
Each year, ACEP’s Council elects new leaders for the College at its annual meeting. When it meets Sept. 5-6 in Salt Lake City, the Council, which represents 53 Chapters, 40 Sections of membership, the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine, the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association, and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, will select a President-Elect, four members to the ACEP Board of Directors, a Council Speaker, and Council Vice Speaker.
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ACEP Now: July 2025Here’s how each candidate answered questions submitted by ACEP staff for publishing in ACEP Now. Candidates in each category are listed in alphabetical order.
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Candidates for ACEP President-Elect responded to this prompt:
In one sentence, describe what you would like your legacy to be at the conclusion of your term as president and then explain why.
Jeffrey M. Goodloe, MD, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: Attending Emergency Physician, Hillcrest Medical Center; Professor and EMS Section Chief, University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine; Chief Medical Officer, EMS System for Metropolitan Oklahoma City and Tulsa
Internships and Residency: Emergency Medicine Residency, Methodist Hospital of Indiana / Indiana University School of Medicine (1998); EMS Fellowship, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (1999)
Medical Degree: MD, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (1995)
Response: Emergency physicians are beyond essential—we are exceptional! I don’t want that as my legacy; I want that as our legacy. A shared legacy where we, as emergency physicians, reclaim value that has been stripped from our profession over decades. Why does this matter? Because every issue we fight for—fair reimbursement, workplace safety, scope of practice, and professional dignity, to highlight those among many—hinges on how we are valued. Since 2001, our reimbursement has dropped by 33 percent when adjusted for inflation.
That is not just a number, it is a stark measure of how our education, training, skill, and commitment have been systematically undervalued by both government and commercial payers. And that loss ripples out. It affects our ability to repay educational loans, care for our families, contribute to our communities, and plan for our futures.
We practice in overcrowded emergency departments, forced to do more with less, while our voices are too often ignored by health systems focused elsewhere. We are treated as interchangeable, as line items on a staffing grid, at risk for being replaced not only by other physicians, but by less-trained practitioners given legislative authority to supplant us. That’s not just a staffing issue; it is a threat to patient safety and the integrity of our profession.
This erosion did not happen overnight, and recovery will not either. The recent RAND report is a helpful validation in our cause to strengthen the future of emergency physicians and emergency systems of care across the United States.
During my more than 20 years in ACEP leadership, including serving as Secretary-Treasurer, Vice-President of Communications, and Chair of the Board of Directors, I have come to believe that this challenge is our call to action. We must collectively rebuild the recognition that we are proven leaders in crisis and stewards of safety. Although we may embody the last line of defense in championing patient care, we are so much more. We are the frontline of diagnostic excellence and efficiency, delivered with humanity in a complicated, often unraveling health care system.
To secure a better future for emergency medicine, we need to restore the respect, investment, and opportunities our profession deserves, not for personal gain primarily, but for the future of the specialty we love, and for the patients who rely on us. Great missions are never individual; they are collective. Let us build that future, our future, together.
Gabor D. Kelen, MD, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine; Emergency Physician-in-Chief, Johns Hopkins Health System; Director, CEPAR, Johns Hopkins Institutions; Professor, Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg School of Public Health
Internships and Residency: Emergency Medicine Residency, Johns Hopkins Hospital (1984)
Medical Degree: MD, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1979)
Response: “He advocated for me and my patients, fiercely championed the dignity and heroism of emergency medicine, and forged an essential new direction for the specialty.”
Standing on the shoulders of giants who founded the field, and following their example, I aspire to inspire the emergency medicine community to usher in a new era of emergency medicine—one that elevates the standing of emergency medicine to its rightful and respected place in the house of medicine by advancing a unifying and transformative vision of the specialty. We will work together to envision this new paradigm that empowers emergency physicians to shape the specialty’s future and unite an ever-fracturing discipline around a renewed sense of high common calling. This will promote professional dignity for individual emergency physicians, and fulfillment across expansive career pathways within a reimagined landscape of emergency medicine.
The fundamental nature of emergency medicine must evolve to overcome current malaise and pervasive disaffection. Our current model has led to extensive and persistent burnout, early retirement, and disillusionment with the field, sufficient to give medical students pause. Incremental advances, as important as they have been, have been matched with equal setbacks, and cannot by themselves overcome the fundamental structural difficulties that hinder the specialty and impede fulfilling long-term careers.
