Residents, med students earn top honors at regional emergency medicine conference
Posted on June 12, 2026 by Marketing and Communications
Emergency medicine residents and medical students from the Whiddon College of Medicine earned multiple first-place awards at the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Annual Emerald Coast Conference, a regional competition that brought together emergency medicine providers from nine states on June 3 in Destin, Florida.
Six emergency medicine residents and five medical students, mentored by faculty members Michael Sternberg, M.D., and Christopher Musselwhite, M.D., represented the college by presenting research and case studies.
In the research category, emergency medicine residents Jashen Bailey, D.O., and Scott Johnson, D.O., earned first- and second-place honors, respectively. Bailey was recognized for her presentation, “Combating the Chaos of ED Handoffs: Implementing I-PASS to Improve Transitions of Care,” while Johnson received second place for “Investigating the Disaster Readiness of Clinical Staff at an Academic Hospital System: An Initial Needs Assessment.”
Third-year medical students Carlysle Salter and Katharine Lightfoot earned first place in the case study category for their poster presentation, “From Skin to Skeleton: A Case of Peau d’Orange Breast Carcinoma Presenting with Pathologic Fracture.” The students credited faculty mentors Walker Plash, M.D., and Beau Stokes, M.D., for their guidance.
The college also claimed first place in the conference's Medical Jeopardy competition, with emergency medicine resident Tosin Oladunjoye, M.D., and third-year medical student Alex Williams taking home the championship trophy.
“We are very proud of our future emergency physicians,” Sternberg said. “Once again, the Department of Emergency Medicine and Whiddon College of Medicine have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement.”
The Emerald Coast Conference drew participants from ACEP chapters in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Montana.