This August Sarah Patterson, MSc, CCLS, and President of ACLP’s Board of Directors gave the keynote speech and led two workshops at the Emergency Medicine Education & Research Global Exchange (EMERGE) Conference hosted by The Aga Khan University (AKU) Medical College, Pakistan. The theme of the conference was “Rethinking Emergency Care Science,” and it addressed the evolving challenges and opportunities of emergency medicine. Speakers and attendees covered state-of-the-art research, technological advancements, and best practices across various disciplines.

Patterson spoke about emotional safety and leadership, equity, and inquiry in emergency medicine education in her keynote at the first plenary session “Transformative Insights in Emergency Medicine: Clinical Care, Education, and Research.” “It was an incredible privilege and honor to present the keynote at the EMERGE 24 conference,” she shared. “The warm reception I received, along with the amazing colleagues and friends I met, was truly life-changing”

  

She also led two workshops alongside Dr. Jabeen Fayyaz, of The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. In “Simulation Design, Facilitation, and Debriefing: Translating Theory to Practice” attendees developed an understanding of the key principles of simulation and learned how to apply them in design and facilitation. Patterson and Fayyez also led “Using Simulation to Improve Emotional Safety: Creating a Toolkit for Healthcare Providers,” in which they explained the importance of emotional safety and how to apply strategies and promote inclusion of emotional safety in simulation and all patient safety work. “The overwhelming response to the emotional safety initiative deeply moved me,” said Patterson. “The experience not only reinforced the importance of our work but also strengthened my resolve to continue advocating for emotional safety in all settings. This journey has left an indelible mark on me, and I am grateful for the connections and insights gained during this remarkable event.”

Adil Haider. MD, Dean of medical college at the AKU praised Patterson's keynote on Twitter (X), writing, "What a brilliant session on ‘Leadership, equity, and inquiry’ by Sarah! How crucial emotional safety is for our patients."

ACLP is proud to have a globally-recognized child life specialist like Patterson at the helm during the 2024-2025 Board of Directors term and looks forward to her continuing contributions as Board of Directors President.