The Jacobi Division of Emergency Ultrasound operates under a fundamental clinical truth: excellence in modern emergency medicine requires mastery of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS).
Our division has five dedicated, full-time ultrasound faculty members who ensure our trainees excel in both core POCUS applications (including first-trimester pregnancy, cardiac, thoracic, trauma, biliary, renal, aorta, and advanced procedural guidance) and cutting-edge, emerging applications.
The AEMUS Fellowship Program
Launched in July 2020, our Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasound (AEMUS) Fellowship is fully accredited by the Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship Accreditation Council (EUFAC).
- Proven Track Record: By June 2026, our program will have graduated its 10th AEMUS fellow.
- Board Eligibility: Accreditation through EUFAC ensures our fellows are eligible to sit for the American Board of Emergency Medicine’s (ABEM) Focused Practice Designation in AEMUS.
Residency & Faculty Education
We are deeply committed to teaching, providing a robust and dynamic curriculum for our 84 Emergency Medicine residents, fellows, and faculty:
- Dynamic Didactics: We deliver over 40 lectures a year, including our highly popular Wednesday didactic series, “Gel Rounds.”
- Regional Teaching: Our division organizes multiple day-long conferences annually, teaching POCUS to EM faculty, medical students, and rotating providers from other hospital specialties.
Global Health Initiatives
The Jacobi Ultrasound division has a vibrant global footprint, establishing sustainable educational pipelines across the Caribbean:
- The Jamaican Handheld Ultrasound Project (JHUP): We lead this innovative global health collaboration, teaching an annual ultrasound course in Kingston, Jamaica. We also host bi-weekly, virtual case-review sessions to provide ongoing, real-time clinical feedback to public sector physicians across Jamaica.
- International Collaborations: Our team participates in annual teaching and clinical collaborations in both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Cutting-Edge Research & Innovation
Our division is heavily engaged in multi-departmental, collaborative clinical research pushing the boundaries of POCUS. Active research projects include:
- Resuscitation Guidance: Utilizing Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) to guide CPR during active cardiac arrest.
- Advanced Regional Anesthesia: Investigating advanced nerve blocks for acute pain management, including Pericapsular Nerve Group (PENG) blocks for hip fractures and Erector Spinae Plane (ESP) blocks for rib fractures.
Current Research
Faculty:
- Trevor Dixon, MD | Emergency Ultrasound Division Director
- Michael Halperin, MD, MPH | Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship Director
- Michelle Montenegro, MD | Associate Director Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship, Director of Emergency Ultrasound-North Central Bronx Hospital
- Nicole Leonard-Shiu, MD | Director of Resident Ultrasound Education
- Philip O’Donnell, MD | Co-Director Resuscitative TEE Program
Current Fellows:
- Sara Zaytoun, DO | 2026-2027
- Kevin Laureano, MD | 2026-2027
Prior Fellows:
- Kyle Chin, MD | 2025-2026
- Julie Clemmensen, DO | 2024-2025
- Aamir Bandagi, DO | 2023-2024
- Jonathan Maik, DO | 2023-2024
- Glen Malaret Hernández, MD | 2022-2023
- Gagandeep Singh, MD | 2022-2023
- Brian Kohen, MD | 2021-2022
- Fenil Patel, MD | 2021-2022
- Nechama Sonenthal, MD | 2020-2021
- Michelle Montenegro, MD | 2020-2021