People

Kuldip S. Kainth, MD

East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine

Dr. Kuldip Sunny Kainth is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician and Assistant Professor at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University (ECU). A Toronto Canada native, he earned his medical degree from the St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. Dr. Kainth completed his residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, NY. Upon completion of his training, he moved to Greenville, NC to join the ECU Health Medical Center Children's Emergency Department as an Attending Physician. He has been the clinical medical director of the Children's ED since 2023.

Kathleen K. Bryant, MD

ECU Health Medical Center/East Carolina University

Dr. Kathleen Bryant is an Emergency Medicine physician and Assistant Professor at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University (ECU). She earned her medical degree from the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida. Dr. Bryant completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at ECU, where she also served as chief resident. Following her residency, she pursued a fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center. After returning to ECU, Dr. Bryant served as the Medical Director of the Children's Emergency Department for five years. She also served as Associate Residency Program Director for Emergency Medicine for five years and is currently Chief of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Division.

Alejandro A. Palma, MD

University of Chicago

Dr. Alejandro Palma is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine (EM) at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine (PSOM), where he completed a faculty teaching fellowship in Medical Education Research Innovation Teaching and Scholarship. At PSOM, he plays a pivotal role in undergraduate medical education as the EM M4 Clerkship Director, EM M3 Elective Director, OPIATE M1 Course Director, and Chair of Admissions.

On a national level, Dr. Palma serves as the subcommittee co-lead for Scholarship and Distribution on the CORD Advising Students Committee in EM (ASC-EM), a subcommittee co-lead on the SAEM Education Committee as well as the Treasurer for the Clerkship Directors in EM (CDEM) Executive Committee. Recognized with numerous teaching awards, Dr. Palma is committed to the advancement of new medical educators.

Sarah Dunn, MD

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Dr. Sarah Dunn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ. A New Jersey native, Dr. Dunn returned to NJ after medical school and residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. After residency Dr. Dunn worked at a community hospital in NJ as well as in the urgent care setting before returning to academia at Rutgers NJMS. Since joining NJMS she has had an increasing role in medical education, serving as the clerkship director for the EM clerkship as well as course director for a transition to residency course for the medical school. She is an active member of both undergraduate and graduate medical education committees at NJMS and has a demonstrated commitment to teaching and educational improvement. She is a member of the SAEM Education Committee and the Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine academy.

Chidinma Nwakanma, MD

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Chidinma Nwakanma is an Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). She received her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University and completed her Emergency Medicine residency and Resuscitation & Emergency Critical Care Fellowship at Stony Brook University Hospital. Her professional interests are varied including critical care, resuscitation, women’s health, reproductive justice, health media, gun violence prevention, global medicine (particularly in West Africa and the Caribbean), and health equity as it pertains to Black/Brown communities. She strives to highlight social determinants of health and cultural humility in addition to clinical medicine when teaching trainees. She has been featured at numerous local and international conferences, on local radio shows and podcasts, and in several major national newspapers. She has received numerous clincal teaching awards. Most recently, she was awarded the Dean's Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and was honored nationally for her exceptional bedside teaching by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Skyler Lentz, MD

University of Vermont Medical Center

Skyler Lentz, MD is a board-certified emergency and critical care physician who speaks locally, regionally and nationally on critical care topics. He works closely with national emergency medicine and critical care organizations, including the EMC3 consortium.
Dr. Lentz is the Division Chief of Resuscitation Science in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Vermont. He works clinically in the medical, surgical, and cardiovascular intensive care units and the emergency department. Skyler enjoys understanding and explaining the complex physiology of critical care.