Just as the original visionaries of emergency medicine foresaw the creation of a new specialty, it is now time for another major paradigm shift. We need a visionary concept of emergency medicine that not only anticipates the rapidly changing landscape of health care but actively shapes the future and provides new opportunities on our terms. Our viability and ability to serve our patients depends on no less. Lofty idea? Perhaps. But the original notion that emergency medicine should be an independent, autonomous specialty was also initially viewed as unrealistic and met with considerable skepticism. Many of you may doubt that a new transformation can occur. However, if we are to address the multiplicity of issues facing the emergency medicine community and our patients, and elevate our standing, we have to think and act boldly. Only by doing so can we advance the field for the benefit of emergency physicians and the patients we serve, and gain the deserved recognition for the heroic and noble profession that defines who we are.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Candidates for ACEP Board of Directors responded to this prompt:
What are the two most pressing issues facing members and how would you address them?
Daniel Freess, MD, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: Emergency Medicine Physician, Hartford Hospital Emergency Department; Assistant Professor, Department of Traumatology and Emergency Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Internships and Residency: Emergency Medicine Residency, University of Connecticut Integrated Residency in Emergency Medicine (2010)
Medical Degree: MD, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University (2007)
Response: How long can we keep doing this? Emergency physicians are experiencing increased work-related stressors, and this threatens our career sustainability. Every day we are faced with the influences of private equity and corporations, changing training and workforce standards, and increased violence in the workplace. Although multifactorial, I feel two of the most pressing factors affecting our future outlook are threats to reimbursement from payers and the emergency department boarding crisis.
Here in Connecticut, Medicaid rates have not changed in 17 years. There are currently additional efforts to limit out-of-network reimbursement, which will affect hospitals, emergency physicians, and the health care safety net. Nationally, Medicare rates are decreasing compared with inflation and the No Surprises Act has been badly misinterpreted to heavily favor insurance companies. Mandates under EMTALA leave us little negotiating power. Despite ACEP’s tireless work on the legislative and regulatory front, we need help. We need the press to spotlight our crumbling health care safety net. We need patients to convince politicians, administrators, and the public that emergency medicine matters. We need to highlight how patients on Medicaid have no access to consultant care. We need patients calling their legislators to discuss predatory high-deductible health plans and lack of access to follow-up. We need to stimulate a national grassroots effort in order to stabilize financial insecurities, allowing for the maintenance of the high-quality care we provide.
The fight to reduce boarding begins with metrics and transparency. In Connecticut, we have passed novel legislation requiring hospitals to submit their boarding data and metrics to the state for public reporting. Although this does not fix the problem, it lifts the veil of secrecy and denial on the part of the government, administrators, and health systems. We need to highlight boarding as a patient safety and quality issue. Until hospitals and health systems are externally pressured to improve boarding, they will continue to follow the financial incentive of increased volume and decreased staffing.
The Leapfrog Group has already committed to making boarding part of their quality surveys, but this must only be the beginning. We need to expand our coalition and engage patients, communities, regulators, and even payers to hold hospitals responsible for deficits in emergency department capacity and boarding. This will not only improve patient experiences, but also our own workplace well-being.
Robert Hancock, DO, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: Emergency Physician, Elite Hospital Partners; Clinical Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences; Core Faculty, Comanche County Memorial Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency
Internships and Residency: Emergency Medicine Residency, UT Southwestern/Parkland Memorial Hospital (2004–2007); Chief Resident (2007)
Medical Degree: DO, UNT Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas (2004)
Response: Although boarding has been an issue since the beginning of our specialty, it has continued to worsen until it has become a crisis that threatens patient safety and adds unnecessary work and stress to a specialty that already has the highest rate of physician burnout.
During the COVID-19 crisis, boarding went from a longstanding dangerous practice to a crisis that compromised patient care and likely resulted in unnecessary morbidity and mortality. As emergency physicians, we quickly adapted and found new and innovative ways to continue to move patients through overwhelmed and saturated emergency departments. Unfortunately, many hospitals saw our innovation as a new solution to an old problem. Rather than working to resolve the root causes of boarding, they began to simply demand that we continue to do “more with less.”
