Did you know that by merely being an ACEP member, you are automatically a member of the International Federation of Emergency Medicine (IFEM)? IFEM is a federation of 70 emergency medicine organizations from around the world. The member organizations (i.e., ACEP) pays the membership fee, so you don’t have to. IFEM’s vision is “a world where all people, in all countries, have access to high-quality emergency medical care.”  IFEM’s mission is:

• To advance the growth of high-quality emergency medical care through education and standards
• To lead the collaboration and networking necessary to establish universal equality in service and care
• To promote the creation and growth of the specialty of emergency medicine in every country

IFEM Goals

IFEM was established in 1991 by four founding members: the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. As the specialty of emergency medicine has grown around the world, so has IFEM. In 2020, I wrote an article for ACEP Now about my experience establishing the specialty of emergency medicine in Norway. https://www.acepnow.com/article/emergency-medicine-in-norway/?singlepage=1IFEM was there to assist with the successful letter writing campaign to the Norwegian Minster of Health, explaining the need for and benefits of emergency medicine as a primary specialty.

According to the IFEM website (www.ifem.cc), its charter has the following goals:

• Exchange information on topics of international interest.
• Provide a mechanism for international collaborative research.
• Provide a mechanism for international elective opportunities for trainees in emergency medicine programs.
• Provide an avenue for international sabbatical and exchange opportunities for practitioners of emergency medicine.
• Act as a forum for common problems and approaches to solving problems specific to emergency medicine.
• Offer advice and guidance to emergency medicine practitioners worldwide in the formation of national associations and training and certification programs.
• Provide a network system of centers to facilitate international cooperation in the event of national or manmade disasters.
• Organize an international conference on topics of interest in emergency medicine.
• Act as a resource in the development of emergency medical services.

IFEM Opportunities

Each year, IFEM holds a conference, the International Conference on Emergency Medicine (ICEM). This year’s conference will be held in Montreal, Canada, from May 24-28, 2025. Previous conferences have been held in Taipei, Taiwan (2024); Amsterdam, Netherlands (2023); Melbourne, Australia (2022); Dubai, UAE (2021, virtual); Seoul, South Korea (2019); Mexico City, Mexico (2018); and Cape Town, South Africa (2016). Each conference includes plenary sessions and speakers from around the world, pre-conference workshops, an exhibition hall, social events, and the opportunity to become involved in special interest groups (SIGs). In Taipei, the President of Taiwan gave the opening remarks!

But you do not have to wait or attend a conference to become involved in a SIG. As a member of ACEP, and therefore IFEM, you can join one today simply by sending an expression of interest and your CV to the link listed on their website. IFEM has the following SIGs:

• Behavioral Emergencies
• Critical Care
• Disaster Medicine
• EM Trainee
• Emergency Ultrasound
• Gender Specific Issues
• Geriatric
• Informatics
• Technology
• Pediatric
• Public and Environmental Health
• Quality and Safety
• Trauma

There is also a World Health Organization (WHO) Taskforce for IFEM members with special  interest in low resource settings to provide technical input for development of WHO toolkits and provide clinical expertise in emergency medical care. In 2018, IFEM collaborated with WHO and the International Committee of the Red Cross to develop the Basic Emergency Care open-access training course for first contact health care workers who manage acute illness and injury with limited resources. An Events Taskforce conducts “Around the World” themed virtual learning series that have included topics such as trauma care, mental health emergencies, diagnostic dilemmas, simulation, and women in emergency medicine.

Are you worried about the boarding crisis in emergency departments in the United States? It is helpful to know that you are not alone. Boarding and crowding are issues shared globally. IFEM created a Taskforce Report on Access Block around the world and launched a global campaign against ED overcrowding. https://www.ifem.cc/global_campaign_against_ed_over_crowding

If you want to network and collaborate with colleagues from around the world, becoming involved with an IFEM SIG is the way to go. Your amount of involvement can be whatever you want it to be.Join me at ICEM in May with our neighbors in the Great White North. I have attended ICEM  for years and have never failed to meet new colleagues and forge new friendships. You are already a member of IFEM, so why not take advantage! See you in Montreal.

Dr. Galletta is professor of emergency medicine at UMass Chan in Worcester, Mass. She is chair of IFEM’s Gender Specific Issues special interest group and membership director for IFEM’s Public and Environmental Health special interest group.

References

1. Galletta G. Emergency medicine in norway. ACEP Now. 2020;39(2):6.
2. International federation of emergency medicine. global campaign against ed over-crowding. https://www.ifem.cc/global_campaign_against_ed_over_crowding. Accessed January 19, 2025.