Stephanie Kok, MD, FAAEM

UICOMP Emergency Medicine Residency

Stephanie Kok, MD is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria (UICOMP) where she has served as the Assistant Program Director since 2021. She graduated from UICOMP Emergency Medicine Residency in 2014 and joined the Core Faculty in 2015. She served as Director of Rotator Residents and the Oral Boards Curriculum Director for 6 and 8 years respectively. She has also served as the Faculty Director for her residency’s FemInEM program since its inception in 2020. She has been chosen by her residents as Mentor of the Year in 2015 and 2022 and Teacher of the Year in 2020 and 2022. Through all of this, she has been a dedicated nocturnalist since graduating from residency and has no plans to change. In her personal life, she loves to take her nieces and nephews on cross-country train trips, go on dumpling tours with her parents, and play endless games of Dutch Blitz on beach vacations with her sisters. She also loves to read and, of course, hates missing her 8-hour naps during the day.

Venkat Subramanyam, MD, CAQ-SM

University of Connecticut Health Center

Dr. Subramanyam completed his medical training at Quinnipiac University and subsequently completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at the University of Connecticut, graduating as a Chief Resident. He completed fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, where he served as an Assistant Team Physician for the New York Giants and New York Mets. Currently, he holds a dual appointment in Emergency Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Connecticut practicing a combination of clinical EM and Sports Medicine. He serves as an Assistant Team Physician for the Westchester Knicks, the G-League affiliate of the New York Knicks.

John Kiel, DO, MPH

University of South Florida

Dr Kiel is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Sports Medicine for the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and holds a core faculty position in the Emergency Medicine Residency Program where he is regularly involved in medical education. He completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, NY and a Sports Medicine Fellowship at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. His academic interests include MSK ultrasound, #FOAMed, orthopedic trauma and resident education. Personal passions include crossfit, cycling and spending time with his family and two dogs. He is also a Major in the Florida Army National Guard.

Amie Kim, MD, CAQ-SM

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Dr. Amie Kim is dual board-certified in Sports Medicine and Emergency Medicine and carries triple appointment in the departments of Emergency Medicine, Physical Medicine Rehabilitation, and Medical Education in conjunction with her ACGME-accredited Sports Medicine fellowship. Dr. Kim is a recognized expert through year round sports coverage with the NBA, NFL Jets, US Open, and NYC Marathon Elite runners operations. She is uniquely positioned to build platforms in education, clinical operations, research, and elite sports medicine, while mentoring staff and trainees into diverse career goals.

Elizabeth Weinstein, MD

Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Elizabeth Weinstein is a Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine with over 20 years of clinical experience and healthcare leadership. Elizabeth is triple board certified in Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and Emergency Medical Services. She is an educator, coalition builder, and healthcare communicator with a passion for making tough concepts accessible and relatable. Her research has centered on healthcare communication, pediatric emergency care, and EMS. She served as the Program Director for Indiana’s Emergency Medical Services for Children program from 2009-2023 and continues to be an advocate for pediatric readiness in emergencies. Her grant funded scholarship in healthcare communication has coupled applied improvisation with various themes in emergency medicine and public health including advocacy, vaccine hesitancy, patient experience and provider wellness.

Christina Seto, MD

Johns Hopkins University

Christina Seto is an Emergency Medicine physician and the inaugural Health Humanities fellow at Johns Hopkins University. She graduated from medical school from the University of Central Florida in 2021 and completed her Emergency Medicine residency at Kaweah Health where she also served as chief resident. With a degree in both English Literature as well as Neuroscience & Behavior from Barnard College of Columbia University, Dr Seto has always been driven by both storytelling and science. Her personal blog “Brunch with Bear” detailing a life with food allergies sparked her interest in illness narratives and the healing power of writing, which led her to pursue a career in medicine dedicated to understanding each patient’s story. She has a background in performing arts, narrative medicine, and creative writing, as well as a love of textiles and crafts.

Douglas M. Char, MD, MA

Washington University St Louis

Vice Chair for Academic & Faculty Affairs, Washington University. Former Residency Program Director, Medical School Competency Assessment Committee, Former Director - Inclusion Diversity Equity and Advocacy, UME longitudinal curriculum, Medical Director - SOM Clinician Support Program, VIce Chair Exec Committte of the (SOM) Faculty Council

Nicolas Ellis, MD

Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Ellis is an Assistant Professor in emergency medicine at Penn State University.

