Professor and Vice Chair Dr. Amal Mattu, MD, was recently selected as a 2025 Pass and Susel Fellow of the Academy of Educational Excellence. University of Maryland alumni, Dr. Carolyn Pass and Dr. Richard Susel, established the Academy and designed it to recognize faculty members who demonstrate excellence in bedside, classroom, and innovative education.
The Selection Committee felt that Dr. Mattu embodies the highest ideals of the medical profession and displayed an uncommon commitment to students' education—a sentiment widely shared by the entire Emergency Medicine department.
Emergency Medicine faculty are no strangers to this award. In 2017, Professor and Associate Dean Joseph Martinez, MD, was also recognized with this honor.
Congratulations, Dr. Mattu!
In its September issue, Air Medical Journal published an original research article titled “Stroke Management in Critical Care Transport Medicine: A Consensus Statement.” Associate Professor Dr. Benjamin Lawner, DO, MS, EMT-P, conceptualized the study and served as senior author for the publication.
The article explores survey results from 36 active respondents from the Air Medical Physician Symposium (AMPS) Lite, held November 4, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. It highlights the multidisciplinary nature of critical care transport medicine (CCTM) as well as the need for ongoing collaboration between CCTM, stroke centers, and emergency medical services agencies to ensure the best possible outcomes for stroke patients.
In July, Associate Professor Dr. Dan Gingold, MD, MPH, was one of three physicians quoted in “5 Appendicitis Symptoms Doctors Say You Should Never Ignore,” an online article published by Prevention.
Dr. Gingold and his colleagues quoted in the article cautioned readers of warning signs for appendicitis—including symptoms people may not commonly connect with appendix issues, like pain when walking and coughing, gastrointestinal discomfort, frequent urination, and brain fog.
With more than 10 million monthly users, Prevention’s online audience allows Dr. Gingold to impact public health in Baltimore and beyond.
Professor and Interim Department Chair Dr. Mike Winters, MBA, MD, along with Emergency Medicine (EM) specialists in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Philadelphia, recently released the newest episode of the Critical Care Perspectives in EM podcast.
The episode explores the peer-reviewed study, “Conservative Oxygen Therapy in Mechanically Ventilated Critically Ill Adult Patients: The UK-ROX Randomized Clinical Trial,” which included more than 16,500 patients from 97 hospitals in the United Kingdom. The study was published in August by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In their discussion, Dr. Winters and colleagues review the study, discuss its results, and consider whether a change in EM practice is warranted.
Assistant Professor Dr. Cheyenne Falat, MD, recently provided summer safety advice to two local Baltimore media outlets.
Assistant Professor Dr. Cheyenne Falat, MD, was recently quoted in the AARP’s Smart Guide to Hiking.
In the Guide, Dr. Falat recommends hiking as way for older adults to stay fit and enjoy nature. Given the potential impacts to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health, Dr. Falat adds a caveat that readers should consult their primary care provider before beginning a new hiking regimen.
In addition to Dr. Falat, a group of professionals—including kinesiologists, physical therapists, nutrition coaches, yoga instructors, and nonprofit and local government leaders—provided guidance to AARP in the Guide.
With more than 26.5 million visitors monthly, AARP’s vast online audience allows Dr. Falat to impact public health in Baltimore and beyond.
This month, Professor Dr. Stephen Schenkel, MD, MPP, was named Deputy Editor for the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Schenkel began volunteering with the journal as a resident in 2002. Since then, he has served in progressively senior roles as a peer reviewer, research methodology editor, associate editor, and senior associate editor.
According to Dr. Donald Yealy, Editor in Chief of the Annals of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Schenkel’s “work on administrative, patient safety, and Artificial Intelligence-related manuscripts helps [the journal] attract and improve important content.”
In addition to his service to the Annals of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Schenkel also contributes to the peer-reviewed medical community as an Associate Editor for JAMA.
Cheyenne Falat, MD, Assistant Medical Director for the Adult Emergency Department at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the UM School of Medicine (SOM), is quoted in this Baltimore Banner story about the recent mass overdose in Baltimore’s Penn North neighborhood. Sarah Lee, MD, Emergency Medicine physician at the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus and Instructor at the UM SOM, and Ben Lawner, DO, Medical Director of Maryland ExpressCare and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the UM SOM, are quoted in this Baltimore Banner story about the response to the overdose.
Dr. Ben Lawner, DO, MS co-authored “Care of the Agitated Patient Who Presents a Threat to Safe Transport in Critical Care Transport Medicine: A Consensus Statement” in the latest issue of Air Medical Journal. This manuscript highlights the critical need for a standardized approach to managing severely agitated patients in the Critical Care Transport Medicine environment who poses an immediate threat to safe transport. Addressing knowledge gaps, barriers to implementation, and research priorities is essential for advancing patient safety and transport crew well-being.
Gentry Wilkerson, MD, Emergency Medicine physician at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the UM School of Medicine, is quoted in this Los Angeles Times story about a mysterious death related to a dental surgery. The death was due to a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia.