02/07/2025
GSACEP Presidential Address
CDR Sean Stuart, DO, FACEP
GSACEP remains committed to supporting you at every stage of your career. As we begin 2025, I’m excited to share updates on the work we’ve done to strengthen our chapter and the initiatives we’ve launched to enhance the practice of federal emergency medicine. From new resources to innovative programs, GSACEP continues to grow as a community that empowers its members and advances the field. Together, we’re building on a tradition of excellence to ensure every member has the tools and opportunities to succeed. Over the past few months, we’ve focused on initiatives designed to enhance our ability to serve you better. From launching new resources to building stronger connections across the federal emergency medicine community, we’re working hard to ensure our members are equipped to thrive. Here are a few highlights:
02/07/2025
GSACEP Member Spotlight
Dr. Amy Hildreth
Dr. Amy Hildreth currently serves an as Assistant Professor of Military and Emergency Medicine at the Uniformed Services University (USU) School of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, and Clerkship Director for USU’s Department of Military and Emergency Medicine. In this role, Dr. Hildreth oversees emergency medicine rotations for 170 students annually across 14 clinical sites. Prior to her current role, Dr. Hildreth served six years on active duty with the Navy. During her military service, she served in academic roles such as the Emergency Medicine Academic Director at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Assistant Program Director at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), where she developed innovative simulation-based training curricula and fostered mentorship for residents and students. Her operational roles include supporting a Role 3 in Afghanistan and a Role 2 in Bahrain. She explains how her broadened world view has allowed her to take better care of her patients.
02/07/2025
VA Emergency Ambulance Service
Doug Villiard, MD
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the Department of Veterans Affairs Emergency Ambulance Service (EAS) and Veterans Transport Service VTS collaborated as part of the Veterans Affairs Office of Emergency Management’s (OEM) efforts to mobilized Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System (DEMPS) to provide, life-saving assistance to the Veterans served by the Charles George Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Asheville, North Carolina. From October 12th through October 18th, highly trained EAS paramedics, and an advanced life-support ambulance with specialized equipment to deliver emergency medical care and transportation worked alongside Charles George VA Medical centers Veterans Medical Transport teams to care for Veterans impacted by the hurricane's devastation.
02/06/2025
GSEMRA New Leadership
EMRA's Government Services Committee welcomes new leadership in January 2025! We sincerely thank our immediate past Chair, Capt Eric Kretz, and our founding member and former chair, LT Matthew Christensen. Their thoughtful and extraordinary work as well as numerous contributions over the last several years has helped grow the GS-EMRA. Be on the lookout for major events such as Medical Student and Resident Forums with GS-ACEP, EMRA Committee Collaborations with unique virtual speakers, live programming during EMRA@ACEP, and much more.
11/09/2024
GSACEP Member Spotlight
RADM (ret) William M. Roberts, MD, MBA
In this edition we would like to highlight the work and career of Dr. William Roberts, whose retirement ceremony took place on Thursday, November 14 of this year. He is currently Senior Vice President, Academic Operations at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). In this position, he has overall management of University academic operations and serves as the Senior Deputy to the USU President. He represents the University in matters pertaining to its students, faculty, and staff who are training or serving the Southern and Western Regions and coordinates University partnerships within those areas of responsibility, as well as within other training sites. He has overall responsibility for USU’s institutional accreditation, Learning Resource Center, and student records, and has served as USU’s institutional Chief Academic Officer. Please read on to learn more about his impressive service and career.
11/09/2024
My First Experience at the ACEP Council: A Journey of Learning and Engagement
Cpt Michael Ramirez, MD
As a 2nd year emergency medicine resident, attending the ACEP Council for the first time was both a privilege and a transformative experience. As one of the councilors representing the Government Services Chapter, I was introduced to the world of professional advocacy and leadership, shaping the future of emergency medicine. As I return to my residency program, I have a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to the field of emergency medicine. I am motivated to share what I learned with my colleagues and to encourage fellow residents to engage in advocacy efforts and get involved in Organizations within our specialty at every level. The ACEP Council is not just an event; it is a call to action for all of us to participate in shaping the future of our profession. I encourage every emergency medicine resident to consider attending the ACEP Council. It is an opportunity to not only learn and grow but also to contribute to a vital conversation that affects our practice and our patients.
11/09/2024
GSACEP Election Information
GSACEP runs on the strength of our members and leaders. Help shape the future of GSACEP by serving on the chapter Board of Directors. Nominations are now being accepted for the following positions - President Elect (one position), Councilor (three positions), and Resident Representative (one position). President-Elect and Councilor positions are only open to attending members or graduating residents. The Resident Representative position is open to any non-graduating resident. The nomination form will close on Monday, December 8, 2024 and elections will run December 18, 2024 -January 15, 2025. Terms will begin at the Board Meeting that takes place during the Government Services Symposium taking place in San Antonio from April 10-12. More information can be found on our website (GSACEP.org) or email our executive director, Michele Byers at michelebyers@gsacep.org for more information.
11/09/2024
GSACEP Awards Information
Calling all Government Services members! The nomination inbox is now open for our Fellowship in Leadership Development and Annual Awards which will be announced at the Government Services Symposium in April! As always, our goal is to showcase the talent and hard work of our membership. To nominate yourself or a colleague, please find the required forms on the GSACEP website and direct any questions to michelebyers@gsacep.org by 12 January, 2024. Take a look at the awards below, and we look forward to your nominations!