ACEP needs to continue to lobby for legislation that directly addresses boarding by developing systems to streamline transfers and direct EMS traffic to less saturated facilities when possible. We can utilize artificial intelligence to power these systems so bed status and patient volumes can be updated in real time. Additionally, legislation is needed to address the lack of psychiatric facilities, which has created a crisis of psychiatric holds languishing in emergency departments for days and weeks. ACEP must continue to work with CMS to re-establish boarding as a quality metric with real-world ramifications and offer solutions for poorly performing facilities. Boarding is a complex issue and ACEP must continue to look for new and innovative ways to address this decades-old issue.
Fair reimbursement is another long-term issue in emergency medicine that has only worsened in recent years. The RAND report highlighted the decrease in emergency physician reimbursement from both governmental and commercial insurers. Health insurers have consistently demonstrated bad behavior in denials and underpayment to emergency physicians. Since 2001, Medicare reimbursement to physicians has actually decreased by 33 percent when adjusted for inflation.
None of this is sustainable. ACEP must continue to fight back against the bad behavior of the health insurers. This can be tackled through the legal system, legislation, and the media. ACEP must continue to lobby Congress to pass legislation to hold the insurers accountable and reinforce the “prudent layperson standard.” Additionally, ACEP must continue to work with Congress to create a permanent reform to the Medicare payment system that is both fair to physicians and sustainable for the future.
Steven B. Kailes, MD, MPH, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: Emergency Medicine Physician, Emergency Resources Group (ERG); Director of Governmental Relations, ERG
Internships and Residency: Basic Surgery Internship and Emergency Medicine Residency, Naval Medical Center San Diego (1998–2004)
Medical Degree: MD, Tufts University School of Medicine (1998) MPH, Tufts University School of Medicine (1998)
Response: The two most pressing issues facing emergency physicians are the erosion of physician autonomy and the growing burdens on our specialty without adequate support or resources. First is the erosion of autonomy. Emergency physicians are being asked to do more with less: less time, support, compensation, and say in how we practice. Decisions that affect care and physician well-being are increasingly made by nonclinicians—administrators, insurers, and regulators. This fuels burnout and disconnection, as we’re sidelined from decisions central to patient care. To address this, ACEP must continue advocating for fair reimbursement, protection of independent practice models, and policies that return clinical decision-making to the bedside. Just as important, we must equip members with the tools to lead in their own institutions and communities—to advocate for themselves, their teams, and their patients.
Second, emergency medicine is increasingly stretched as the safety net for a fractured health care system. Patients arrive sicker and with more complex needs—often because they’ve been denied care or have nowhere else to Meanwhile, reimbursement continues to fall. Adjusted for inflation, we earn about 33 percent less than 20 years ago, even as the cost of becoming a physician has soared. This threatens not just morale, but staffing and sustainability.
To meet this moment, ACEP must fight for systemic reforms that improve access to care and reduce administrative burdens that interfere with the physician-patient relationship. This includes addressing insurer denials, down coding, excessive documentation, workplace violence, and emergency department crowding. The recent RAND report on sustaining emergency care outlines needed policy changes: funding for unfunded mandates, legal and physical protections for our workforce, social support resources, and fairer insurer reimbursement. These are solvable challenges, but they require bold, informed action. I bring deep experience in reimbursement, advocacy, and leadership. I believe ACEP must go on offense: challenging harmful payer behavior, defending physician-led care, and opposing inappropriate expansions of non-physician independent practice. We must also ensure physicians have the tools to sustain their careers and well-being.
ACEP must lead with clarity and urgency. I’m ready to help guide that work—amplifying our members’ voices and fighting to keep our specialty strong.
Kristin B. McCabe-Kline, MD, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: VP/Chief Medical Information Officer, AdventHealth Corporate Growth and Acquisitions and East Florida Division; EMS Medical Director, Flagler County; Medical Director, Flagler Technical College EMT Training Program
Internships and Residency: Emergency Medicine Residency, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Ill. (2005)
Medical Degree: MD, University of Texas Medical School, San Antonio, Texas (2002)
Response: I think the two most pressing issues facing our members are a sense of powerlessness and isolation. In the last decade, we have seen many changes in the health care landscape that have resulted in consolidation, employer/contract transitions, altered working conditions, and changes in reimbursement.
