While spring has always been a time of rebirth and hope, it feels especially so this year as the Omicron surge lessens and the mask mandates have been relaxed. Despite the ups and downs of this pandemic, our residents continue to work hard and accomplish much.

Our ultrasound team continues to be an invaluable part of the ED. From creating nerve block kits and teaching residents different blocks to developing badge buddies with instructions and high-yield information, Drs. Michelle Hernandez and Thomas Lawyer are making ultrasound as second nature as a stethoscope. They also initiated inter-department education and taught the anesthesia department how to quickly assess a surgical patient with a FAST examination. They have set a high standard for ultrasound fellows, and we will be sorry to see them go at the end of this academic year. Nevertheless, we are delighted to announce that our new ultrasound fellows will be Dr. Nicholas Bencomo, MD from Oak Hill Emergency Medicine Residency in Brooksville, FL, where he is chief resident, and Dr. Kevin Sze, DO from Missouri, who has a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering.

Our residents and fellows are constantly working on research and other projects. Their hard work has paid off with several publications. Dr. Thomas Lawyer developed a novel cricothyrotomy training, where he used his 3D printer to make an ultrasound-compatible model, then designed stations to teach the residents how to do an emergency cricothyrotomy with and without ultrasound. His work was published in the ACEP Emergency Ultrasound Section Newsletter. Research fellow Dr. Amber Mirajkar presented her work with “Assembly Line Education” at CORD Academic Assembly’s FirstUp! Speaking competition on March 27. Dr. Parth Patel, PGY-3 and Dr. Latha Ganti, Research Director, were invited to write a chapter in EMRAP’s Corependium. Drs. Michelle Hernandez and Ariel Vera published “Not Just a Sore Throat: A Case of a Retropharyngeal Abscess Causing Midline Shift of the Nasopharynx” in Cureus Journal of Medical Science. Last but not least, Drs. Robert Pell, PGY-1, Jonathan Littell, PGY-2, Michelle Hernandez and Amber Mirajkar published “Cardiopulmonary Arrest from Metformin-Induced Lactic Acidosis” in Resuscitation Plus.

We are excited about SAEM in May and are delighted to have multiple members of our residency presenting. Chief Resident Dr. Gideon Logan, PGY-3 will be presenting his research on NSTEMI data. Drs. Abigail Alorda, PGY-1, Martin Morales Cruz, PGY-2, and Tracy Macintosh, Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the UCF College of Medicine, are presenting “Race and Chemical/Physical Restraints in the ED.” Drs. Gideon Logan, Martin Morales Cruz and Abigail Alorda also were accepted into the Ignite speaking competition. In the Innovations section, Drs. Judy Lin, Ultrasound Fellowship Director, Michelle Hernandez and Martin Morales Cruz will be presenting “A Multi-Modal Approach to Nerve Block Teaching.” Finally, Drs. Parth Patel, PGY-3, Jeff Adams, PGY-2, Jonathan Littell and Alexa Ragusa, PGY-1 will be participating in SAEM’s SimWars. We hope to see our Florida colleagues in New Orleans! ■