by Kristen Ashworth, Kyla Trkulja, and Nayaab Punjani

Happy 2026, IMS!

As we settle in for the winter months and gather momentum for the new year ahead, our Winter Issue of the magazine is doing the same, turning its focus toward a field that never slows down: Emergency Medicine.

Emergency Medicine spans a remarkable breadth of clinical fields and, in tandem, a remarkable breadth of challenges. These challenges–some of which we are all too familiar with here in Canada–include accessibility to an emergency department (ED), efficient patient triage, prolonged wait times, accurate acute diagnostics, and the delivery of precise care under pressure. 

Within the IMS, many of our faculty, whether in research, in clinical practice, or both, are navigating these complexities every day to improve evidence-based outcomes for patients of all backgrounds coming through the ED.

In this issue, we feature faculty whose work spans many different avenues of Emergency Medicine research. Dr. Jacques Lee is investigating the impacts of delirium and loneliness on the geriatric population in the ED; Dr. Muhammad Mamdani is harnessing the power of AI to improve wait times and system-wide efficiency in the ED; and, Dr. Brodie Nolan is studying the use of prehospital and transfusion protocols to improve trauma survival.

Our viewpoint articles broaden the conversation even further, covering important and diverse topics that are relevant and growing in the field of Emergency Medicine today: pain management in the ED; the use of synthetic platelets for trauma healing; the rural emergency care crisis across Canada; the impact of the youth mental health crisis on EDs; worsening emergency wait times; the ethical integration of AI in the ED; and even featuring a new ED peer-support program right here at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

In addition, this issue’s spotlight pieces highlight the achievements of some outstanding members of the IMS community–including faculty member Dr. Liisa Galea; students Mariam Elsaway and Shannen Kyte; alumnus Dr. Aravin Sukumar; and staff member Caroline Ruivo.

As always, we are grateful for our journalists, editors, and designers for bringing this issue, like every issue, to life. We hope this Winter Issue inspires deeper curiosity and reflection with the pressing questions and fast-moving world that define Emergency Medicine today.

Sincerely,

Kristen Ashworth

Kristen is a PhD student studying the use of a human-based retinal organoid model to investigate cell therapies for genetic eye disease under the supervision of Dr. Brian Ballios at the Krembil Research Institute.

Twitter: @K_Ashworth01

Kyla Trkulja

Kyla is a PhD student studying the mechanism of action of novel therapies for lymphoma under the supervision of Dr. Armand Keating, Dr. John Kuruvilla, and Dr. Rob Laister.

Twitter: @kylatrkulja_

Nayaab Punjani

Nayaab is a PhD student examining a neuroprotective drug therapy for cervical-level traumatic spinal cord injury at the Krembil Research Institute under the supervision of Dr. Michael Fehings.

Twitter: @nayaab_punjani