PEP EM Fellowship in Memoriam
The PEP EM Fellowship started over a single cup of coffee and a conversation between Dr. Tom Gutwein and Dr. Tracy Rahall that centered around the quality of EM practitioners in rural and suburban hospitals in the northeast Indiana area and the gaps in procedural expertise and critical care thinking noted in practitioners. It was this simple conversation and solutions generated that gave root to the program which began to bear fruit when it took its first class in 2014 under the guidance of Dr. Rahall as the program director. In the past 10 years, the program has graduated 35 Fellows currently practicing at 32 hospitals nationally with many of these fellows serving as training or medical directors for their departments. This year we have 5 exceptional Fellows slated for graduation in June 2024. In its 10 years of existence, the program has been granted ongoing training approval with the American Academy of Emergency Physicians which is affiliated with the American Board of Physician Specialties. The program featured state of the art simulation training at the Mirro Simulation Lab with training supervision under Dr. Morrison – a board certified EM physician also fellowship certified in simulation. Dr. Rookus, who pursued and completed his ultrasound fellowship while teaching fellows, has created ongoing training for the Fellows in bedside point of care ultrasound which allows fellows to bring technology to the patient’s bedside. The program has provided core knowledge training, procedural expertise, and guidance in critical care thinking skills requisite to the practice of emergency medicine. This process was overseen by the Education Committee which has served as core faculty for the fellowship since its inception. We are proud of the nationally recognized program that we have been able to create in conjunction with the Parkview Health network. Changes in ED workforce needs coupled with changes in fellowship funding and revenue streams have led to the decision by PEP to close its doors to future fellowship learners. The 2023-2024 class will be the last to graduate at our training program and although we are saddened by this change, we remain grateful for the opportunity we have had to train and guide the paths of the fellows who have walked the halls of the Parkview emergency departments with us. We remain proud of all our fellows and wish them well now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Tracy Rahall, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
PEP EM Fellowship Program Director