Department Blog - July 2021

Laura J. Bontempo, MD, MEd, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, received the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) Written Board Review Course’s Top Speaker Award at the AAEM Annual Scientific Assembly on June 20, 2021.


Bennett Myers, MD, joined the Department of Emergency Medicine as an Assistant Professor on June 10, 2021. Dr. Myers graduated from the department’s Emergency Medicine Residency Program in 2017, served as Chief Resident while completing his Informatics Fellowship, and has been working at Carroll Hospital for the past few years. He is also joining the department’s residency leadership team as an Associate Program Director.


Zachary D.W. Dezman, MD, MS, MS, Assistant Professor; Benoit Stryckman, MA, Research Associate and Health Economist; David E. Marcozzi, MD, MHS-CL, MHS-CL, FACEP, Professor; and Laura Pimentel, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, were among the authors of “Masking for COVID-19 Is Associated With Decreased Emergency Department Utilization for Non-COVID Viral Illnesses and Respiratory Conditions in Maryland,” published by the American Journal of Medicine on July 6, 2021.


Posted 7/26/2021 by Deborah Stein

An Alternative Care Model for Low-Acuity 911 Calls

Daniel Gingold, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, presented the poster “An Alternative Care Model for Low-Acuity 911 Calls” as part of the Young Physician Section Research Competition at the American Academy of Emergency Medicine’s 27th Annual Scientific Assembly, held June 20–24, 2021, in St. Louis, Missouri, and online.


Posted 7/23/2021 by Deborah Stein

Twenty Faculty Present at AAEM SA 2021

Twenty faculty members of the Department of Emergency Medicine presented at the American Academy of Emergency Medicine’s 27th Annual Scientific Assembly, held June 20–24, 2021, in St. Louis, Missouri, and online:

  • Jason D. Adler, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, lectured on “Getting What You Deserve: Reimbursement for Medication-Assisted Therapy”
  • Afrah Abdul Wahid Ali, MBBS, Assistant Professor, presented the lecture “Is That Rash Deadly?”
  • Laura J. Bontempo, MD, MEd, Associate Professor, lectured on “Critical ENT Hemorrhage” and “DIY Peritonsillar Abscess”
  • Wan-Tsu W. Chang, MD, Assistant Professor, presented the lectures “Are You Performing GCS Correctly?” and “Cracking the Spinal Code”
  • Sarah B. Dubbs, MD, Assistant Professor, lectured on “Putting the Comfort in Comfort Care”
  • Kami M. Hu, MD, Assistant Professor, lectured on “Caring for the ICU Boarder,” “Mastering Mechanical Ventilation in the ED,” and “Resuscitation for Two: The Critically Ill Pregnant Patient”
  • Rupal S. Jain, MD, Adjunct Instructor, presented the lectures “CT Perfusion: What Is It and When Do You Need It?” and “Insulin Pump & Preventing the Patient Crump”
  • Danya Khoujah, MBBS, Adjunct Assistant Professor, lectured on “Combatting Delirium in the ED: As Easy as ABCDE”
  • Joseph P. Martinez, MD, Associate Professor, lectured on “Abdominal Pain in the Elderly”
  • Amal Mattu, MD, Professor, presented the plenary lecture “Recent Cardiology Articles You’ve Got to Know” as well as an “ECG Literature Update”; taught the 2-hour “Cardiac Ischemia, Mimics, and Confounding Patterns” section of the ECG in the ED Course; and directed a 4-hour Advanced ECG Workshop
  • Siamak Moayedi, MD, Assistant Professor, lectured on “Procedure Tips, Tricks and Hacks”
  • Siamak Moayedi, MD, Assistant Professor, led and Afrah Abdul Wahid Ali, MBBS, Assistant Professor; Michael L. Billet, MD, Assistant Professor; Brandon Aaron Elder, MD, Assistant Professor; Cheyenne Falat, MD, Instructor; and Lauren S. Rosenblatt, MD, Instructor, taught the small group skills labs “Transvenous Pacers” and “Vertigo Maneuvers”
  • Alexis Salerno, MD, Assistant Professor, taught at the Lower Extremity Ultrasound Workshop and the Beginner Ultrasound Post-Conference Course
  • Ryan Michael Spangler, MD, Assistant Professor, led and Michael L. Billet, MD, Assistant Professor; Cheyenne Falat, MD, Instructor; and Lauren S. Rosenblatt, MD, Instructor, taught the small group skills lab “Priapism Management”
  • Ryan Michael Spangler, MD, Assistant Professor, led and Laura J. Bontempo, MD, MEd, Associate Professor; Cheyenne Falat, MD, Instructor; Rupal S. Jain, MD, Adjunct Instructor; and Lauren S. Rosenblatt, MD, Instructor, taught the small group skills lab “Cricothyrotomy & Needle Cric”
  • Roger M. Stone, MD, MS, FACEP, FAAEM, Clinical Assistant Professor, lectured on “Crisis Standards of EMS Care During COVID19: Keeping Ambulances and EDs as Safe as Possible”
  • George C. Willis, MD, Assistant Professor, lectured on “Balanced Solutions in the Management of Hypovolemic Hyperkalemia”
  • Mike Winters, MD, Professor, directed the Resuscitation for the Emergency Physician Post-Conference Course; presented the plenary lecture “Recent Resuscitation Articles You’ve Got to Know!”; and lectured on “Controversies in Sepsis Resuscitation,” “Current Controversies in Sepsis Resuscitation,” and “Recent Resus Articles You’ve Got to Know!”

