Newsletters
The header image is the default header image for the site.2020 Board and Councilor Candidates
POSTED: May 1st, 2020
POSTED IN: 2020 Candidate Information, EM Pulse - The Official Newsletter of MOCEP,
Voting on the board and councilor candidates will take place at the Virtual Annual General Membership Meeting on May 20 at 5 p.m. Click here to register to attend the meeting. Only members that attend the virtual meeting will be eligible to vote.
Board Candidates
Sabina Braithwaite, MD, FACEP – St. Louis (Incumbent)
Braithwaite Candidate Statement
I am honored to be running to represent you and our fellow emergency physicians in Missouri on the Missouri College of Emergency Physicians Board. Although I am just completing my first term on the MOCEP board, and have a history of being active as a board member and leader in several other ACEP chapters in Kansas and Virginia and as a national EMS committee member and chair.
As one of your representatives for MOCEP, I have worked specifically on EMS-related issues and advocacy and served as one of your Councilors to the ACEP Council. I helped write and obtain cosponsors for the 2017 Missouri Chapter ACEP resolution advocating for universal access to 911, prearrival instructions, physician oversight of 911 medical elements, and moving to next generation 911—this resolution ultimately passed. I have facilitated local relationships with EMS stakeholders who can partner with MOCEP on issues of common interest, including multiple issues related to the current COVID crisis and state regulatory waivers. I have also served Missouri emergency physicians by working to re-energize the Missouri ITLS education program, providing representation on the state time critical diagnosis committee, participating on the regional Medicare advisory group, and looking for advocacy opportunities to make the voice of emergency physicians heard. I am especially delighted that one of my former EMS fellows, Melissa Kroll, was elected to the MOCEP Board, representing our young physician membership, and I look forward to other opportunities to engage, grow, and bring future leaders to our organization.
I ask for your vote for reelection to the MOCEP Board and welcome your input so I can best represent the state’s emergency physicians.
Jeanise Butterfield, MD, FACEP – Columbia
Butterfield Candidate Statement
I am one of those people who knew from a young age that I wanted to become a doctor, an emergency doctor at that, thanks to television shows like Rescue 911 and ER. I used various outlets in medicine to gain as much experience as possible before becoming a physician including working as a Certified Nurse Assistant in a long-term care facility, as a Home Health Aide, and as an EMT-B. I used those experiences to help shape my practice of medicine. I would be remiss to say my practice hasn’t changed over the last few months, as has the practice of emergency medicine throughout the world.
As an emergency physician, I was accustomed to saving lives but the thought of risking my life or the lives of my family and close friends really hadn’t crossed my mind. I am lucky enough to be a part of the administrative team for my current practice and was able to help create an environment where I felt I had the necessary resources to practice safely during these challenging times. I realize that not all emergency workers have had that luxury and I’d like to help change that.
Emergency physicians from around the world have come together to advocate for our specialty and our patients. It is the most united our profession has been in quite some time. Emergency medicine has been thrust into the limelight and it’s time we take advantage of the attention we’ve been given.
For the time being, focus needs to remain on dealing with the crisis on hand. We have a duty to protect emergency departments that have experienced significant reductions in volume while backing our partners that have reached capacity to ensure Missourians continue to have access to quality care. To do this, we must anticipate future needs while not forgetting the issues our College was advocating for before this pandemic. We need to take advantage of the spotlight, use this collaborative spirit and improve emergency care for Missourians and patients throughout the nation. We cannot let this renewed vigor go to waste. I am proud to be in medicine, proud to be part of the frontline, and ready to use my experience to lead emergency medicine. I feel that my education, experiences, and passion make me a worthy candidate for a position on the Board of Directors.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kene Chukwuanu, MD – St. Louis
Chukwuanu Candidate Statement
Greetings! My name is Kene Chukwuanu, M.D. and I am running for the Board of Directors for the Missouri College of Emergency Physicians (MoCEP).
Currently I am the Associate Residency Program Director and Director of Emergency Ultrasound for Emergency Medicine at Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Medicine. I am board certified in both emergency medicine and critical care medicine and practice in several SSM Health-St. Louis hospitals. I completed my residency training and chief residency at SLU and then stayed for an additional year to complete a Medical Education Fellowship. I then completed a fellowship in Multidisciplinary Critical Care Medicine at the University of Florida where I also was an emergency medicine attending physician for a couple of years prior to returning to SLU in my current position.
I have had extensive experience in organizational leadership including being the inaugural resident representative from SLU to the MoCEP Board of Directors during residency from 2012-2014. During this time, I was also a board member for the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA) serving as Director of Membership. I previously have served as a voting member of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Board of Directors, where I also served as the Region II Director. My leadership experience also includes being Vice Chair of Programming for the Post Graduate Section of the National Medical Association, President of my medical school student government during my senior year and serving on numerous committees for several different organizations in emergency medicine and critical care over the years.
I am running for the MoCEP Board of Directors to represent our residency program and to become more involved in legislative and regulatory issues that affect the practice of everyday emergency physicians. In addition, I believe that I can contribute to the growth and outreach of our organization and its educational activities given previous experience in organizational management, strategic planning, finances and budgeting, and event planning.
Thank you for your consideration,
Kene Chukwuanu, M.D.
Jonathan Heidt, MD, MHA, FACEP – Columbia (Incumbent)
Heidt Candidate Statement
Thank you for your consideration in voting for me to continue on the MOCEP board of directors. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to be involved with MOCEP since I was a resident in 2010. During this time, I have been able to serve as a resident representative, a councilor, a board member and eventually president of the organization. Over the past few years I have also had the opportunity to meet many of you as colleagues and new friends across the state. Due to our shared and unique experiences as emergency medicine physicians in Missouri, there is nothing more professionally fulfilling than to work on issues that directly impact our patients and the practice of emergency medicine in our state. A few of the projects that I have been the proudest to be a part of impacted our ability to improve outreach to our membership, increase educational opportunities, and for MOCEP to be the voice that advocates for emergency medicine in Jefferson City. As part of our effort to improve outreach, we completed a total overhaul of our website, transitioned EPIC to a more frequently delivered electronic format, began weekly newsletter updates and established a presence on social media.
Currently most of my attention, as chair of the legislative committee, has been on advocating for emergency medicine issues in the state capitol. For example, several years ago emergency physicians were expected to complete an unreasonable amount of CME hours for TCD certifications despite the original intent of the law. Through MOCEP’s efforts, we were able to have the responsibility of assigned CME hours shifted to the board of healing arts, who have, so far, not set a new requirement. More recently we have been working tirelessly on protecting the prudent layperson standard along with reasonable reimbursement. As you may remember, Anthem recently tried to ignore the prudent layperson standard and deny claims for “non-emergent” diagnoses. While working with our allies, we were able to advocate for a statute change that required medical record reviews by a board certified and licensed physician in Missouri before a claim could be denied. Due to this change, the number of denials from Anthem have dropped significantly. However, we are now dealing with a new strategy from insurance companies – down coding! Initially this strategy was only being implemented by Managed Medicaid companies. However, we are now preparing for the use of this strategy by commercial insurers as well. Over the past several months we have met with representatives from MO HealthNet and our colleagues at ACEP as we continue to fight for access to emergency care for our patients along with a fair reimbursement structure. Advocating for our patients and the practice of emergency medicine will be even more important in the COVID 19 world as resources are spread thin and uncertainty about the future continues to spread.
Thank you again for your consideration, and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Timothy Koboldt, MD, FACEP – Columbia (Incumbent)
Koboldt Candidate Summary
Fellow MOCEP Members:
I ask for your consideration to continue serving on the MOCEP Board of Directors. I first became involved in MOCEP by joining as a resident member of the board eight years ago, and then was elected to the board six years ago. During this time, I have had the opportunity to serve as an alternate councilor to the ACEP Council, to serve as a co-chair and then chair of the MOCEP Membership Committee and now serve on the MOCEP Education Committee. It has been a pleasure to get to know physicians from across the state during our general meetings and to advocate for our specialty both during the state advocacy day and during the national ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference. If reelected to the board I hope to become more involved with the education committee and eventually run for an executive position. I am proud of the work that MOCEP has done and continues to do to advocate for our members, our specialty, and our patients. I hope you will consider voting for me to continue to serve on the Board of Directors.
Thank you,
Timothy Koboldt, MD, FACEP
Melissa Kroll, MD – St. Louis (Incumbent)
Kroll Candidate Statement
I am running for re-election as a board member for MoCEP. In this time of pandemic, toxic politics, and even furloughs it is critical for Emergency Medicine to have a strong voice both in the community and in government. Let’s face it, we have one of the most difficult jobs in the world in the best of times. Today however, we are squeezed between providing for our patients and protecting ourselves and between long hours and the prospect of having our pay cut. The only cure for such an impossible position is to ensure we have an effective voice in the government, in the hospitals, and within the community. If re-elected I will bring my experience and passion in providing that voice for my colleagues.
