It is the end of another academic year and, and like so many other programs, we have seen our Emergency Department changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As front line providers, the job proves especially arduous, but our residents have risen to the challenge. From systematic reviews of aerosolizing literature (which led to a publication), to the widespread use of respirators — Drs. Andrew Hanna and James Chiang have led the way for provider safety.

Despite COVID-19, our research interests remain strong. A case of a rare, ruptured hepatic artery aneurysm was published in conjunction with the trauma surgery department by Drs. Amber Mirajkar, Ayanna Walker, Amanda Webb, and Sanjiv Gray. Drs. Alexandra Craen and Gideon Logan published a case of subarachnoid hemorrhage in a COVID-19 positive patient. Our Associate Program Director, Dr. Tracy MacIntosh, researched disparities in opioid pain management for our patients with long bone fractures. Even our alumni carry the research spirit, with Drs. Amanda Webb, Nick Kramer and Leoh Leon II affirming that an increase in delta lactate corresponds with increased mortality in septic patients. And, we have many more publications in the works.

The end of the academic year is a bittersweet time. Our PGY-3s graduated on Thursday, June 11, and we already miss them dearly. We wish all of them all the best in the next stage of their lives. At graduation, we also recognized the amazing faculty that make our program wonderful with several awards. Dr. Nubaha Elahi received the Educational Excellence Award, and Dr. Ayanna Walker received the Clinical Excellence and Professionalism Award. Despite the loss of our PGY-3s, our family continues to grow with a fantastic new class of interns. Drs. Jeffrey Adams, Jonathan Littell, Jovans Lorquet, Martin Morales, Marvi Qureshi, Mihir Tak and Adam Oswald started on July 1 with intern boot camp, and we cannot wait to welcome them to UCF and Osceola.

Our residency is also involved in pre-hospital medicine. PGY-2s and PGY-3s now act as medical control on shift, providing guidance and medication orders for Osceola, Kissimmee and St. Cloud EMS services. We are fortunate to work with Dr. Walker, one of the medical directors for Osceola County, and Dr. Banerjee, the medical director for Polk County. Furthermore, our SIM director, Dr. Nubaha Elahi, Dr. Walker and Dr. Keegan McNally, PGY-2 have started using virtual SIM to help teach our EMS crews. We are always working to build on our friendships with our paramedic colleagues.

We hope everyone stays safe in these uncertain times, and we are looking forward to a promising new academic year. ■