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Why Should I Be Involved in RAMS? Reflections from the 2020-2021 RAMS Board
By Aaron R. Kuzel, DO, MBA on behalf of the SAEM Membership Committee
Jeffrey Sakamoto, MD
Stanford University RAMS Secretary-Treasurer
I initially applied to the RAMS board to participate in shaping its multifaceted approach to improving the development and training of emergency medicine
Jeffrey Sakamoto residents and medical students. Having served on the RAMS board for the past two years, first as a member at-large and now as the secretarytreasurer, I have had many impactful and valuable opportunities in education, leadership, and mentorship.
Mentorship is the most important resource available to RAMS members. Interacting with thought leaders and influential members within academic emergency medicine on both the SAEM board and SAEM committees through RAMS has been highly educational. Through the SAEM wellness committee, I have been able to author articles, participate in groundbreaking research, and present on a national level.
RAMS has also allowed me to create a network of extraordinary resident and medical student leaders around the country — an invaluable resource both now and after training. Through these connections, I have been able to participate in a coaching pilot project to better develop my leadership skills, present at the annual meeting, and most importantly develop friendships that will last throughout my career. My experience with RAMS has been essential to my development as an emergency physician and I encourage all residents and medical students to take advantage of the unique opportunities RAMS has to offer.
Adrian Cotarelo, MD, MHS
St. John's Riverside Hospital RAMS Member-at-Large
My work with SAEM/RAMS has been a defining part of my medical school, and now residency experience. I first became involved with SAEM as a Medical
Adrian Cotarelo Student Ambassador and immediately became invested in the strong sense of community and resources available through the organization. Through RAMS, I have been able to network with people and institutions throughout the nation, from research projects, didactic submissions, and coordinating collaborative events with other professional EM organizations. I have had the opportunity to moderate several large-scale national events that had to be adapted into a virtual format such as the annual Cocktails with Chairs, webinars, medical students advising sessions, and the first virtual residency fair in the organization’s history. I was able to serve as a board liaison to the SAEM research committee, taking on a variety of projects with research faculty, residents, and medical students from across the country. These experiences I have been able to bring back to my own institution, where I have taken the role of director of resident research. These experiences have been invaluable in providing experience in leadership in the field of academic emergency medicine, alongside forming a closeknit group among the rest of the SAEM RAMS Board.
Alexis del Vecchio, MD
The Mayo Clinic RAMS Member-at-Large
It's been an absolute joy and privilege to serve on the RAMS Board and represent the interests of our medical student and resident membership. I've seen what true
Alexis del Vecchio leadership looks like through our RAMS president Andrew Starnes and SAEM CEO Megan Schagrin, and the ways in which they put every member of our board forward and really bring out the best in everyone so we can accomplish as much as possible for our members. I can only hope to emulate their facile and supportive way with people as I progress in emergency medicine. This position has given me the opportunity, too, to interface with leaders in academic emergency medicine, mentorships and relationships that I will continue to nurture for years. I've learned to develop the confidence to speak up in meetings with big names in emergency medicine, had the chance to moderate one of our RAMS webinars with some of the leading voices in our tight-knit community, and collaborate on numerous initiatives to give a voice to our members. And I'm grateful, perhaps most importantly, for the friendships I've developed with my fellow board members, even if our interactions have all been virtual due to that worldwide pandemic still going on!
Hamza Ijaz, MD
University of Cincinnati RAMS Member-at-Large
RAMS has been instrumental in increasing my exposure to organized academic emergency medicine. Getting involved with RAMS has allowed me to learn about Hamza Ijaz national issues facing our specialty and how to increase advocacy for our residents and medical students. Through RAMS, I have been fortunate to collaborate with some of the leaders within emergency medicine and have been supported by numerous mentors.
RAMS has given me the opportunity to collaborate with individuals I wouldn't otherwise have met. The diverse group of board members that I've been fortunate enough to work with has continued to inspire me. Working alongside the rising leaders within our specialty has taught me numerous leadership skills that I am able to put into clinical practice. Without RAMS, it would have been very challenging to develop such a diverse network in such a short time.
Daniel Jourdan, MD
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University RAMS Member-at-Large
My initial involvement with RAMS began as a student member of the education committee. There I had the privilege
Daniel Jourdan of working alongside national leaders to publish a how-to guide for members interested in pursuing a career in medical education. This
was pivotal in advancing my interest in national organizations; it demonstrated that even student members could have an impact by producing materials useful nationwide.