As with many facets of life, there is strength in numbers. During my most recent term I have worked to increase the membership in MoCEP. This includes collaborations with Dr. Bausano to increase participation and membership. Together, we were able to increase the membership significantly in the last two years, increasing our voice both in the state and on a national level. We have increased both membership and opportunities among residents and medical students, who are the future of Emergency Medicine. Not only does this provide additional revenue for advocacy, but it also helps train the newest members of our community to advocate for important issues. If re-elected, I will work to further increase our outreach to new members to provide us with a stronger voice.
MoCEP’s mission statement is to support the highest quality emergency medicine care and to serve as advocates for our patients, our members and our specialty. This is more difficult now than it has ever been. It is therefore essential to provide a strong voice for physicians to ensure that we have proper protection in our workspace, as well as fighting against misguided policies. As a Board member I will strive to ensure that our members our protected, both on the front line and the home front. I will bring my experience and enthusiasm and ensure that you have the strongest voice possible going forward. I look forward to continuing to serve you.
Tom Lewis, MD, FACEP – Ozark
Lewis Candidate Statement
I am pleased and honored to have been nominated for the position of Board Member of the Missouri College of Emergency Physicians. I have been a member of MOCEP for over 15 years and have been impressed with MOCEP’s advocacy of Emergency Medicine and our patients in the State of Missouri. My desire to serve stems from my admiration of and dedication to the College and our emergency patient’s best interest. As a proud member of the College, I desire to serve in order to help the College continue and expand its work. With proposed legislation to address surprise billing and continued proposals of APRN licensure we must advocate for our patients and our profession with a strong voice. In emergency care our success lies with our knowledge, clinical care and ability to communicate effectively. But we also must be aware of activities outside our departments that threaten our patient’s health, ability to seek quality emergency care and our ability to care for those patients. Our membership engagement is the key to our success, and I support continued engagement through quality and continued communication. Thank you for your consideration.
Ted McMurry, MD – Springfield (Incumbent)
Hemal Patel, DO – Wentzville
Patel Candidate Statement
My time as an attending in the field of emergency medicine has been a relatively short 3 years however in addition to the clinical training that I use everyday, I learned during the course of my residency that there is more to practicing medicine than the medicine. It is equally important to be involved with health care decisions at the administrative level so that the ability to deliver health care meets the standards I was taught to never compromise. Throughout my career I have made sure to join committees to learn from my peers as well as to actively participate in the decisions that affect us. Becoming a member of the Missouri College of Emergency Physicians Board of Directors is a way to continue my education and contribution to the profession.
I have a well rounded base of experience and subsequently, a perspective that I believe would make me an asset to the Missouri College of Emergency Physicians Board of Directors. I currently work in a rural community in Hannibal but have worked in Charlotte, North Carolina and Detroit, Michigan as an attending physician and resident respectively. During training I assisted the program with the complex transition to an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education approved curriculum from an Osteopathic Residency knowing that it would mean broader opportunities for those going through my program, a responsibility I wanted to have. In my first position as an attending physician I joined the hospital’s credentialing committee to ensure appropriate representation for my colleagues and to continue advocating against unnecessary merit badge requirements.
Those opportunities, among others, have given me a broad body of experiences to draw from including the workings of free standing departments, tertiary transfer centers, urban hospitals in underserved communities and rural community hospitals. I also have maintained a close relationship with my training program as issues we face as attending physicians should be conveyed to the next generation of and vice versa.
I hope to continue to grow as a physician leader throughout my career and becoming a member of the Missouri College of Emergency Physicians Board of Directors would be a great next step. I am eager to be part of a body whose mission of physician advocacy resonates so strongly with me and appreciate your consideration for the position.
Stilley Candidate Statement
I am excited to be running for the Missouri ACEP Board of Directors. I have been active in state advocacy for several years. Previously I was the Iowa EMS Association Medical Director, and this involved advocacy of state and local government on behalf of the association; as well as directing policy initiatives. I am currently the President-Elect of the Missouri/Iowa Chapter of the National Association of EMS Physicians. I am a strong proponent for functional systems of care, appropriate scope of practice for non-physicians, and decreasing burdens on physicians.
