PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

Wendy Coates, MD

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine

Harbor-UCLA Department of Emergency Medicine

2023-2024 President, SAEM

Leveraging the Power of Collaboration, Mentorship, and Networks

“Emergency medicine is our family. We look out for each other and have intertwining networks. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure a robust pipeline for our future. It is in your hands. Reach out to others and bring people together. Be a mentor. Accept mentorship. Create your legacy so that the future world of EM is a better place because of you.”

We are a diverse community of more than 8,400 dedicated members who believe in the SAEM mission, “to lead the advancement of academic emergency medicine [the best specialty, by the way] through education, research, and professional development.” Our origin story represents a union of pioneers of research discovery at UAEM (University Association for Emergency Medicine) and education specialists at STEM (Society of Teachers of Emergency Medicine) who realized that emergency medicine (EM) would be stronger if researchers and educators collaborated to advance the discipline. In 1989, the first unified SAEM meeting took place in San Diego, Calif.

We have come a long way since then, but our needs are greater than ever this year. Emergency care research is responsible for saving countless lives and needs to be a national priority. We must advocate for federal funding to train and support world class researchers in EM. Likewise, the educational environment is rapidly evolving. Our educators and health professions education researchers have the opportunity to lead this transformation. These goals are intertwined and each SAEM member can advocate for excellence for all our colleagues. SAEM has 8 Academies and 29 Interest Groups (all are free to join!) and there are 20 committees that enjoy the passionate commitment of hundreds of volunteers.

Like most working parents, Odysseus had to find childcare for his son, Telemachus, when he went off to work fighting in the Trojan War, c. 1200 BCE. His trusted friend, Mentor, guided Telemachus to adulthood. We can look to one another for strength and support to build our careers. My personal “Mentorship Board of Directors” is composed of diverse members who guide me in the ways of academic life, how to be a researcher, how to succeed as a woman/wife/mother in a professional setting, how to keep in touch with my lifelong avocation with dance, how to be an effective leader and coach, how to be an educator. Age does not define the mentoring relationship — some of my mentors are decades younger but have skills I want to learn. The generosity of time from my mentors is the most meaningful gift of my life and I try every day to “pass it on.” Won’t you join me in doing the same? Be a mentor. Find a mentor. Share yourself with someone aspiring to join the EM family. I look forward to serving as your president this year and thank you for your trust in my commitment to fostering a kind and collaborative environment to grow and support our specialty.

ABOUT DR. COATES: Wendy Coates, MD, is professor of emergency medicine at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and senior faculty/ education specialist at Harbor-UCLA Department of Emergency Medicine.