Many emergency physicians feel reduced to pieces on a chess board that are moved about without control or autonomy and given the respect of a widget maker or RVU producer. Continuing to provide our members with employer transparency in a forward-facing manner is a key task that we are focused on. Every emergency physician deserves to know what options they have and consider what employer would give them the opportunity to do their best work based on their individual goals. One of the most profound undertakings of ACEP has been the launch of the ED Accreditation Program, which will also help to improve transparency while simultaneously pressing health systems to improve the infrastructure emergency physicians depend upon to provide exceptional care to our patients. In order for emergency medicine to attract the best and the brightest and ensure that emergency medicine–boarded physicians are encouraged to work in all areas of our country, reimbursement will continue to be a strong focus for ACEP with advocacy efforts.
As our specialty evolves, many practice environments are changing with emergency physicians not always feeling supported. The pandemic also contributed to isolation, sometimes even from our families. There are a variety of other issues that contribute to isolation such as difficult cases with poor outcomes and the polarization of attitudes or mindsets when confronted with differing opinions. Working to ensure that every member has a voice, an opportunity to connect with other members that have similar interests or needs and feels supported by ACEP is a key priority. There are far more components of our shared experience that unite us rather than divide us that should be highlighted, celebrated, and part of the infrastructure we provide for our members.
Bing S. Pao, MD, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: Senior Director of Provider Relations, Vituity; Employee, Pinnacle Emergency Physicians; Independent Contractor, Acute Care Specialists; Clinical Faculty, UC San Diego and UC Riverside
Internships and Residency: Internal Medicine Internship, University of Colorado Health Science Center (1993); Emergency Medicine Residency, University of California San Diego (1996)
Medical Degree: MD, Duke University (1992)
Response: The two most pressing issues facing ACEP members are:
- Improving working conditions for emergency physicians to enhance physician wellness
- Ensuring the financial sustainability of emergency medicine
Improving working conditions includes creating safer workplaces, reducing boarding, eliminating redundant administrative tasks, increasing autonomy, and ensuring sufficient resources.
To address workplace safety, I will urge ACEP to:
- Advocate for a national reporting system on emergency department workplace violence.
- Promote effective hospital protocols and training to prevent violence.
- Support legislation increasing penalties for assaulting health care workers.
To address boarding and overcrowding, I will insist that ACEP:
- Advocate for CMS to require solutions to boarding as a condition of Medicare/Medicaid participation.
- Push for financial incentives akin to hospital core measures.
- Leverage ACEP’s accreditation program to encourage hospitals to implement evidence-based boarding solutions.
Regarding administrative burdens, I support ACEP’s adoption of technologies, including artificial intelligence, to streamline workflows and improve quality of care. The ACEP Artificial Intelligence Committee should play a leading role in policy development. Artificial intelligence tools must be implemented with safeguards to ensure fairness, protect privacy, and maintain physician oversight. I will also advocate for reduced regulatory requirements that contribute to physician burnout.
Emergency physicians deserve autonomy in decisions affecting patient care and practice management, including staffing, billing, and supervision. ACEP should provide resources for emergency physicians pursuing due process, unionization, or independent practice formation. I will continue to support legislative efforts to secure due process rights nationwide.
To ensure adequate emergency department resources, I will advocate for national standards regarding:
- required equipment for emergency procedures and care,
- adequate staffing,
- responsive specialty support, and
- timely access to radiology, pharmacy, social work, and case management.
The second pressing issue is the financial sustainability of emergency medicine. ACEP’s RAND study confirms decreasing reimbursement from both commercial and government payers. This is compounded by the growing number of payment denials and a disproportionate amount of uncompensated care. I have the expertise to help ACEP secure funding for emergency care and address payment erosion. I have successfully supported litigation, regulatory reform, and legislation to protect emergency physician compensation. I will bring this experience to the Board to continue fighting for the financial viability of our specialty.
COUNCIL SPEAKER
The candidate for ACEP Council Speaker responded to this prompt:
How do you balance free and open debate versus
meeting efficiency?