Nicholas Walter, MD, Resident; Reem Alfalasi, MBChB, Resident; and Hong K. Kim, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, were among the authors of “017. Characteristic of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Use for Acute Pediatric Poisoning in the U.S.,” published as part of “2021 ACMT Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts—Virtual” by Journal of Medical Toxicology on March 31, 2021.


George C. Willis, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, presented on the following topics as part of the annual Essentials of Emergency Medicine conference:

  • “The Crashing Dissection” on May 26, 2021
  • “Ditching D50 [50% Dextrose]” and “Goldilocks & the Hyponatremic Patient” on May 27, 2021

Nicholas Walter, MD, Resident, and Hong K. Kim, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, were among the authors of “301. Clinical Characteristics in Cardiotoxic Agent Overdose Necessitating Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Case Series,” published as part of “North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology (NACCT) Abstracts 2020” by Clinical Toxicology on September 4, 2020.


Sharleen Yuan, MD, PhD, MA, Resident; Sam Yarmis, MD, Resident; and Kami M. Hu, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, were sole authors of the textbook chapter “Hyperleukocytosis and Leukostasis” in Oncologic Emergency Medicine: Principles and Practice, 2nd edition, published by Springer International in 2021.


Amal Mattu, MD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was:


Gregory Jasani, MD, Resident; Siamak Moayedi, MD, Assistant Professor; and Douglas G. Sward, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, were among the authors of “Inner Ear Decompression Sickness in a Hyperbaric Chamber Inside Tender: A Case Report,” accepted May 20, 2021, for publication by the Journal of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine. Deborah M. Stein, ELS, Technical Writer/Editor, Department of Emergency Medicine, edited the manuscript.


Posted 7/16/2021 by Deborah Stein

Willis Awarded Best Clinical Faculty

George C. Willis, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was selected by the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Class of 2021 as the recipient of a Student Council Faculty Award for Best Clinical Faculty. This is one of the highest honors the students can give a faculty member and is awarded to “members of the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine who have proven to be the most effective teachers in the preclinical and clinical years, as well as exemplary role models for the class.” Dr. Willis received the award May 20, 2021 as part of the class’s graduation ceremony.


Posted 7/15/2021 by Deborah Stein

Quincy Tran 3 Publications in May 2021

Quincy K. Tran, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was among the authors of:


Mark E. Sutherland, MD, Assistant Professor; Robert Brown, MD, Resident; Aki Honasoge, MD, Resident; and Michael D. Witting, MD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, were among the authors of “Clinically Relevant Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Intermediate Heart Score Patients Admitted to the Hospital Following a Negative Emergency Department Evaluation,” published by the American Journal of Emergency Medicine on November 3, 2020.