As I have grown into my current role as a member-at-large, I continue to be amazed at all the student and resident members can accomplish. Even in the face of the tumultuous year in medical education, RAMS continued to expand productivity. We maintained traditional offerings as possible while pivoting to expand our online presence: initiating new online webinars, increasing production of podcasts and news articles, and hosting an online residency fair. Even more importantly, RAMS became pivotal in national discussions and position statements regarding changes in medical education.
While the opportunities to get involved are endless, the best aspect of being on the RAMS Board is the chance to work alongside such amazing student and resident members. Specifically, the possibility of paying it forward by showing other members they too can get involved and impact national policies.
Vytas Karalius, MD, MPH, MA
The development of the RAMS Board a few years ago expanded the leadership and involvement of residents and medical students
Vytas Karalius in SAEM and academic emergency medicine as a whole. I believe the future of emergency medicine is bright, with our youngest members (residents and medical students) already showing incredible promise in their productivity and advocacy for important medical/social issues. I joined the RAMS Board because I wanted to be a part of the RAMS mission to help advance the future of EM through the development of residents and medical students into future academic leaders.
My experience on the RAMS Board has been amazing. I have been surrounded by incredibly talented resident-leaders from around the country. Not only has it has been a tremendous learning and growth opportunity for me, it was also inspiring to see how passionate my comembers are. While our board lacked the opportunity to meet in person and workshop during the annual conferences due to COVID-19, I have been surprised at the positive work that has spawned from out virtual meetings. This was also an unprecedented year with the COVID-19 pandemic and racial inequality in the spotlight. I am proud that the RAMS Board took an active role in political advocacy during this most needed time.
Aaron R. Kuzel, DO, MBA
RAMS offered me my first opportunity in organized medicine as a second-year medical student and I have only continued
Aaron R. Kuzel my involvement in organized emergency medicine. I have been honored to work alongside talented resident-leaders and passionate physicians who work to advocate for our specialty and our patients. RAMS has offered so many opportunities to be involved including mentorship opportunities, leadership development, networking, and a platform to advocate for the patients we serve. RAMS has provided me opportunities to work with many incredible academic physicians in our specialty and to work with them to solve the issues most pressing to our specialty.
Wendy W. Sun, MD
Yale-New Haven Health RAMS Member-at-Large
RAMS is important to me because of its mission to cultivate the next generation of emergency medicine leaders, provide academic opportunities, and facilitate mentorship
Wendy W. Sun relationships. As a board member for the past two years, I’ve grown as an EM physician because of the meaningful projects I’ve been able to contribute to and the opportunities to collaborate with and learn from EM role models who are so willing to mentor. RAMS has truly jump-started my EM career.
Ryan D. Pappal
Since I first trialed the medical field after high school by training in EMS, practicing emergency
Ryan D. Pappal medicine has been a long-term goal of mine. Considering both my interest in emergency medicine and my commitment to clinical research, I’ve found a home in SAEM RAMS. From my work as a member of the Research Committee to serving on the RAMS Board as a clinical medical student, I’ve found myself a sense of purpose, all while surrounded by some of the kindest and hardest-working leaders in the field. SAEM RAMS has given me the opportunity to reach leaders and trailblazers in emergency medicine to help further our overarching goal to support residents and medical students interested in emergency medicine. As I look forward to my goal in becoming a leader in academic emergency research, SAEM RAMS has been instrumental in building the connections and leadership skills necessary to make a meaningful impact on emergency practice in the future.
Dhriti Sooryakumar
The Ohio State University School of Medicine RAMS Medical Student Representative
Being part of RAMS and serving on the RAMS Board has been an incredible experience for
Dhriti Sooryakumar me. Emergency Medicine is one of my greatest passions and having the opportunity to be part of and have a voice in one of the most renowned emergency medicine organizations globally has been an honor. I have had the unique opportunity to work alongside the leaders in emergency medicine while serving my medical student and resident peers. It has been an honor this year to help my fellow medical students navigate the unprecedented challenges of clinical rotations and a virtual interview season amidst Covid-19. I was able to create and lead webinars as well as formulate ideas for future workshops and educational opportunities to ease the transition for medical students into residency. Additionally, serving on the awards committee as the RAMS Board representative and creating new awards for under-represented minority medical students was a truly fulfilling experience, knowing that I am helping provide much-needed educational funding for my peers. Overall, my experience on the board has been an invaluable one. It has been one through which I have created wonderful friendships, professional collaborations, and the start to what I am certain will be a lifetime journey with our incredible organization. I am very grateful for this opportunity.
