Spring Newsletter 2026

Message from the Chair
Dr. Shiva Kalidindi

Calendar & Opportunities
ACEP26 · EMage · Article Submissions

Upcoming Webinars
June 1, June 5 & June 29, 2026

Hot Topics in PEM
Dr. Paula Whiteman

Newest Educational Articles
Dr. Cristina M. Zeretzke-Bien

Lessons from a Career in EM
Dr. Robert Schafermeyer

A message from the Chair

Greetings,

Welcome to the Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) Section newsletter.

It is a privilege to connect with you and to serve as Chair of the PEM section of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Our members represent a passionate and dedicated community committed to delivering high-quality emergency care for children, and I am grateful for your engagement and contributions.
The PEM Section is focused on several key priorities:

• Deliver practical, evidence-based pediatric emergency medicine education through well-attended webinars and section programming. These initiatives are designed to support clinicians at every career stage, from residents exploring PEM fellowships to experienced physicians seeking to maintain excellence in practice.
• Support members' professional growth and meaningful engagement in the field of pediatric emergency medicine through mentorship, networking, and leadership opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with the ACEP committees/sections to strengthen our impact and broaden opportunities for member engagement.

Our members are the strength of the PEM Section. Through section meetings, educational offerings, and collaborative initiatives, members gain opportunities to contribute content, pursue advocacy interests, compete in forums such as the E‑Images competition, and build lasting professional relationships. We are proud that these efforts were recognized with the ACEP 2025 Service to the College Award, a testament to the dedication and energy of our members and leadership.

The PEM Section is here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can continue to advance pediatric emergency care and advocate for the children and families we serve.

Shiva Kalidindi MD, MS, FAAP, FACEP
Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
Chair, PEM Section, American College of Emergency Physicians

Calendar & Opportunities

Join us for our annual section meeting on 10/6/26 from 3:00–5:00 PM in Chicago, Illinois. This is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues, hear updates from section leadership, and celebrate EMage winners. Get ACEP Anytime FREE if you register before September 4.  

Pediatric EM Section — EMage Competition

Have a compelling case or striking clinical image? Consider submitting to our annual EMage Competition! Winners will present at the Pediatric EM Section Meeting during ACEP26 Scientific Assembly in Chicago.

ACEP Voucher Prizes:
1st:  $500
2nd: $250
3rd:  $125

Click here to submit your entry. Deadline for submission is May 31, 2026

Newsroom Article Submissions

Now accepting newsroom educational article submissions for our website. We welcome contributions that are practical, educational, and relevant to clinicians caring for pediatric patients in the emergency setting. This is a great opportunity to share cases, evidence-based articles, pearls, highlight best practices, and contribute to the broader pediatric emergency medicine community. We look forward to highlighting your contributions within our EM community.

Click here for submission guidelines.

Upcoming Webinars

PEM Without Limits: Exploring Diverse Career Paths
June 1, 2026 | 6:00–7:00 PM CST (7:00–8:00 PM EST)

Curious about a career in Pediatric Emergency Medicine? Join us for an interactive webinar designed for medical students and residents who want to explore the many possibilities within PEM. Hear directly from physicians who have built unique and fulfilling careers in areas such as disaster preparedness, medical education, transitions from academic medicine to the private sector, and more. This is your chance to learn how PEM can be shaped around your interests, values, and career goals. Bring your questions and take part in a live Q&A with panelists who are eager to share their journeys, lessons learned, and advice for the next generation of physicians.

EM2PEM Webinar
June 5, 2026 | 6:00–7:00 PM CST (7:00–8:00 PM EST)

Thinking about a career in Pediatric Emergency Medicine after Emergency Medicine residency? Join our dynamic and interactive Zoom webinar featuring PEM physicians who took the EM-to-PEM path. Hear honest advice about fellowship, career opportunities, and what it's really like caring for children in the emergency setting.

Come ready with your questions for a live Q&A and gain practical insights to help shape your future career.

Match Made in PEM: How to Build a Standout Fellowship Application
June 29, 2026 | 6:00–7:00 PM CST (7:00–8:00 PM EST)

Thinking about applying to Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship? Join us for afree interactive webinar designed for residents at every stage of the application journey. PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents will learn how to build a competitive fellowship application, strengthen their ERAS materials, and make the most of residency opportunities along the way. PGY-3 residents will gain insider tips on navigating the interview season, standing out as an applicant, and approaching the match process with confidence. Our panel will feature PEM Fellowship Program Directors and Associate Program Directors from across the country, ready to answer your questions and share practical advice from the people who review applications and conduct interviews. Whether you are just starting to explore PEM or preparing to apply this year, this session is a great opportunity to gain expert guidance and plan your next steps.  

Hot Topics in EM

Rectal versus Axillary Temperatures in Neonates: "Doctor, Why a Rectal Temperature?"

Question from the hospital: Neonatology at my hospital states that they use an axillary thermometer in neonates and temporal thermometer in older infants to measure temperatures. The neonatologist queries why the Emergency Department doesn't do the same as the neonatologist states there is potentially a high risk of rectal perforation.

While the neonatology or pediatric department may use an axillary or temporal thermometer in newborns, they are documenting a temperature. For the most part, their patient care set are well, afebrile patients.

The axillary temperature is considered a screening method to detect a fever, especially in neonates, but if a fever is suspected, then a core temperature should be measured.