In my day job I work at the University of Missouri and am the EMS Division Chief and Director of Faculty Affairs. I am Board Certified in Emergency Medicine with Subspecialty Certification in Emergency Medical Services. I would be very happy to serve on the MOCEP Board and believe I would be a capable and strong proponent for Emergency Physicians. Thank you for your consideration.
Councilor Candidates
Gary Gaddis, MD, FACEP – St. Louis
Kevin Journagan, MD – St. Louis
Journagan Candidate Statement
We stand at a unique time in the course of emergency medicine. We faced many challenges previous to this pandemic, and now we face unparalleled challenges. I have never been prouder to be colleagues with all of you. Never has it been clearer that we are the safety net for this country. As we move to the future, our interests must be represented to the government, insurance companies, hospitals and the public. I am excited about the opportunity to represent our specialty and will work tirelessly to move our specialty forward.
Marc Mendelsohn, MD – St. Louis
Mendelsohn Candidate Statement
I am asking for your support to fill the role of councilor, representing MOCEP to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). While I have only been practicing in Missouri, and thus a part of MOCEP for a single year, I have been a part of organized medicine for over a decade ever since my first week of medical school. In addition to the training that we all receive in Emergency medicine, I spent two years after residency in Washington DC completing a Fellowship in Health Policy.
During my time in DC, I worked clinically in the emergency department, completed a masters in public health and spent time learning about the world of health policy by actually working in it. I spent three months lobbying with the ACEP DC office, and after that I spent 6 months in a congressional office as the legislative aide for health, all while continuing to work clinically. These experiences have helped me to develop a profound understanding of how health policy works in this country and how lobbying and politics can be leveraged to help make evidence informed policy that is useful for us “in the trenches.”
I have also had the immense privilege of serving ACEP as their representative to the American Medical Association (AMA). In fact the position I held there is in essence the same as the one I am requesting now, namely to represent one society to another. The experiences I have had working in the AMA house of delegates have prepared me to take on the role of councilor at ACEP. I am familiar with the rules of order as well as with ACEP’s current policy compendium and look forward to being able to lend my expertise in this area to the MOCEP council delegation.
I am excited to get to know more of the MOCEP physicians and staff and to advocate on your behalf. Furthermore I will always make myself available to any members of MOCEP wishing to discuss issues of the day and how ACEP can better represent the emergency physicians of the great state of Missouri.
Evan Schwarz, MD, FACEP, FACMT, FASAM – St. Louis (Incumbent)
Schwarz Candidate Statement
My name is Evan Schwarz, and I’m asking you to consider re-electing me as a Councilor for MOCEP. I am completing my first term as a Councilor and would like to continue in this role. I’ve enjoyed the process of Council as well as working to increase Missouri’s presence during the meeting. During this term, I’ve learned how the Council works which has helped me better represent the membership. As a Councilor, I have been involved with writing resolutions both as a primary author and in a collaborative role with other chapters. I’ve also been active in discussing the resolutions in the steering committee meetings and speaking with candidates running for the ACEP Board of Directors and Council positions. During this time, I’ve been able to make the entire Council meeting every year that I’ve been a Councilor and pledge to continue this should I be re-elected.
I’ve also been very active with MOCEP over the last 10 years. In addition to being a member of MOCEP’s Board of Directors, I’m also concluding my term as President of the chapter. I’ll still be attending MOCEP’s Board and Executive Committee meetings which will help me understand how any resolutions or actions by ACEP’s Board of Directors will impact MOCEP. For those that are unfamiliar with the Council, resolutions are discussed and voted on during the meeting. If passed, they assist in directing ACEP’s Board of Directors regarding the direction of the College over the next year. As such, it is very important to understand what is important to MOCEP and what resolutions are a priority for MOCEP to either support or defeat.
I also believe my track record with MOCEP demonstrates that I can be trusted in this position and will be successful in this role. In addition to what I’ve previously mentioned, I have helped to change how MOCEP communicates with its membership including revamping the newsletter and weekly communications, updating the website, and reconfiguring the annual membership meeting. For ACEP, I’ve been active in the Membership Committee and Pain Management and Addiction Medicine section. As such, I’ve also been able to build relationships with other ACEP members throughout the country, many of which regularly attend this meeting.
In conclusion, I have enjoyed serving as a Councilor and would be honored to continue in this role. I appreciate your consideration in re-electing me. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions.
Evan Schwarz MD, FACEP, FACMT, FASAM