Baltimore’s recent Sail250 Celebration, held June 26-28, 20206, included an unprecedented collection of ships and a unique air show. As is the case with so many local mass events, Department faculty, residents, and medical students provided critical physician support to ensure its success.
In close collaboration with emergency management services and other stakeholders, faculty provided medical support and consultation ahead of and during the event. Emergency medicine faculty also assisted event planners and staffed a first aid station located at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
On-site physicians, including Assistant Professor Jeffrey Nusbaum, MD, MBA, and Associate Professor Ben Lawner, MD, DO, EMT-P, were assisted by medical students, emergency medicine residents, and Baltimore City Fire Department officers and personnel. Agencies involved in the Sail250 event included the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the Maryland State Police, Baltimore Police, Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, and city/state Offices of Emergency Management. Baltimore City Fire Department assets were supported by mutual aid from surrounding counties, EMS, and fire jurisdictions.
On Wednesday, June 24, the Department hosted its first weekly conference of the 2026-2027 Academic Year, with robust participation from residents and faculty. This year, the Department hosts 16 PGY-1 residents, 15 PGY-2 residents, 15 PGY-3 residents, and 8 PGY-4, 5, or 6 residents. We are hosting three additional fellows. To learn more about our talented resident physicians, see our full photo roster below.
On Wednesday, June 17, faculty, residents, and staff from the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine organized more than 250 hygiene kits for neighbors in need in the Baltimore community.
The event was a part of the Department’s annual Juneteenth Day of Service—an opportunity to celebrate African American history, culture, and achievement, and give back to the community. The Department donated the hygiene kits to Paul’s Place, a nonprofit in Pigtown with a mission to strengthen access to health care, education, and employment for residents in southwest Baltimore.
“As Emergency Medicine physicians, we’re committed to serving members of our community—even when they’re not physically in the Emergency Department,” Michael Winters, Chair of the Department, said. “Our faculty, residents, and staff were proud to come together in service to our community, and we look forward to continuing to find new ways to lend a hand to our neighbors.”
On June 10, 2026, the Department hosted its annual Research Day—an opportunity to highlight the breadth of Emergency Medicine research happening in the Department and elsewhere.
Andrew Meltzer, MD, MS, Associate Professor at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and a 2006 graduate of UMSOM’s Residency in Emergency Medicine, served as the keynote speaker, presenting a talk entitled “Count the Obvious: Build the Future: Lessons in Emergency Medicine Research.”
Resident physicians Tara Balasubramanian, Ava Omidvar, Julie Kurek, Walt Banfield, and Mirei Kato presented their original research projects, in addition to clinical research associate, Zehra Syeda, and undergraduate medical student Samantha Camp.
On June 12, 2026, the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced that Michael Winters, MD, MBA, will permanently serve as Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine.
Since September 2025, Dr. Winters has served as interim chair of the Department; previously, he served as Vice Chair for Clinical and Administrative Affairs and as Medical Director for the Adult Emergency Department at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Downtown Campus.
On the week of June 1, 2026, the Department’s clinical site at the Baltimore VA Emergency Department (ED) reported a record low left-without-being-seen (LWBS) rate.
Out of 329 patient encounters, the VA ED reporting 0 LWBS patients—a remarkable accomplishment for an urban medical center. Of those 329 patients, the door to doctor rate was a mere 21 minutes.
In the past year, the VA ED has worked to significantly expand and improve its services. As a result, the facility has experienced drastically reduced LWBS rates and decreased arrival-to-provider times.
Based on its clinical accomplishments, Department of Veterans Affairs recently changed the status of the VA ED to a low-vulnerability Department—recognizing the site’s high-quality service and care to veterans within the Baltimore community.
This month, Academic Services Specialist Mrs. Shanell McCall-Cephas received certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute.
Mrs. McCall-Cephas has served the Department’s administrative staff for more than 15 years. In that time, she has performed a variety of progressively responsible roles—starting as a Recruitment Coordinator, and advancing to HR/Credentialing Generalist and Human Resources Specialist, before assuming her current position with the Education team.
In addition to holding the PMP, Mrs. McCall-Cephas also holds credentials as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Society for Human Resource Management-Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).
We are grateful for Mrs. McCall-Cephas’ service and appreciate the hard work of our entire Administrative team!
On June 3, Professor Laura Bontempo, MD and Assistant Professor Kathleen Stephanos, MD joined colleagues from the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) to advocate for the specialty on Capitol Hill.
Drs. Bontempo and Stephanos visited the offices of several Members of Congress from Maryland—including Senators Van Hollen and Alsobrooks.
Both Drs. Bontempo and Stephanos are very involved with AAEM. At AAEM’s Scientific Assembly in April, Dr. Bontempo was reelected to continued service on AAEM’s Board of Directors as an At-Large Member. At the same conference, Dr. Stephanos was recognized as the 2026 recipient of AAEM’s National Young Educator Award.
As AI interpretations of ECG tracings increase, Professor and Vice Chair Amal Mattu, MD, offered guidance on using AI to help interpret ECG readings in a recent article published by Forbes.
Dr. Mattu, a renowned ECG educator, joined a group of medical entrepreneurs to discuss the benefits and challenges of AI-interpreted ECG readings.
In the article, Dr. Mattu remained realistic about the clinical use of AI when reading ECGs, emphasizing that "the physician needs to be the driver; AI can, at best, make some suggestions."
On May 28, Professor and Department Chair Mike Winters, MD, MBA and Professor and Chief Clinical Officer/Senior Vice President of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) David Marcozzi, MD, MHS-CL, participated in UMSOM’s Town Hall, focused on the school’s clinical mission area.
Dr. Marcozzi presented information on UMMC’s Clinical Updates, and Dr. Winters presented information on Emergency Medicine’s Clinical Updates.
In the town hall, Dr. Winters described comprehensive care transformations the Department has made in the past year throughout our clinical sites to further ensure high-quality, timely care for our patients.
With support from Dr. Marcozzi and others throughout UMMC, our clinical sites have experienced remarkable success, including significantly reduced left-without-being-seen (LWBS) rates as a result of these transformations.
On May 19, at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), held this year in Atlanta, Georgia, Professor and Vice Chair Amal Mattu, MD, was honored with SAEM’s Hal Jayne Excellence in Education Award. Dr. Mattu was one of only a handful of Emergency Medicine leaders across the nation recognized by SAEM this year.
Dr. Mattu was noted in his nomination for the ways he has “distinguished himself as a high-impact physician leader while simultaneously developing a reputation as one of emergency medicine's most innovative, effective, and influential teachers.”
Dr. Mattu's award comes on the heels of another significant national award. In April, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) recognized Dr. Mattu with the Master of AAEM designation--its highest honor. Our Department is grateful for the nearly three decades Dr. Mattu has offered his service and leadership as a faculty member!
