People

AAAEM Member-at-Large Candidate

Medical College of Wisconsin

It is my honor to be considered to serve on the AAAEM Executive Committee as member-at-large. It has been one of the greatest pleasures of my career so far to be part of this group and I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting my colleagues, learning as part of the CAEMA program, and serving on both the benchmark and the education committees over the last few months. I believe my combination of education (MBA), healthcare industry experience ( and leadership experience (12 years, 10 of which in management roles) have equipped me well to serve this great organization as we continue to grow and expand. I hope to be able to bring useful outside perspective as I am new to Emergency Medicine, but have worked in the department of medicine and especially in internal medicine prior to joining emergency medicine. My goal would be to help further the goals of the board and especially continue to engage current and future members. I would hope to engage organizations that are not currently members, showcasing the benefits of membership as I have experienced them. Thank you for your consideration.

Member-at-Large

Jefferson Einstein Hospital

I am the Administrator for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Einstein Hospital, a safety net healthcare hospital serving over 120,000 patients annually at emergency departments in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania. In addition to providing leadership for strategic planning, financial oversight, program development, and business opportunities, my administrative responsibilities extend to support for the department divisions and management of emergency medical services contracts, ultrasound sonography, toxicology services, clinical research studies, and medical education programs. In addition, revenue cycle management has been a keen operational initiative focusing on billing education and high-quality documentation. The successful partnership with our external coding company has served as a model strategy to adopt for emergency medicine clinical shared services in the larger health system.

Civic engagement is paramount for an academic community medical center situated in North Philadelphia, serving one of the most diverse and disadvantaged communities in the US. Our work with Vot-ER, a nonpartisan organization committed to bringing voter registration into health care settings, has galvanized the patients to be active participants on policies impacting their lives.

Our Emergency Dept is also impacted by the considerable number of trauma patients we treat, especially young adults. As a Level 1 Trauma Center, we care for nearly 2000 trauma victims each year with a broad range of mechanisms including gunshot wounds, falls, blunt trauma, and penetrating injuries. To address these needs in providing a support system, a Trauma Intervention Program was established to provide intensive follow-up care to young people aged 14-30 who have been treated for violence related injuries. The program aims to help these patients recover from the substantial social and psychological effects of violence. Driving innovative health solutions for underserved populations has also involved supporting community health opioid use disorder programs.

With over 20 years’ experience in diverse healthcare environments including primary and specialty care services, community health centers, academic hospital based ambulatory sites and private practices, I led key organizational initiatives involving implementation of system processes to optimize operational and financial performance with a continued focus on employed population health management to impact health outcomes. However, it has been the complexity of emergency medicine healthcare management that has afforded the most rewarding experience in the coordination of delivery of services, quality and safety, people, volume/growth, finance, and academics.

I earned a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

My doctoral research that focused on the adoption of medical patient portals for an underserved population utilizing the emergency department for medical care and medical information provided insight for the daily work of the clinical team to promote a positive patient experience.

My active AAAEM membership for the past seven years and part of the Executive Committee as a Member-at Large has shaped my professional trajectory in emergency medicine tremendously. Working in the discipline lends itself to immeasurable professional opportunities, but it is the work of the Executive Committee leading the organizational team with cross boundary group collaboration that is most illuminating. Planning for the annual retreats, setting operational guidelines and standards, seeking to make the Academy stronger through Committee initiatives are all benefits of serving on the Leadership team. Further, my participation on the IDEA Committee reinforces the Academy’s priority as an inclusive supportive organization for professionals in emergency medicine. I am honored to have served and feel even more prepared to leverage my experience and contribute to ideas and strategies for garnering engagement in furthering the goals that align with the Academy’s mission.

Secretary

University of Florida, College of Medicine - Gainesville

I am grateful for the opportunity to be considered for the executive committee. With over 15 years of experience in leadership roles within academic and community healthcare, especially in emergency medicine, I am committed to supporting AAAEM’s mission through strategic initiatives that elevate clinical care, education, and research while ensuring financial and operational integrity. My background includes an MBA and an Academic Emergency Medicine Administration Certification, and in my current role as Executive Administrator/Vice Chair for Administrative Affairs, I work closely with department and system leaders to foster a thriving healthcare environment.

As the chair of AAAEM’s Education and Professional Development Committee, I focus on promoting knowledge-sharing through “hot topic” sessions that address current challenges and opportunities. My service on the Benchmark Committee, as well as previous experience chairing the Communication Committee, has helped me understand the value of data-driven insights and effective communication in strengthening our collective efforts. Outside of AAAEM, I am deeply committed to mentoring future leaders and was involved in creating a 2-year Healthcare Administrative Fellowship at the University of Florida.

