As I transition from my role as President of GSACEP, I find myself reflecting on a year defined by steady progress and the incredible resilience of our community. I want to express my deepest gratitude to each of you serving across federal, VA, and military emergency medicine.
This past year has been one of meaningful engagement. Together, we have expanded our webinar programming to reach members across geographically dispersed systems, strengthened our advocacy pathways, and heightened our national engagement through resolution development.
Most recently, we saw the fruits of this labor at the Government Services Symposium (GSS) in Norfolk this past March. The growth in the depth and quality of that meeting—from the SIM wars to the high-level clinical labs—is a testament to what we can achieve when we collaborate. Furthermore, the strong turnout of GSACEP members at the Leadership & Advocacy Conference (LAC) reminds us that our voice is essential in shaping the future of our specialty.
Leadership Through Discomfort
We continue to navigate an era of significant uncertainty. Across our various federal systems, many of you are managing operational pressures, policy shifts, and workforce challenges. For some, this has recently included short-notice deployments or stepping up to support colleagues who have answered that call.
In these environments, leadership matters more—not less. Leadership is not defined by a title; it is about steadiness. It is about the people you surround yourself with and the willingness to grow through discomfort. As Martin Luther King Jr. famously said:
"The ultimate measure of a leader is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy."
In our line of work, we stand in challenge every day—clinically, administratively, and operationally. Yet, this chapter is filled with servant leaders who consistently ask: What is best for our patients? What is best for our members? What is best for the system?
This year has also been one of personal transitions for me. Since leaving active service and resigning my commission earlier this year to focus on my family’s needs, I have realized how much I value the purpose this community provides. GSACEP is more than a professional organization; it is a community bound by a shared mission of service to our patients and our country.
Looking Ahead: A New Chapter
Leadership is also about continuity. I am incredibly excited to introduce your current GSACEP President, Dr. Christine deForest.
While Christine is currently unavailable due to her deployment, she carries the full support and respect of this chapter. As an active-duty Navy physician and the Navy Emergency Medicine Consultant, she brings a strategic, mission-driven perspective that is uniquely suited for this moment. GSACEP will be in exceptional hands. We look forward to her leadership and keep all our deployed members in our thoughts.
Final Thanks
To you, the members: this chapter is strong because you are engaged. It is strong because you speak up. It is strong because you serve. Service in emergency medicine is demanding. Service to a nation while practicing emergency medicine is something else entirely. As we look ahead through evolving healthcare landscapes, let us continue to lead not with noise, but with clarity. Not with division, but with professionalism. Not with reaction, but with purpose.
None of our success this year would have been possible without the extraordinary Board, our committee chairs, and our Executive Director, Michele, whose steady leadership remains the foundation of this chapter. Leadership is never a solo effort. It is built on trust, collaboration, and the willingness to listen. I am grateful for the opportunity to grow alongside all of you this year. To my husband and my young children—thank you for your support and for sharing me with this work.
Thank you for the honor of serving as your President.