Committee (Co-Chair) and the Education & Professional Development Committee (member). In addition, I’ve served as Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee for the past two (2) years, gaining valuable experience and insights into the operations, capabilities and potential of the Academy.

My first involvement with the Strategic Planning Committee was a good way to get insights and understanding of the academy. I actively participated in the reviewing and updating of the current strategic plan as a charge from the Executive Committee. Having the opportunity to review what our current strategic initiatives were and what our future goals are were immensely beneficial for me personally. Since then, I’ve played an active role in the development and enhancement of our current strategic plan and remain active with that committee.

Finally, I’m looking forward to leveraging my experience so far as a Member-at-Large for two terms and active committee member on various committees to further serve the academy in the capacity of Secretary. It would be a distinct honor to serve in such a role. I hope that my experience through the Strategic Planning and Education committees will allow me to further assist with advancing the mission and core principles of the Academy in the areas of knowledge creation/dissemination, education advocacy and professional development.

Member-at-Large

Einstein Healthcare Network

I am the Administrator for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Einstein Healthcare Network, a healthcare organization serving over 160,000 patients annually at three emergency departments in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania. In addition to providing leadership for program operations, outreach, financial oversight, strategic planning, program development, and business opportunities, administrative responsibilities extend to support for the department divisions and management of emergency medical services (EMS) contracts, ultrasound sonography, toxicology services, clinical research studies, and medical education programs. Over a span of 25 years, I have held positions in diverse healthcare environments including primary care and specialty care services, community health centers, academic hospital based ambulatory sites and private practices. Key organizational initiatives involved implementing and monitoring systems and processes to optimize operational and financial performance with a continued focus on employed population health management as an important collaborative strategy to enhance patient centered care delivery, control cost of care, and impact health outcomes. In addition to a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), I hold an MBA in Marketing and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University. I have been an active member of AAAEM for the past five years and have greatly benefited from networking at the annual retreats, utilizing data from the benchmark surveys, and serving on the IDEA Committee to contribute in the decision making process at my institution in a positive way.

AAAEM Secretary

Mass General Brigham

I currently serve as the Vice President of Enterprise Emergency Medicine for the Mass General Brigham health system in Boston, MA, where we are building an integrated enterprise emergency medicine service comprised of 2 academic medical center EDs, 7 community hospital EDs, and 1 specialty hospital ED. I hold an MBA from Boston College (’15) and am a graduate of the AAAEM CAEMA program (’21). For the past year, I’ve had the pleasure and the privilege to serve the AAAEM as a Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee, a member of the Finance Committee, a member of the Benchmark Committee, and for the past two years, as Vice Chair of the Education Committee. I’m proud of the work that we’ve done on these teams, and I am excited at the opportunities we have ahead of us as a specialty and as an academy.

AAAEM Member-at-Large Nominee

University of Kansas

I am honored to have the opportunity to represent the members of the AAAEM in an at-large position. I am passionate about making the academy as resourceful as possible for its members.

AAAEM Treasurer

University of Michigan

My Emergency Medicine experience includes the last eight years as the Chief Department Administrator for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Emergency Medicine, I was the administrator for General Surgery at the University of Michigan. Before joining General Surgery, I was the Director of Finance for the Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan. Other healthcare experiences prior to joining the University of Michigan include the Director of Finance at an integrated system in SE Michigan, and other finance roles at hospitals in San Antonio, Texas and Panama City Florida. I began my career in banking in the early 90’s while living in Washington, DC. My BA is from Michigan State University, and I have a masters in finance from Troy University. My volunteer experience with AAAEM includes the last seven years participating on the Benchmark Committee. I have utilized this opportunity to focus on the research side of the survey and have been fortunate to be able to present some of the research finding on behalf of the committee to the AAAEM conference as well as at SAEM. For the last several years, I have also participated on the strategic planning committee and helped in developing the membership survey and consolidating and reporting results of that survey. This past year, I have been one of the members-at-large of the Executive Committee of AAAEM. I have also provided two lectures per year for the last three years to the SAEM Chair Development program. I have gained much from my participation within AAAEM and have found great value in using the data from our survey to influence decisions at my home institution.

Treasurer

University Wisconsin Madison

Member-at-Large

Oregon Health & Science University

Medical Student Representative

Tulane School Of Medicine

I attended the University of Virginia where I studied Biochemistry and Neuroscience and worked in Dr. Chris Deppmann’s lab studying the innervation of adipose tissue and mechanisms of fat loss during caloric restriction. While in college, I was awarded several grants for research at the bench and abroad, working in Ethiopia and Brazil. I completed a post bac at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, under the advisement of Dr. Thomas Wellems. There I studied the antimalarial drug candidate WR99210 and published on a production error. While at NIH, I completed coursework covering healthcare equity and shadowed in the ICU. I joined the Tulane MD-PhD program in 2020 and began serving in several student clinics, distributing vaccines, testing for STDs and TB, dressing wounds, and helping connect patients to available services. Last year, I was privileged to serve as a Medical Student Ambassador at SAEM. I was drawn to the MSA program because of the mentorship offered. The program over-delivered! SAEM connected me with an incredible mentor who has brought opportunities to my attention and been available for every question I have along the way. Beyond this, several SAEM members involved in basic science research went out of their way to include me in a dinner after the conference wrapped one night, just because they wanted to make sure I had guidance on the path to becoming a physician-scientist in EM. I am running to be a Medical Student Representative on the RAMS board because I want to encourage experiences like the one I had, I want to continue to soak up the connections and community offered by SAEM, and I want to contribute to the RAMS team. If elected, I will try to make the MSA program more visible to students, connect past MSA volunteers to current applicants, and support others on the board.