11/09/2024
GSEMRA - A Smattering of Opportunities in Military Medical Research
2LT Ryan Leone
Interested in research on topics of relevance to military and emergency medicine? Here we highlight various opportunities and organizations. Check out this non-exhaustive, brief summary of several leading DoD research commands, organizations, and programs that may enable you to engage in research on a part-time or full-time basis:
08/12/2024
Presidential Address
CDR Sean Stuart, DO, FACEP
GSACEP continues to focus on supporting you at every stage of your career. I’m excited to share that in the last few months, we’ve continued our long-standing trend of progress. We’ve launched several initiatives aimed at enhancing the support we provide to our members and advancing the practice of emergency medicine in federal service. These initiatives include new information packets for medical students and graduating residents, the development of a webinar series, and expanded website resources such as a compendium of mental health support. Additionally, based on your feedback, we are expanding our communication avenues to include more social outlets, a revised Facebook group for member interaction, and a news brief to keep you informed on topics that matter most to you. Each of these efforts reflects our commitment to delivering greater value and ensuring that GSACEP remains a leader in our field and a bastion for emergency physicians serving our country.
08/12/2024
Meet your Board Members
The GSACEP Board members are elected by the members of the Government Chapter of ACEP to represent their interests through dedicated advocacy, community outreach, and active participation in the annual ACEP council meeting. These members generously volunteer their time and effort to support emergency physicians working in federal service or the United States Armed Forces. Learn more about your representatives here.
08/12/2024
Residency Spotlight: Wright Patterson Air Force Base
Our excellent training is provided by leveraging the military-civilian partnership with Wright State University. We offer the unique experience to train in high acuity and high-volume civilian hospitals taking care of the sickest of the sick patients every shift, while also working at WPAFB honing officership and military leadership. Our military faculty also get dedicated time to work with the residents at their primary civilian clinical site which is a busy Level 1 trauma center. Our dedicated ITE prep has led to historic high pass rates of ABEM exams, while the combination of academic and clinical experience has pushed alumni into competitive fellowships (including critical care, EMS, ultrasound, simulation, wilderness medicine, and toxicology), MTF leadership positions, AFSOC billets, and beyond.
05/16/2024
Train Ride to the Hyatt: Leadership and Advocacy Conference
Maj Joshua Da Silva, DO, USAF, FACEP
I remember sitting in the sun on the train to the Hyatt hotel this April, full of excited and nervous energy, thinking about how much I love this conference and where it has brought me. My first time at the Leadership and Advocacy conference was in 2023, and it was a moment that changed the trajectory of my career. It was a moment, sitting in a lecture on policy, when I realized “I found my people!”. I was a little surprised at how much I enjoyed being there, but looking back I see the steps that led me there. Living through COVID made me realize how quickly I could become a victim of the system, and I needed to start using my voice to advocate for change.
05/11/2024
The “Invisible Corps” - Being Active Duty with the US Public Health Service
Paul Roszko, MD, FAEMS FACEP
Knowing that all active duty military physicians will eventually leave their Services, GSACEP wants to help its members understand their career options, so they can make informed decisions on how they can make a smooth transition out of the armed forces. In this article, I wanted to share some additional details about what it is like to be an active duty physician in the USPHS. The USPHS is one of our country’s 8 uniformed services (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, and NOAA round out the list) and traces its roots back to 1798 with the passage of the Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen. Given the importance of maritime trade and commerce on the economic success and national security of a young nation, the Act provided for a way to collect monies to go into the Department of the Treasury to fund medical care for seamen and to build hospitals at ports to provide their care.
05/11/2024
GSACEP Board Members
The Government Services Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians promotes quality emergency care and enhances the development of Emergency Physicians who serve our nation from training through retirement. Within the chapter, certain individuals set themselves apart by seeking to serve on the Board of Directors, dedicated individuals who are elected by their peers to serve in various capacities within our organization. Notably, Justine Stremick, MD, MPH&TM, FACEP has been elected as our President-Elect, having served on GSACEP’s Public Relations and Advocacy Committee for many years and has served as a Councilor at multiple GSACEP meetings, representing our chapter to ACEP Council. Sean Stuart, DO, FAWM, FACEP will be moving into his role as the President as Rod Fontenette, MD, FACEP moves into the Immediate Past President Role. Find a link here to see the rest of our Board, including those that represent GSACEP as a Councilor to ACEP Council coming this fall in Las Vegas!
05/11/2024
Residency Spotlight: Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC)
CPT Kyler Osborne, MD
Our program is demanding, but the atmosphere is one of teamwork and camaraderie that supports an environment of respect and the growth of its residents. Many of our staff have completed additional fellowship training in Wilderness Medicine, Ultrasound, Pediatrics, Critical Care, and Faculty Development, and together they possess vast operational experiences. Many staff have established records of excellence in teaching, administration, and research, with abundant opportunities for resident involvement in these areas. Our graduates are prepared to pass the ABEM certifying exams, practice Emergency Medicine anywhere in the world, and assume leadership positions in the Army and beyond.