If elected, my goal is to contribute to a dynamic, forward-thinking AAAEM that remains supportive, engaging, and welcoming to all members, especially newcomers. By continually enhancing our events and fostering a sense of connection, we can inspire excitement and a feeling of belonging across our membership. It would be a privilege to bring new perspectives and work alongside colleagues to uphold and advance our shared mission.

Thank you for considering my nomination.

Treasurer

Mass General Brigham

​Brendan Russell serves as the enterprise vice president of emergency medicine for the Mass General Brigham health system in Boston, Massachusetts. In this role, he oversees an integrated emergency medicine service comprising two academic medical center emergency departments (EDs), seven community hospital EDs, and one specialty hospital ED. ​

Russell earned his Master of Business Administration from Boston College in 2015 and graduated from the AAAEM Certificate in Academic Emergency Medicine Administration (CAEMA) program in 2021. ​

Russell has actively contributed to AAAEM, serving as secretary, and a member-at-large on the executive committee, participating in the finance and benchmark committees, and acting as vice chair of the education committee.  

Clinical Assistant Professor/Associate Director

Stanford University

Maryam Makowski, PhD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Associate Director of Scholarship and Health Promotion of the Stanford Medicine WellMD & WellPhD.  

Dr. Makowski is a nutrition scientist, a physician well-being expert, and a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach. The focus of her nutrition research is examining the effects of micro- and macro-nutrients, meal composition, and timing on cognitive function, mood, mental sharpness, and eating behaviors of professionals with high cognitive and physical demands. As a physician coach, Maryam uses evidence-based strategies to empower her physician clients in optimizing their well-being, self-compassion, energy, focus, and mental sharpness for peak performance. 

Maryam completed her master's and doctoral studies in clinical nutrition, nutritional epidemiology, and medical science at the University of Toronto in Canada. Prior to joining Stanford, she served as a scientific associate at Toronto General Hospital-University Health Network in Toronto, and as an advisor to Air Canada rouge pilots and cabin crew on optimal nutrition for fatigue mitigation. Over the course of her career, she has authored highly cited scientific papers on nutrition and well-being.

Member-at-Large

University of Michigan

Dr. Schmitzberger is a clinical instructor at the University of Michigan. He has a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Computation as well as a Master of Science in Bioinformatics from Stanford University. He completed his medical studies at the Charité University in Berlin where he also received his scientific doctorate. He is an emergency medicine physician at the University of Michigan and a fellow for resuscitation science and is principle investigator in multiple studies. He holds a fellowship of the academy of wilderness medicine. He served in the Austrian Military as a medic and is the associate medical director for the Genesee county Sheriff’s department paramedic division, serving Flint, Michigan. He has extensive experience in international medicine, having been active as team leader, medic and physician in numerous conflict regions (Burmese civil war, Syrian conflict, Afghanistan war, Venezuelan crisis, Ukraine war) as well as in medical civic actions in other regions.

Assistant Professor & IT Chair

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Faculty

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Christine Ramdin, PhD, is a faculty member at the Instructor level at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Emergency Medicine. She has a PhD in Biomedical Informatics, and has research interests in Addiction Medicine, Medical Toxicology, Pain Medicine, and Stroke. She has published several studies using big data sources such as NHAMCS, HCUP, and NSSATs, and has worked with the NSDUH and TEDs dataset, along with several other local and national datasets. She has experience in conducting big data analyses and utilizing several different types of statistical methods.

Assistant Professor

Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals

Dr. McGurk is an assistant professor in the emergency medicine department at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Prior to pursuing medicine, he worked as an elementary school teacher in the D.C. public school system. He received his medical degree from the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and completed his residency at Cook County Health, where he also served as chief resident. Dr. McGurk's professional interests include medical education, retrospective research, and medical humanities. He is the M3 EM clerkship director and the 2023 recipient of the Joseph C. Carin Excellence in Teaching Award.

Medical Student

George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Michael Makutonin is a fourth-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He has been involved in dataset and data science research throughout his medical school career, starting multi-institution collaborations by drawing on skills he learned as a software engineer and data science bootcamp instructor. Mr. Makutonin's nascent research career has earned him recognition in the field, including research awards and plenaries at national conferences. Mr. Makutonin is passionate about the potential of data science research to inform and solve impactful problems, and continues to mentor others in the field as an officer in the EMRA research committee and a principal investigator at the George Washington University Healing Clinic, among other roles.

Director of Medical Student Education/Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Director of Emergency Care Research

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Medical Director

Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital

DaMarcus Baymon is from Houston, TX, and went to the University of Texas-Austin for his undergraduate education. He graduated with a B.S. in Neurobiology. For medical school, he attended the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. In 2021, he completed his four-year EM residency at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Program Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. DaMarcus graduated from Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine and is the current medical director for the BWH ED. His research focus is on improving ED operations and equity within the ED care space. Within the Office of IDEaS, he serves as the co-chair of the social justice division. He has also served as ED Trauma Lead, Associate Director of Quality Assurance, and ED liaison for the infectious disease department. 

Member-at-Large

University of Louisville

My educational background includes a BS in Biology from Cumberland College, MD from the University of South Alabama. Internship in Internal Medicine at the University of South Alabama. Residency in Emergency Medicine at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Fellowship in Cardiovascular Emergencies at the University of Virginia. And my Physicians Executive Master’s Degree in Business Administration (PEMBA) from Auburn University.

My career qualifications include 13 years on Core Faculty at UAB Dept. of Emergency Medicine with multiple leadership roles during my time there, including Associate Residency Director, Director of Observation Medicine, System Emergency Department Medical Director, Executive Vice chair of Emergency Medicine and Associate CMO over Sepsis and Emergency Services for the health system. In January of 2020, I joined the University of Louisville Department of Emergency Medicine as Endowed Chair and Chief of Service for Emergency Medicine. In this role, I also serve of the Board of Directors for the University Hospital and the Board of Directors for UofL Physician practice, in addition to multiple other committees across the school of medicine and the health system.

I have been an active member of SAEM for much of my career. My most recent activity is in the AACEM committees (community 2020-22, and DEI – 2022-Present).

I am interested in joining the Executive Committee for AACEM because in my 4 years as chair, I have seen the impact that AACEM can have on the training and the practice of Emergency Medicine nationally and internationally. The focus on the training programs in EM and the quality of our residency programs, the wellbeing of our physicians and residents, and the sustainability of the practice of emergency medicine are at the heart of this group and are the parts of my career that I am most passionate about.

If elected, one of my focuses would be to increase collaboration and connectivity between the academic chairs of EM. The chair position can be a lonely job, but I would like to look at setting up small regional groups of academic chairs that would be interested in meeting (virtual or in person) quarterly or more frequently, to discuss issues in more detail that just the list serve emails, to share resources and build stronger relationships. I also hope to learn from the tremendous leaders in EM that are already serving on the Executive Committee, so that I can hopefully adequately fill their shoes in the future.

Member-at-Large

NewYork-Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medicine

I currently serve as the Barbara and Stephen Friedman Endowed Professor and Chair of Emergency Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medicine, and as a professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences. In 2018, I led the promotion of Emergency Medicine to full academic departmental status. Since then, we've seen transformative growth in education, clinical care, and research—rising from unranked in 2019 to a top 10 NIH-funded department by 2025. I developed a first-of-its kind GME Foundational Telemedicine Course, and established multiple fellowships, including our new innovation fellowship.

Since 2016, I’ve been deeply committed to AACEM, contributing through leadership roles including the Innovations Workgroup (current co-chair) and the Leader Development Workgroup. AACEM is a vital platform for collaboration, mentorship, and strategic advancement, and it would be an honor to serve on the Executive Committee and help to shape the future of our specialty through thoughtful, collaborative leadership.

My academic and research interests focus on leveraging technology to improve emergency care delivery. I am the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Virtual Care at Weill Cornell, which trains clinicians across the NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) enterprise and hosts one of the nation’s first academic virtual care conferences and research forums. I’ve launched multiple ED-based digital platforms and presently serve on the NYP Hospital at Home Executive Steering Committee. My work has been published in JAMA and NEJM Catalyst and I have received funding from both the NIH and AAMC.

I also serve as Vice Chair of the New York State Board for Medicine and have held multiple institutional leadership roles including serving on the NYP and Weill Cornell Medicine Boards. I have served as NYP Medical Board President, Chair of the Finance Committee at Weill Cornell and as a member of the Physician Organization Executive Committee.

Thank you for your consideration.

Member-at-Large

UT Health San Antonio

Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine

University of Florida College of Medicine

Assistant Professor, Computer and Information Science and Engineering

University of Florida

Vice Chair of Emergency Medicine Research and Professor of Emergency Medicine

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School

Amanda Irish is an Emergency Medicine faculty physician at the University of Iowa. She completed her International Emergency Medicine Global Health Fellowship at Prisma Health. She has demonstrated a lifelong interest in international medicine and infectious diseases and has also earned a Master's in Public Health Epidemiology as well as a certificate in Emerging Infectious Disease Epidemiology (CEIDE) and Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTMH). She has been involved in a variety of research and education projects and enjoys working with and teaching others about Humanitarian Medicine and the intersection of global climate change, disaster medicine, and infectious diseases.