Michael J. McCrea, MD, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: Attending Physician and Residency Core Faculty, Mercy Emergency Care Services, TeamHealth; Simulation Director, TeamHealth Northeast Group
Internships and Residency: Emergency Medicine Residency, The Ohio State University Medical Center (2007)
Medical Degree: MD, Medical College of Ohio at Toledo (2004)
Response: Balancing debate while running an efficient meeting is perhaps the most important duty of the presiding officer.
As your current Council Vice Speaker, a two-term Chapter President, and former Chair of multiple committees and task forces, I am known for fostering an environment in which all voices have the chance to be heard while staying on schedule. Although it may seem counterintuitive, it is by ensuring balanced debate that the Speaker maintains control of the agenda and presides over an efficient meeting. Maintaining the equilibrium of the principle of majority rule versus the rights of the minority or any member to speak is at the forefront of my mind while at the podium monitoring debate.
For example, if only those in support of a resolution have spoken, it is the Speaker’s duty to actively inquire if there are any who wish to speak in opposition. If not, further testimony supporting the resolution may not be needed and the assembly can proceed directly to a vote and efficiently move on to the next item of business. Similarly, if balanced testimony from both sides of the issue has been heard, although it may be appropriate to proceed to a vote, the Speaker should sense the desire from the Council to hear additional testimony.
I gained this experience with parliamentary procedure first-hand these past two years as your Vice Speaker from working with our Speaker, Council parliamentarian, and ACEP staff. This service has provided me with the knowledge and expertise to facilitate balanced and efficient debate as your next Council Speaker.
COUNCIL VICE SPEAKER
Candidates for ACEP Council Vice Speaker responded to this prompt:
How do you balance free and open debate versus
meeting efficiency?
Kurtis A. Mayz, JD, MD, MBA, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: Chairman of Pediatric Emergency Medicine; Medical Director, Pediatric Emergency Center, Saint Francis Hospital, Tulsa, Okla.
Internships and Residency: Emergency Medicine Residency, Stony Brook University Medical Center, Chief Resident (2014); Emergency Medicine, Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship, University of Michigan Health System (2016)
Medical Degree: MD, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (2011); JD and MBA also earned as part of Medical Scholars Program, University of Illinois
Response: The first key to balancing free and open debate and meeting efficiency is realizing that not all debate has to occur on the Council floor, and effectively using processes that allow us to discuss issues before the Council meeting even begins. Encouraging the use of asynchronous testimony is instrumental in the success of the meeting and we should continue to develop this process further. Creation of Council workgroups on “hot button” issues could help facilitate resolution development and help limit the sometimes-duplicative nature of resolutions.
In doing so, we create a more contemplative environment where ideas can be more thoroughly vetted and refined prior to the Council meeting, with the goal of a more streamlined and efficient meeting. This process also assists smaller Chapters and Sections with limited representation in ensuring that their voices can be heard in a way that is sometimes more challenging in the traditional reference committee process.
Before the Council meeting, structuring the agenda so there is sufficient time for the anticipated business is key. Preparation before the Council, including having a strong working knowledge of the resolutions to be discussed and a sense of the areas of contention which might be addressed, can prepare the presiding officer to efficiently handle the debate.
During the Council meeting, the presiding officer must create a safe environment that encourages open dialogue and balanced participation, while keeping the Council on task. Knowledge of parliamentary procedure, maintaining impartiality, and collaboration with the parliamentarian also guides the efficiency of this process. For example, more effective use of the consent agenda, and education on its use, could help with meeting efficiency. As a registered parliamentarian, I can facilitate this. As the presiding officer, I will help guide discussions through active listening and the ability to summarize and clarify points that will move the discussion forward. I will guide Councillors to remain professional, respectful, and factual in their discussions.
Lastly, the presiding officer must recognize when everything that needs to be said has been said, even if not everyone has had an opportunity to say it, and help guide the Council to that same conclusion. Affirming that many good points have been heard and asking if there are any new points can help guide the debate to a close. The ultimate goal being that the Council feels that its collective voice is heard and that Councillors have a worthwhile experience in the process.
