From the Chair

“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” - African proverb.

The past decade has witnessed the slow and sustained development of global emergency care programs, both in the United States and abroad. We have been borne witness to new academic programs, new development programs and new partnerships focused on improving the care of patients with emergent conditions globally. Put simply, global emergency medicine is at a crossroads. We are at a nexus where individuals, professional organizations, and large international bodies such as the World Health Organization are articulating the approach forward in the advancement of emergency care worldwide. We have newfound mandates, as outlined in the recent World Health Assembly resolution, that are defining the way forward in Emergency and Trauma Care. Our goal as the leadership team of the ACEP International Section will be to focus on strategic engagement, in all its forms.

First, we are looking to continue to advance our engagement with the ACEP Board of Directors. During the recent Scientific Assembly in Denver we presented at the Board of Directors Meeting and heard the Board articulate its new focus on deliberate, collaborative, and intentional global engagement in their strategic plan. As the International Section, we plan to synergize with the College-level International Committee, newly formed to execute some of the larger goals of the College. We look forward to sharing with you the programs that have been so successful in the past, including the International Ambassador Conference, the Global Leadership Award travel grant, and the Section’s educational efforts.

Finally, I want to engage with you. We are one of the largest sections within the College; we have an opportunity and a mandate to move global emergency care forward. As we grow, I want us to think big. Let’s look to the World Health Assembly Resolution 72.16 to guide us. Let’s continue to form innovative partnerships such as the collaboration between ACEP and the Academic Consortium for Emergency Services that resulted in the presentation of WHO’s Basic Emergency Care Course during the Scientific Assembly. Let’s further integrate the Section into the infrastructure of ACEP by advocating for resolutions, bylaws, and fundamental changes that affect global emergency care. As witnessed by ACEP’s new tiered dues structure as proposed by the Section, advocacy matters.

Over the past few years, we have had incredible growth. We all know that “it takes a village”. I would like to thank and acknowledge the village that is the ACEP International Section leadership. It is an amazing group of administrators, educators, researchers and advocates. Specifically, I want to thank the past two Chairs, Hani Mowafi and Christian Arbelaez in their stewardship of this group.

Let’s go far. Let’s go together. I look forward to serving you and working with you to advance global emergency care.

Janis Tupesis