From the Chair

Robinson Ferre, MD, FACEP, FAEMUS

I recently returned from a trip to Hawai’i to visit my daughter and her husband who live on the north shore of Oahu. While I was there, I learned about “The Eddie” surfing competition, named after Eddie Aikau, a native Hawai’ian surfing and lifeguard legend. The Eddie is the premier surfing competition in the world. It only occurs IF and WHEN the conditions are just right: > 20-foot waves with face heights of at least 40-feet in Waimea Bay.  The conditions have only been “right” 11 times in the past 30 years.

While the surfing competition is truly remarkable, Eddie Aikau, the competition’s namesake, is even more so. Eddie was the first lifeguard on the north shore of Hawai’i. He rescued over 500 people from the unforgivable surf and was known to rush into the ocean to save others when no one else dared. To commemorate Eddie’s memory, “The Eddie” surfing competition was born in 1985. During the first ever competition when the waves hit the required 40-foot face requirement, the judges were arguing whether it was safe for the surfers to compete. To put an end to the debate, one of the surfers turned to the judges and proclaimed, “Eddie would go.” The competition moved forward that day as did the saying “Eddie would go.” This short phrase embodies the bravery and pioneering spirit of Eddie Aikau and has inspired Hawai’ians and countless thousands ever since.

Like Eddie, our emergency ultrasound pioneers and many of you today, demonstrate bravery and determination against towering challenges: monstrous clinical waves, political headwinds and at times weary indifference. You have saved hundreds of lives through both using ultrasound, teaching others and discovering new applications that improve patient care. As a result, it is remarkable where we are today! Our winter ACEP EUS newsletter shows the depth and breadth of this remarkable movement of physician-performed ultrasound. From an article on using POCUS in the vast expanse of outer space to remarkable new uses for sciatica or predicting respiratory failure, our section members are doing marvelous and pioneering work. As promised, this year we will focus on highlighting AI and other emerging technologies; three great articles provide important background and future direction on AI and other emerging technologies. Finally, we have two insightful articles on pearls of wisdom in training students and fellows.

Thank you all for being amazing -for your relentless bravery and determination as we continue to advance patient-centered sonographic imaging that improves and saves lives!