Larisa M. Traill, MD, FACEP
Current Professional Positions:Regional Medical Director, Emergency Department, McLaren Greater Lansing & Grand Ledge, McLaren Medical Group; Clinical Assistant Professor, Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine
Internships and Residency: Emergency Medicine Residency, Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University (2008)
Medical Degree: MD, St. George’s University School of Medicine (2005)
Response: Effective communication and collaboration are essential for productive Council meetings. I would promote inclusivity and an enriched dialogue by not only leveraging the existing debate structure but also enhancing asynchronous testimony to allow for greater debate prior to Council. Doing so will allow our in-person time to remain focused and efficient.
My approach would:
- Optimize asynchronous testimony: I would increase flexibility by allowing members to submit video statements, both asynchronously and during reference committees. This would not only accommodate those who cannot attend in person because of unforeseen circumstances, such as inclement weather or personal commitments, but also those who are unable to attend multiple concurrent reference committees. I would further optimize asynchronous debate by creating discussion groups. These forums would provide a platform for in-depth exploration of “hot topics,” leading to more informed debates in the larger Council.
- Foster collaboration on resolutions: Collaboration is key to effective governance. To facilitate this, we should identify similar resolutions in advance, allowing authors the opportunity to consolidate similar proposals.
- Leverage consent agenda and a structured debate format: Continue to fully utilize a consent agenda for non-controversial items, allowing more time for contentious issues that require deeper discussion. Respect members’ time, by moving promptly to a vote when it becomes evident that further discussion will not change opinions. By summarizing and clarifying key points during discussions, we can gauge the room’s sentiment and adjust our approach as necessary. I would also explore increasing the number of reference committees and consider live-streaming and recording meetings, to enhance transparency and accessibility, enabling all members to stay informed and engaged.
- Solicit feedback for continuous improvement: To ensure that our meetings are effective and inclusive, we must solicit feedback from members regularly. Understanding whether members feel their voices were heard and if we achieved a balance between debate and efficiency is vital for continuous improvement.
In conclusion, enhancing our Council meetings requires a strategic approach that prioritizes collaboration, inclusivity, and efficiency. By leveraging asynchronous testimony, continuing to utilize a consent agenda, and fostering open dialogue through structured debate formats, we can create a Council environment that values diverse viewpoints and encourages productive discussions. Regular feedback and optimization of meeting formats will ensure that we remain responsive to the needs of our members, ultimately leading to more effective governance.
Aine Yore, MD, FACEP
Current Professional Positions: Physician, North Sound Emergency Medicine; Director and President, Physician Practice (includes roles as Claims Manager, Revenue Cycle Management Chair, and Human Resources Chair)
Internships and Residency: Emergency Medicine Residency, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2000)
Medical Degree: MD, Northwestern University (1997)
Response: Council brings together 436 of the best and brightest members of our profession to discuss the most challenging issues facing emergency medicine—a huge investment, and a precious opportunity. As a Council Officer, I will work to leverage this valuable resource to its fullest.
The best part of Council is the debate: big personalities with big ideas engaging in thoughtful, passionate exchanges. Sometimes there are sharply differing viewpoints, and other times, there is general agreement with nuanced dialogue on the optimal way to craft a policy. Usually, the presiding officer doesn’t need to intervene. Council is largely self-regulating. Both pro and con positions are presented, and a dialogue follows. Eventually, a motion is made to close debate. As long as both sides have been fairly represented, that motion is in order—and the Council (not the presiding officer) decides whether to proceed. Only rarely must the Chair overrule a premature motion if only one side has been heard.
The true challenge to efficiency? Emergency physicians’ greatest strengths: We think on our feet, we solve problems, and we can’t resist trying to improve things—even from the microphone. Thus appears the dreaded “friendly amendment” or “minor wordsmithing.” The Chair must be firm in requiring that amendments follow standard procedures for submission. As Vice Speaker, I would ensure that expectation is clearly set and consistently upheld—for both fairness and efficiency.
The presiding officer must also navigate procedural complexities, as debate often wanders into the weeds of second-order amendments. Keeping testimony focused and on point is essential to sound decision-making. It takes a light touch to do this while respecting points of personal privilege, smiling through a few curmudgeonly declarations from Council elders, and helping the process feel not just efficient—but even a little fun.
Ultimately, this is about reading the room, respecting the process, and honoring the voices in it. After more than a decade attending Council, I look forward to serving in this role—to keep us continually thinking and moving forward, while ensuring every meaningful voice is heard.
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