Sara Damewood, MD

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

Vice Chair of Education
Division Chief, Emergency Ultrasound

Clinical information Publications

EDUCATION

BS: Wright State University
MD: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Residency: Albany Medical College – Chief Resident
Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Medicine – Emergency Ultrasound

Sara Damewood, MD, is Vice Chair of Education and Division Chief of Emergency Ultrasound at the University of Wisconsin Department of Emergency Medicine. A nationally recognized leader in point-of-care ultrasound and emergency medicine education, she oversees the department’s education and ultrasound programs across medical student education, residency, fellowship, and faculty development.

Under her leadership, the department’s education programs have continued to thrive. Emergency medicine remains one of the most popular specialties among UW School of Medicine and Public Health students, and the department continues to attract strong visiting student rotators. Dr. Damewood has helped guide residency complement expansion, adaptation to new ACGME emergency medicine residency program requirements, and fellowship growth, including emerging opportunities such as space medicine. She also established fellowship program evaluation committees and organizes the “Success in Academics” lecture series, which connects fellows and junior faculty with expert speakers for professional development.

Within the Department of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Damewood has been central to making point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) an essential part of clinical practice across University Hospital, East Madison Hospital, and UW Health Med Flight. She also established the accredited Advanced Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship.

Dr. Damewood’s impact extends across the health system through novel programs she established, including an annual CME accredited POCUS workshop and a physician mentorship program that provides POCUS training, quality oversight, and formative feedback. Her institutional contributions have been recognized with the UW Health Clinical Practice Physician Excellence Award.

Nationally, Dr. Damewood has helped shape standards for advanced emergency ultrasound training. She was the inaugural chair of the Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship Accreditation Council (EUFAC) and served on the council for six years. She has also held leadership roles with the Society of Clinical Ultrasound Fellowships (SCUF), including as the society’s current president-elect, and American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Ultrasound Section, where she helped create key materials to guide POCUS educators in the use of ultrasound simulation technology. Dr. Damewood is also an editor of the essential textbook Advanced Point-of-Care Ultrasound, and her national leadership and service have been recognized with SCUF Hidden Figures and Shazam awards.

SELECT AWARDS & HONORS

• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, 2024
• Clinical Practice Physician Excellence Award, UW Health, 2023
• Impact Award, Group on Women in Medicine and Science, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, 2021
• Shazam Award, Society of Clinical Ultrasound Fellowships, 2020
• Hidden Figures Award, Society of Clinical Ultrasound Fellowships, 2019
• Innovation in Clinical Ultrasound Education Award, American College of Emergency Physicians Ultrasound Section, 2019