Posted 7/13/2021 by Deborah Stein

55-Year-Old Male With Fatigue

Jennifer Nichols, MD, Resident; Jennifer E. Guyther, MD, Assistant Professor; Laura J. Bontempo, MD, MEd, Associate Professor; and Zachary D.W. Dezman, MD, MS, MS, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, were sole authors of “55-Year-Old Male With Fatigue,” published April 16, 2021 by Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine.


Posted 7/12/2021 by Deborah Stein

Mattu Honored by SCCM, CORD

Amal Mattu, MD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine:

  • was among the authors of “The Relationship of Large City Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests and the Prevalence of COVID-19,” an early version of which received a Star Research Achievement Award from the Society for Critical Care Medicine at the society’s annual Critical Care Congress January 31, 2021.
  • received a second Academy for Scholarship Distinguished Educator Award for “development of enduring educational materials” from the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine on May 7, 2021. He had previously received the award in 2015.

Posted 7/11/2021 by Deborah Stein

Jasani, Jean-Louis COVID-Related News Stories

Gregory Jasani, MD, Resident, and Richard Jean-Louis, MD, Resident, Department of Emergency Medicine, were sole authors of:


Benjamin J. Lawner, DO, MS, EMT-P, Assistant Professor, and Lucas Sjeklocha, MD, Critical Care Fellow, Department of Emergency Medicine, participated in the Baltimore Critical Care Transport Collaborative educational conference, which brought together participants from Hopkins Lifeline, Maryland ExpressCare, and PHI Air Medical to discuss critical care patient encounters and evidence-based resuscitation interventions. There are plans to expand the conference to other programs (MedStar) and host it on a recurrent basis.


Posted 7/8/2021 by Deborah Stein

Everyday Bias for Healthcare Professionals

Darlene Y. Robinson, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, will present “Everyday Bias for Healthcare Professionals” as a Zoom teleconference on July 19, 2021.


Joseph P. Martinez, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, was selected by the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Class of 2021 to deliver the Faculty Speaker Address to their class as part of their graduation ceremony on May 20, 2021.


Posted 7/6/2021 by Deborah Stein

Mattu at Essentials of Emergency Medicine 2021

Amal Mattu, MD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, presented on the following topics May 25, 2021, as part of the annual Essentials of Emergency Medicine conference:

  • “COVID Cardiology Updates”
  • “My Favorite Cardiac Case of the Year”
  • “My Favorite ECG [Electrocardiogram] Articles of the Year”
  • “My Favorite ECG of the Year”
  • “Recent Cardiology Articles that You Gotta Know!”

Benjamin J. Lawner, DO, MS, EMT-P, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, presented on the pro side of “Urban Penetrating Trauma: Prehospital Care Is Essential” as part of the Maryland Committee on Trauma’s annual Point Counterpoint conference on June 11, 2021.


Gregory Jasani, MD, Resident, Department of Emergency Medicine, presented “When Protestors Become Patients: Civil Unrest and the ED [Emergency Department]” at the American College of Emergency Physicians, Maryland Chapter Educational Conference and Annual Meeting on March 18, 2021.


Posted 7/3/2021 by Deborah Stein

Jasani Resident Publications, July 2020-June 2021

Gregory Jasani, MD, Resident, Department of Emergency Medicine, was:


Gregory Jasani, MD, Resident; Garrett Cavaliere, DO, Resident; Reem Alfalasi, MBChB, Resident; and Benjamin J. Lawner, DO, MS, EMT-P, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, were among the authors of “Terrorist Attacks Against Vaccinators: A Review,” accepted May 20, 2021, for publication by Health Security.


Aki Honasoge, MD, Resident, Department of Emergency Medicine, discussed a clinical case of agitation and tachycardia with refusal of care on the May 6, 2021, episode of the EMCast podcast.