PHILADELPHIA— The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is pleased to announce Aisha Terry, MD, MPH, FACEP, as its 53^rd president, the association’s first Black president in its 55-year history. Dr. Terry is an associate professor of emergency medicine and health policy at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Milken Institute School of Public Health in Washington, DC.

Dr. Terry will focus her one-year term on initiatives to develop and empower the pipeline of emergency physicians, expand physician leadership opportunities, and support programs and policies to ensure ACEP members have long and meaningful careers.

“I am excited to spearhead initiatives to build, prime and sustain a pipeline of future emergency physician leaders,” said Dr. Terry. “Emergency medicine must continue to attract the best and brightest. We will make sure that emergency physicians have every opportunity to chart career paths that prepare well-equipped, diverse, and inspired workforce.”

The association is fully committed to prioritizing the well-being and success of every individual emergency physician and will continue to develop tools and resources to help emergency physicians make career decisions that are best for them.

Under Dr. Terry’s leadership, ACEP will continue working to strengthen residency program standards while growing career pathways inside hospitals and beyond the walls of the emergency department. Dr. Terry will also prioritize work with policymakers and health care leaders to ensure that emergency physician employers and workplaces prioritize their rights and safety.

Emergency physicians are problem solvers for many of the biggest challenges in health care. This trait is evident as you see ACEP leading efforts to address the opioid epidemic, identify collaborative solutions to protect patients from the dangers of boarding in the emergency department, close mental health care gaps, and tackle major issues to ensure patients receive the highest level of care.

“Emergency physicians are the thread that creates the health care safety net and the glue that holds it together,” Dr. Terry said. “System failures are not ours to own, but they are ours to help solve. I am grateful for the opportunity to roll my sleeves up and lead ACEP in pushing for solutions to some of the pervasive challenges facing our specialty, our health care system, and our patients.”