UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH ACOEP’S SPRING SEMINAR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

RICK PESCATORE, DO, FAAEM

Tuesday, April 6 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. (CDT)

A graduate of the US Naval Academy and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Rick Pescatore completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Cooper University Healthcare where he was Chief Resident. Rick is active in medical education and has presented on emergency medicine topics worldwide. He writes a monthly column, “What to DO,” for Emergency Medicine News and co-hosts the “EMN Live” podcast. Currently, Rick serves as Chief Physician for Delaware Division of Public Health and is an attending emergency physician at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Has your DO background given you any insights or perspectives which you found valuable in providing emergency care during the pandemic?

Dr. Pescatore: My medical school training

NICHOLAS D. CAPUTO, MD, MSC, FACEP, FAAEM, MAJ (MC, USAR)

Wednesday, April 7 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (CDT)

Dr. Nicholas Caputo is Associate Chief of the Department of Emergency Medicine at NYC H+H/Lincoln Medical Center in the South Bronx. He is currently an Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and an attending emergency physician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital. Certified in emergency medicine, Dr. Caputo completed his internship in General Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center, his residency training in Emergency Medicine at NYC H+H/Lincoln, where he served as a Chief Resident and his Fellowship training in Critical Care/Retrieval Medicine at Royal Darwin Hospital/Careflight in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Dr. Caputo’s research seeks to understand the evidence behind the efficacy of management strategies practiced in emergency departments worldwide (such as preoxygenation in RSI, apneic oxygenation during intubation, non-invasive markers for occult shock) to improve safety and quality outcomes for patients. He focuses jointly on medical pathology and socioeconomic disparities in medicine. Dr. Caputo also serves as a Major in the US Army Reserve and is currently assigned to the 947th

reinforced the importance of the whole-person and whole-system approach—considerations that became invaluable as I worked in the pandemic to harness cooperation from and coordination of multiple community partners in the response to COVID-19.

What are some questions you’d love to hear from audience members during your keynote session?

Dr. Pescatore: I’m happy to answer any and all questions, but am particularly excited to discuss the role of the emergency physician in public health and how we can practice public health from the ED.

What’s your favorite guilty pleasure (tv show or snack) to indulge in between shifts?

Dr. Pescatore: My wife and I are trying to watch classic movies together once a week—Gone with The Wind, Citizen Kane, etc. The movies are often terrible, but the times are tremendous.

Forward Resuscitative and Surgical Team based in West Hartford, Connecticut.

What do you think is the top challenge in emergency care in a post-coronavirus world?

Dr. Caputo: There are several challenges to emergency care in the post-COVID world, but I think one of the most daunting is being able to provide telehealth to the broader general public especially for patients with known disease in order to help guide home management. If we are able to keep patients with more mild disease from utilizing inpatient beds by preventing progression to a more severe stage of the process it will help prevent a shortfall of hospital beds if a surge were to occur again.

What is something attendees should ask you about at ACOEP 2021 Spring Seminar?

Dr. Caputo: Ask how my experiences in the public system differed from those in the private

GEORGE WILLIS, MD

Thursday, April 8 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. (CDT)

Dr. Willis is the Director of Undergraduate Medical Education and Assistant Residency Program Director for the University of Maryland Department of Emergency Medicine. He is fellowship trained in Faculty Development and a graduate of ACEP’s Teaching Fellowship. Dr. Willis is an outstanding educator and frequently lectures locally, nationally, and internationally on endocrine emergencies, aortic emergencies, efficient teaching, and effective feedback. He has received numerous teaching awards including the UMEM Residency Program’s Outstanding Teaching Award and ACEP’s Junior Faculty Teaching Award. He was also selected as one of EMRA’s 25 Under 45 Top Influencers in Emergency Medicine.

What is one thing you know now about emergency medicine you wish you could have known 20 years ago?

Dr. Willis: Well, 20 years ago, I was an undergraduate student. So, we will just modify it to what I wish I knew 15 years ago when I was in medical school. I would say I wish I knew how much of a load emergency physicians carry. When I first discovered emergency medicine, I thought emergency physicians were the physicians who cared for the really sick and dying. What I’ve come to realize is that we are truly the safety net for all of medicine. We are the resource that patients can utilize when they have nowhere else to go. We are the resource when specialists don’t have the resources to care for their patient. This past year, on the frontlines of this horrible pandemic, we are the resource the world needed to stare this pandemic in the face and bear the brunt of it. A very commonly used term I hear used is “hero,” but to me hero means you go out of your way to perform a task. For us, we just do what we are supposed to do, our job. This is what we trained for. I call it a load because it is heavy, but we are willing to carry it, so it’s not a burden.

What insights do you hope to impart at ACOEP’s Spring Seminar?

Dr. Willis: The main focus of my keynote is what kind of process we as physicians go through when we fail. Some of us break and quit. A lot of others remain broken and never repair themselves. A few repair themselves and become better as a result of their failures. This latter scenario is the focus so that we don’t fall into the trap of chasing perfection.

What’s a memorable patient moment that made you love your job?

Dr. Willis: Wow, there are so many. Probably my favorite patient encounter was an elderly African American lady who presented suicidal. She said all her family and friends had died and she wondered why she was still around. Being very faith-based, I told her that if God was ready for her he would’ve taken her by now. She retorted, “Well I don’t know

system, from those in the concierge service I work at, and in the Army Reserve.

Do you have any tips or tricks for managing stress and maintaining balance in your life?

Dr. Caputo: I try not to equate wellness in my personal life with wellness at work. This means I don’t look at my exercise or going out with friends or vacationing as a means of making my life in the ER better. I do those things regardless of what’s going on in the ER. I try to find wellness in the ER through helping to improve the processes, services and quality of care we give to our patients. I do this by learning about my patient population through research; seeking answers to throughput/logistical challenges; discussing ideas with my peers for ways we can do things differently in order to make our shifts more smooth and pleasurable, not only for the staff, but for the patients as well.