EMSS-AAEM Section Council Election

I began in EMS as an EMT while still in high school in my rural hometown in Texas nearly 30 years ago. I became a paramedic while in college and then after medical school, completed EM residency and an EMS fellowship in Buffalo, NY. I relocated to San Antonio ten years ago and am currently the EMS Fellowship Program Director and Prehospital Division Director at UT Health San Antonio. I am also a Deputy Medical Director for SAFD as well as providing medical direction for smaller agencies in the area.

As the subspecialty of EMS medicine has grown, it has become clear that the role of an EMS physician is much more than traditionally thought of as simply an administrative position and providing offline and online medical direction for field personnel. There are multiple opportunities, as well as challenges, in the near future as the subspecialty grows. Continued challenges with appropriate EMS physician compensation, workforce issues for a growing number of subspecialists and relatively limited traditional medical director jobs, and finally, the real threat of non-physician legislative oversight dictating the practice of medicine for our prehospital patients are all issues that the profession must face in the coming years. I believe with my experience in multiple roles in EMS, I can bring that perspective to the EMS Section of AAEM and allow it to grow as a voice in at the national level for EMS physician empowerment.
ABEM EMS Board Certification – 2013 and renewed 2023

I am an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine and am board certified in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. I have been involved with EMS since 2010. I worked as an Advanced EMT throughout college and medical school with multiple services in the Houston area. I have contributed to the EMS research body of literature and have participated in many EMS teaching experiences as an EMT, AEMT and BLS/ACLS instructor. Staying involved with various EMS through the creation of EMS specific CME. This experience gives me a well-rounded understanding of the challenges faced by EMS and what makes our subspecialty unique.

I have held advocacy group positions during medical school locally (EM interest group president) and nationally (ACEP representative to the AMA). I would like to be involved again in organized medicine, specifically with regards to EMS.

Clinically and educationally, I have always had an interest in and valued the importance of efficient and thorough documentation, so participating in the AAEM EMS section as its secretary would be a good fit.

It would be a privilege to serve this organization. Thank you for your consideration.

I am Stephanie M. Marrero Borrero. I completed my EM Residency in Puerto Rico in 2022. I then completed my EMS fellowship in UT Health San Antonio, Texas on last June 2023. At the moment, I am in the middle of my second fellowship in Clinical Emergency Ultrasound. Besides being involved in activities related to my latest fellowship, I’ve been an apprentice at a local EMS agency. Not only have I been mentored by the Physician Medical Director, but I’ve also been involved in the simulation training, the development of the QI/QA process, and the development and introduction of a novel US training program for our medics. During this time, I’ve also been a member of the communication section of the NAEMSP. I know that the AAEM EMS section is growing, and I seek to expand my impact as well as my personal growth by being part of this organization and taking on greater responsibilities. I am getting out of my comfort zone, and I am aspiring for the position of Secretary and Finance Chair. I know that I could dedicate my efforts to working in this position. It would be an honor to serve this organization. Thank you for considering my candidacy for this position.

I have served in the role of Councilor for the EMS section for the past year, and I am seeking to continue in that role for the upcoming year. As the group works to solidify its purpose and focus within AAEM, I hope to contribute to the initiatives that help to promote understanding of prehospital and en route care to those seeking to learn more. I am a graduate of the DOD’s EMS and Disaster Medicine Fellowship, board certified in Emergency Medicine and EMS, and a recently appointed Fellow of the Academy of EMS. I currently serve as the program director of the military fellowship where I trained, and have served in medical direction roles with Joint Base San Antonio as well as UT Health OMD.

The sub-specialty of EMS within the specialty of Emergency Medicine is paramount to a functioning, well-rounded medical system. It is the primary link that patients access when they need medical assistance. I have spent the better part of my 22-year career in academic emergency medicine involved in EMS, from field work to medical directorship. I am board certified in Emergency Medicine and EMS by ABEM and hold the distinction of FAEMS through NAEMSP. I have taken the initiative to become a prehospital provider (through my state) and obtained EMT-T certification to help understand the needs and expectations in the prehospital environment. I plan on working closing with leadership to advance the subspecialty of EMS by involving innovative technology, like ultrasound, in the prehospital environment, along with advocating for the EMS physician to get the recognition they need and deserve to continue to work in the prehospital environment.

In running as councilor for EMSS-AAEM, I am looking for the opportunity to develop future EMS physicians and continue to advocate for the growth of the sub-specialty. I am board-certified in both Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. I completed residency and then EMS fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, prior to joining the faculty. As an assistant professor, I decided to further my growth as an educator and followed fellowship with a Masters in Health Professions Education (MHPE) through the University of Missouri in Kansas City. I am currently an assistant program director for the EM residency at Washington University, after previously serving in the same role for the EMS Fellowship.