Using an oral thermometer is not appropriate in neonates, as they cannot hold an oral thermometer in their mouths to create an accurate seal. Therefore, rectal thermometers are recommended to measure a patient's core temperature.

In the ED, we are dealing with a different set of patients. Patients presenting to the ED are sick or injured. When a presumably febrile infant presents at triage, ACEP recommends a core temperature be taken.

The AAP Clinical Practice Guideline "Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants, Age 8–60 days old" states a fever in a neonate is 38°C / 100.4°F. Based on that article, the AAP states that in this age group to determine the presence of a fever, rectal temperatures are to be used. Other routes such as oral, axillary, or temporal measurements are not listed in that Clinical Practice Guideline as acceptable alternatives.

ACEP also considers rectal temperature in this age group as the gold standard as other methods of taking temperatures are not considered as reliable in the context of this clinical setting, where the actual temperature measurement will determine if clinical interventions will be performed.

In the literature, the risk of rectal perforation as associated with glass  thermometers was previously reported as less than 1 in 2 million. Glass thermometers are no longer used and no case reports related to rectal temperature measurement have been reported in decades. Of note, all case reports were in the hospital setting. Until the 1990s, parents used glass thermometers to take their infant's temperatures at home, with a recommendation to leave the thermometer in place for 2 minutes. There are no reported cases of rectal perforation by a parent using a glass thermometer at home in the literature. Proper technique with present day digital thermometers should avoid this potentially extremely rare complication.

Paula Whiteman, MD, FACEP, FAAP
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Councilor PEM Section, ACEP

Newest Educational Articles

• Link to Febrile Infants: To TAP or Not to Tap?

Cristina M. Zeretzke-Bien, MD, FACEP, FAAP
Immediate Past Chair, ACEP Pediatric Emergency Medicine Section, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital, Jacksonville, FL

• Link to published Pediatric Section Article: Approach to the Ill-Appearing Newborn in the Pediatric Emergency Department | Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Yaron Ivan, MD
Cristina M. Zeretzke-Bien, MD, FAAP, FAAEM, FACEP

Lessons from a Career in Emergency Medicine

A.  I learned so many lessons early in my career and throughout as well.

There are always valuable lessons to be learned. Early on I realized that education was not just about reading and studying textbooks but learning from patients and from colleagues. There are many new and exciting discoveries as well as new skills to learn. For example, ultrasound was not part of my practice after I finished residency but I learned that it was a vital skill to the current practice of Emergency Medicine.

I learned that education includes more than just medicine. A colleague at my first practice reminded me that one needs to enjoy learning about other aspects of life, to help bring balance to your life. For me, that was learning photography, gardening and taekwondo.

And as important as education is, seeking a mentor was essential. I had several mentors who helped me work through difficult situations as well as pursuing things that I was passionate about. One mentor hired me, gave me a position of importance and got me involved in ACEP and AAP. Sometimes they did not know they had served as my mentor until a couple of years down the line. And in return, I needed to be a mentor.

Sometimes it was years later when a colleague or an associate told me I
had served in such an honored role.

Another lesson was don't wait to be asked to participate in or to lead a project or serve on a committee. Volunteer. Once you commit, then the next best thing is to complete the project, the objective, or the publication earlier than deadline.

And advocacy fits in very well with volunteering as it requires your time and commitment. Being involved in advocacy efforts means that you can affect the lives of many patients/children such as child safety initiatives. You learn a lot about the issues that affect their health and their lives.

Another component of advocacy is for the specialty. We want Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Emergency Medicine to succeed and be the best it can be.

Balance. This lesson I didn't learn early enough in my career and should have paid more attention to it throughout my career. But you need to try anyway. I did find that taking time to be with my family, to pursue hobbies and to actually take vacation time where I didn't do any work or emails or phone calls really did energize me and keep me from burning out.

I'm sure if you asked other clinicians who have practiced emergency medicine for many years, they would have their own list of lessons learned. And I didn't even touch upon the lessons learned in the clinical setting. There were so many of those.

Those lessons would include more than just the importance of a good history and physical examination but how to communicate with patients and their families and with the nursing staff and with your consultants. There were times when I clearly could have done better and it would have made my shift go by more smoothly. It's important to understand that the parents know whether their child is behaving normally or is sick. This is especially true for the medically complex child.

Your nurses are invaluable. They are not only your assistant but they are your eyes and ears. You can't keep your eyes on every patient as you are continually seeing new patients, checking labs and imaging studies, answering the medic radio, talking with consultants and hoping you can take a few sips of water. They literally can spot when a patient takes a turn for the worse and get you to that room to intervene.

So, as I stated earlier, there are always valuable lessons to be learned. I'm still learning them. So, keep on learning.

Robert Schafermeyer, MD, FACEP, FAAP, FIFEM
Professor Emeritus, Atrium Health · Past President, ACEP

PEM Section Officers & Staff

CHAIR
Shiva Kalidindi, MD
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Cristina M. Zeretzke-Bien, MD
CHAIR-ELECT
Sherita Holmes, MD
Webinar Coordinator
COUNCILOR
Paula Whiteman, MD
ALTERNATE COUNCILOR
Sarah Cavarello, MD
SECRETARY & NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Kendall Luyt, MD
CONTENT EDITORS
Roxanne Cheung, MD
Ruth Hwu, MD
Yiraima Medina-Blasina, MD
ACEP STAFF LIAISON
Stephanie Wauson