Lawrence E. Kass, MD, MEd

Penn State Hershey Medical Center

I completed my MD at Boston University in 1987, and residencies in Internal Medicine (University of Maryland, 1990) and Emergency Medicine (York Hospital, 1993). I have been a practicing academic emergency physician since then and have been a medical student Acting Internship Director, Associate Residency Program Director, and Residency Program Director (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Penn State Hershey Medical Center). I have been at Penn State for the last 20 years, where I also obtained my Masters in Adult Education (2020). I am currently a co-director of the Junior Faculty Development Program of the College of Medicine and Vice-Chair for Faculty Affairs of the Department of Emergency Medicine.

Liz Leenellett, MD, FACEP, CPE

University of Cincinnati

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Leenellett, Professor and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs and Inclusive Excellence at the University of Cincinnati, also serves as Chief of Staff for UC Health-West Chester Hospital and holds the W. Brian Gibler, MD, Endowed Chair for Education in Emergency Medicine.

Her training includes the University of Michigan's Inteflex program, the University of Cincinnati's emergency medicine residency, the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) fellowship, and Certified Physician Executive (CPE) designation.

In 2018, she founded the Emergency Medicine Program Of Women in leadERship (EMPOWER) and established the Leadership Excels with Achievement of Diversity (UC LEADs) endowment fund.

Dr. Leenellett's leadership has been recognized with the 2021 Ohio ACEP Physician Leadership award, 2022 UC College of Medicine Grace LeMasters “Lift While You Climb” award, 2022 EMRA Faculty Mentor of the Year award, and 2024 AAWEP Community EM Champion award.

Jessica Baez, MD, AEMUS-FPD

University of Cincinnati

Dr. Baez is an Assistant Program Director at the University of Cincinnati Department of Emergency Medicine. She completed Emergency Medicine residency and an Ultrasound Fellowship at the University of Cincinnati and focuses primarily on resident education.

Carlisle Topping, BA

Yale-New Haven Medical Center

Carlisle is a research year medical student at the Yale School of Medicine pursing an MHS degree. She graduated with a degree in Biology from Columbia University. Prior to medical school, she worked in the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her introduction to emergency medicine was at Bellevue Hospital where she worked as a patient advocate and was witness to the impact of social forces and systems on health. She is interested in emergency medicine with a dedication to advancing equitable healthcare for individuals from low-income areas. This drove her to Dr. Arjun Venkatesh and Dr. Hazar Khidir's research, focusing on health services and health policy projects that address overlapping geographic and socioeconomic health inequities.

Abagayle Bierowski, MD

Thomas Jefferson University

Dr. Abagayle 'Abby' (Renko) Bierowski is an Emergency Medicine physician and second year medical education fellow at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. A Baltimore native, Dr. Bierowski graduated summa cum laude from the Pennsylvania State University's Schreyer Honors College with a degree in Psychology prior to attending Penn State College of Medicine. She subsequently trained in Emergency Medicine at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ, where she also served as chief resident. She graduating with a Master of Education in the Health Professions (MEHP) degree though Johns Hopkins University in May of 2025. While her passion for scholarly work began in the prehospital sphere, her research interests have since expanded to include gender disparities in patient care, medical and trainee education, leadership development, graduate medical education, and the role of uncertainty in medical decision-making. She is particularly interested in supporting junior faculty development and assimilation into academia, as well as advocating for transparent and equitable family leave policies and pregnancy/postpartum accommodations across all stages of medical training. Dr. Bierowski's most notable passion lies within mentorship, and she aspires to work within residency program leadership following completion of her fellowship and master's degree program. Outside of work, she enjoys thrifting and spending time with her family and son. Dr. Bierowski is honored to be presenting at SAEM’s 2025 annual meeting.

Sierra A. Hajdu, MD

University of Cincinnati Medical Center/College of Medicine

Dr. Sierra Hajdu, MD is a third-year emergency medicine resident at the University of Cincinnati. She will serve as one of her program's Chief Residents for the upcoming academic year. Originally from New York, she obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame and subsequently moved to Ohio where she completed medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Her interests include graduate medical education and social emergency medicine.