About Us

Mission Statement

Faced with unique challenges of providing appropriate and adequate medical care in rural areas, members of the Section of Rural Emergency Medicine develop and share information related to issues such as pre-hospital, initial primary hospital, and tertiary hospital care of rural emergency patients. The section serves not only as a communications vehicle, but also as a database of relevant literature, education, and research.

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Definition of Rural Emergency Medicine

Originally approved June 2017
Rural emergency medicine is urgent or emergent medicine practiced in geographic areas with low population densities and resource constraints, including ready access to more specialized care facilities. Rural emergency departments provide critical services for their communities, including facilitating earlier evaluation and entry into the healthcare system, stabilization and initiation of treatment, and coordinated transfer to a tertiary care facility.

Operational Guidelines ACEP Policy Statement

Section Officers & Staff

Viktoria Koskenoja, MD

Chair

Frederick B Carlton, Jr, MD, FACEP

Chair-Elect

Steve Jameson, MD, FACEP

Immediate Past Chair

Steven T Haywood, MD, FACEP

Secretary

Benjamin Knutson, MD

Councillor

Chad Kraus, DO, CPE, FACEP

Board Liaison

Kelly Peasley

Staff Liaison

Responsibilities

Officers serve for a term of two years. Elections were last held in 2020. The Section will be electing new officers in 2022.

Chair - 2 Year Term
Presides at the annual meeting of the section and works to advance section priorities. Serves as a member ex officio of all standing and special committees of the section. Appoints chairs and members to any standing and special committee of the section, and as requested by the Board. The Chair-Elect automatically moves in to this role after 2 years.

Immediate Past Chair - 2 Year Term
Serves as an officer of the section, assisting the Chair as needed. Serves as chair of the Section Nominating Committee.

Chair Elect - 2 Year Term
The Chair-Elect assists the Chair in his/her duties for the Section as designated by the Chair. The Chair-Elect participates in leadership discussions of the section, and under the direction of the Chair, assists in the creation and execution of section projects and initiatives. The Chair-Elect year helps craft a vision and agenda to be implemented upon serving as Chair. The Chair-Elect may serve as Chair earlier in the event of resignation or incapacitation of the current Chair.

Councillor and Alternative Councilor - 2 Year Term
The councillor and alternate councillor represent the section at the Council meeting. They voice the concerns of the Rural Emergency Medicine section on the floor of the council meeting and in reference committees. Councillors also express the will of their constituents by the execution of their votes for or against resolutions and electing Board members and Council officers at the annual meeting. They keep the section informed of all Council activities and bring any resolutions that are developed by the section to the Council. An alternate councillor may assume the duties of a councillor when so directed by the constituent delegation, with proper credentials.

Secretary - 2 Year Term
The Section Secretary/Newsletter Editor's main role is to solicit content for our section newsletter from our membership and leadership. He/she works to publish up to four newsletters per year. This is a key position for communicating rural medicine activities and connecting with members by sharing their stories and adventures in our newsletter. This position will also manage the section's social media channels.