Member-at-Large

Quinnipiac University

As the last year of Medical School approaches and Residency applications are complete, I am extremely grateful to the physicians and future physicians I learned from and worked with through RAMS over the past three years. Being able to attend committee meetings, work on projects like the “Cold Feet” study, the Post-Dobbs Decision Landscape of EM didactic, the #StopTheStigmaEM campaign and paper, and the All-EM DEI Taskforce, always reminded me why I came to medical school in the first place. Before medical school I was an EMT, National Guard Healthcare Specialist, ED RN, then APRN, but SAEM and RAMS gave me my first introduction to Academic Emergency Medicine. I know what a pivotal role these opportunities had in my ability to stay motivated and engaged. I want to continue to bring opportunities to others, connect people to facilitate projects and represent medical student and resident interests for another year. Everyone deserves the opportunity to realize their ideas, get support and mentorship, or simply findings a committee where they can contribute to advancements in the field. My goal is to help connect those who are unaware or unable to find the resources on their own and contribute to projects that create opportunities for others. Thank you for your time!

President

Stanford University

My name is Lauren Diercks, and I am a PGY2 at Stanford Emergency Medicine Residency. I have served on the RAMS Board for four years, two years as a medical student representative, one as a Member at Large, and am currently Secretary Treasurer. If elected as President, I will continue to prioritize the membership experience. RAMS members derive value from career advancing involvement in SAEM through abstract presentation, committee involvement, didactics, and Pulse articles. The job of the RAMS Board is to promote those experiences for residents and medical students. In my prior roles on the RAMS Board, I created an EMIG survey to understand the medical student experience, collected data about current RAMS involvement in committees, and created the short term project form to increase RAMS involvement in committee and academy work. In addition to increasing deliverables for members, the board can modernize our virtual presence. My goal is to adjust from webinars, to short, palatable, written or video deliverables that will better align with membership needs and use the virtual presence SAEM is developing with the new website and social media. As president, I hope to facilitate the new website improvements to optimize the website so our members can reach the established roadmaps, curriculum, podcasts, webinars, and opportunities that already exist. My ultimate goal on the RAMS Board is to continue to create a quality membership experience that fosters career development for RAMS members.

Medical Student Representative

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Middletown

I obtained my B.S. in Business Administration from Colorado State University. After graduating, I decided to revisit my lifelong interest in medicine by completing a pre-medical post-baccalaureate program at Washington University in St. Louis. Before applying to medical school, I worked as an emergency medical technician for a local ambulance company and the Yale New Haven Health Emergency Department. This experience sparked my passion for emergency medicine and provided me with valuable skills and insight into acute care and ED management. This fall, I began my medical career at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown, New York. I was awarded the Health Professions Scholarship through the US Navy and am currently a US Naval Officer. At Touro, I have undertaken various leadership positions to serve my fellow students. I was elected as Professional Development Chair for our school’s Student Osteopathic Medicine Association (SOMA) chapter, where I implemented Q&A sessions with Emergency Department representatives from Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and Yale New Haven Health Hospital in New Haven. Additionally, I am one of four class representatives elected to serve as a liaison between faculty and students. I am running for SAEM office because I believe that my strong background in academic leadership will allow me to make valuable contributions to the SAEM community. If elected, I hope to bring an osteopathic perspective to the SAEM organization and build camaraderie amongst MD and DO students with a shared passion for emergency medicine. Furthermore, I aim to use my background as an emergency medical technician and US Naval Officer to help develop and support infrastructure that improves our ability to provide compassionate and effective medical care.

Member-at-Large

University of Texas, Health Sciences Center at Houston

Member-at-Large

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School

I am a second-year Emergency Medicine resident physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. I completed undergraduate studies at Stanford University and medical school at Harvard Medical School. I have a passion for trauma-informed care that grew out of a background in sexual violence advocacy. My current academic work focuses on TIC as a broad framework for medical education including domains of educational content (e.g. trauma and health effects, adverse childhood events, and TIC clinical care) and educational context (e.g. faculty development, student advising, and student wellbeing). I am running for re-election to the RAMS board in hopes to continue projects started in my first term. In my work with the Equity and Inclusion Committee, there is a lot of excited around trauma-informed care. I led several didactic submissions to SAEM 2023 and hope to build on this momentum by creating educational content and a certificate program. The RAMS board has been active in the resident labor and wellness space. I hope to continue this work in a second term through education and advocating for our members.