Prior to that, I revamped the EMS curriculum for the four-year residency and developed an assistant medical director role to increase active participation by residents with the EMS community of St. Louis. I have been active in medical direction, mass gathering, education, disaster response, and community education. This includes current leadership in the EMS fellowship consortium that work as charge physicians for the Ironman World Championship. I work as a stadium physician for Cardinals baseball and ice-side physician for Blues hockey. I founded and run Keep the Beat St. Louis, a community readiness model-based education program currently focusing on bystander CPR, naloxone administration, and bleeding control. I am passionate about bringing emergency medical care to the community, whether by expanding educational and practice opportunities for EMS professionals or by bringing community engagement and education that is prehospitalist-driven to those who need it most.

I am a current fellow at UTHSC-San Antonio and I am nominating myself for this position because I think AAEM has excellent opportunities to grow the field of prehospital medicine at the physician level. I am hoping to work with the existing Young Physician Section’s (YPS) Spotlight feature to bring awareness to all of the various avenues an EMS physician can choose for their career. I plan to reach out to several EMS docs with vastly different practices to make this happen. I believe that as a relatively young subspecialty, bringing awareness of these opportunities to graduating residents will help to continue to grow the field with new innovators who can continue to push the bounds of what we do as EMS physicians. I have previous AAEM/RSA leadership experience as the RSA representative for both medical school and my residency program, totaling four years.

I am nominating myself for a second term as a Councilor. I have over twenty years of experience in EMS that includes experience as a firefighter-paramedic, flight paramedic, international flight physician (UK), military experience in prehospital medicine, EMS fellowship training, EMS board certification and experience as an assistant medical director for a large urban fire-based EMS system. I am currently a flight physician and the assistant medical director of the University of Wisconsin’s (UW) Med Flight program, the program director for the UW Air Critical Care Transport Fellowship Program, the medical director for the Dane County (WI) Sheriff’s Office Tactical Team, and a faculty physician at the UW School of Medicine of Public Health BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine.

I am seeking re-election to this organization because I feel that it is paramount that we continue to recruit excellent EM physicians into our sub-specialty, enhance EMS physician training, broaden the EMS physician’s scope of practice, and protect EMS physicians’ future employment opportunities as medical directors. If re-elected I would continue to contribute to the development the EMS webinar series and Common Sense articles, explore future educational opportunities with specialties outside of EMS, and look to develop collaborative efforts with NAEMSP regarding position statements that protect the EMS physician.

As an MD/PhD student, my research focused on improving survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Through this research, I attended international conferences that focused on the implementation of clinical trials and how to integrate EMS services into the design of the research project. The more time I spent involved in this research, the more interested I became in EMS as an eventual career path. During my away rotation at UCLA-Harbor, I was able to work alongside EMS fellows and several attendings with EMS training. This further opened my eyes to the field and I only became more and more intrigued by the field.

As a RSA Representative for the EMS Section of AAEM, I will bring my background and training as a researcher in the field. I believe that I have a unique perspective with training in designing laboratory experiments to simulate pre-hospital scenarios. By joining the EMS section, I hope to build on the training that I will receive in residency and expand my network to meet EMS-trained residents and clinicians.

We are lucky to have Rob in the field of emergency medicine. He is one of the good ones, and he’ll stay that way. I live closely by a quote I heard Rob say our first year: In good times and bad, always lift others up. That is the mentality that Rob brings to his life, his patients, and his peers. He has served the community in various capacities within the EMS world. He volunteered for Chatham’s EMS squad for five years, has served as an EMT for Sparta Ambulance Corps, and has been the field supervisor and training officer for the NJ Mobile Healthcare, that services Parasmus, NJ. In medical school, Rob continues to push forward the field of EMS and emergency medicine, as big or small as it comes. He has contributed to education of EM by making a nationally distributed Anki deck and is an ambassador for the Humanitarian Physician Empowerment Community. Altogether, Rob has the leadership qualities to be a valuable member of any team, but certainly a strong contributor to the EMSS-AAEM section, and he has my full support for any role.

During my formative years in medicine, I had the honor of serving as a volunteer, township and county EMT. Additionally, I held several leadership positions that placed me at the forefront of addressing the concerns and frustrations voiced by my colleagues. Their challenges, often intricate and multifaceted, left me feeling a mix of exasperation and frustration, as I grappled with my limitations in finding solutions for the issues they presented.

In New Jersey, my home state, I’ve observed how volunteer EMS agencies, once vibrant and community-driven, now face challenges in sustaining staffing levels. Unfortunately, their ability to retain the most skilled personnel has been hindered by many leaving EMS or the healthcare field altogether. Consequently, the field has seen a loss of experienced professionals, resulting in increasing lapses of patient care.

Moreover, this situation is exacerbated by the unfortunate reality that full-time EMS professionals encounter challenges such as inadequate compensation tied to local cost of living, as well as a void in systemic advocacy that is able to span multiple organizations. These factors contribute to the low morale and high turnover of EMS workers, who often feel undervalued and unsupported by the healthcare system.

It is my hope that my involvement with EMSS-AAEM will equip me with the network and information to one day address the obstacles that exist in the field of EMS today while. My vision is to work alongside Emergency Physicians to support our colleagues on the frontlines of emergency medicine and to collaborate with all stakeholders to improve the working conditions and satisfaction of EMS personnel. If this vision aligns with that of the EMSS-AAEM, I kindly request your consideration for my nomination.