About

Samuel Owen (Sam) Clarke, M.D., M.A.S., F.A.C.E.P., is a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Health. He is a board-certified emergency physician who cares for both adult and pediatric patients. Dr. Clarke's clinical philosophy emphasizes delivering compassionate, equitable, and evidence-based care to all patients. He has worked in healthcare for over twenty years, primarily in urban and underserved settings, with a mission to provide the best emergency medicine services to those who need it most. His research broadly focuses on health professions education and faculty development for the purpose of education scholarship. Dr. Clarke's academic interests include exploring how novices learn physical examination skills, the performance of cardiac arrest skills during simulated events, and the barriers faced by educators in conducting education scholarship. He is actively involved in research that aims to improve emergency medicine education and faculty development, contributing to the advancement of education practices within the field.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Medicine
• Surgery
• Social Science
• Internal medicine
• Sociology
• Nursing
• Artificial Intelligence
• Medical education
• Nuclear medicine
• Engineering
• Data science
• Library science
• Gerontology
• Pedagogy
• Medical physics
• Management science
• Radiology
• Archaeology
• Mathematics education
• History

Selected publications

• A Consensus Based Research Agenda for Faculty and Learner Development in Competency Based Medical Education

  AEM Education and Training · 2026-02-01

  articleOpen access

  Competency based medical education (CBME) is an outcome-driven training model that assesses individual learners based on competencies and observable abilities. Although implementation of competencies and milestones by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education has provided some ground work, full adoption of CBME is in its infancy in emergency medicine. Successful implementation of CBME will require dedicated attention to faculty and learner development; however, there is limited data or best practices available for guidance. To address this need, the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine convened a consensus conference to establish a research agenda for CBME with one workgroup specifically focused on faculty and learner development. In this paper, we present a consensus research agenda for faculty and learner development in CBME designed to advance faculty development and learner engagement within CBME in EM over the next decade.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bot‐Tastic: Overload Burden of Unsolicited Peer Review Requests, Field of Expertise, and Narrative Hot‐Takes

  Academic Emergency Medicine · 2026-03-01 · 1 citations

  article

  IMPORTANCE: Unsolicited peer review requests have increased with the expansion of academic publishing, raising concerns about reviewer fatigue. Peer review is a critical component in disseminating scientific discovery requiring time and expertise, often uncompensated. OBJECTIVE: We sought to quantify and analyze characteristics of the review solicitation burden on a group of senior faculty. METHODS: We conducted a prospective mixed-methods study of 6 senior academic physicians who are peer reviewers and editors. Each participant monitored their email inboxes (9/1-12/13, 2024) for peer review requests. We collected solicitation date, journal name, discipline, reviewer's existing relationship to journal, content relevance, response to request, immediate Plutchik Basic Emotions reaction, narrative comments, using hermeneutic phenomenology. We calculated descriptive statistics and performed a thematic analysis with a constructivist paradigm of narrative comments. RESULTS: Participants (5 institutions, 3 males) received 139 solicitations. Over half (52.5%, 73) were requests from a journal with whom the physician had no or unknown previous contact. Less than 1/3 of solicitations were directly relevant (28.1%, 39); 43.2% (60) partially relevant; 28.8% (40) irrelevant. Only 2.3% (3) of requests were accepted; 55.4% (77) were declined and 42.4% (59) were ignored. Of the Plutchik Basic Emotions, most were surprised (36%, 48) or disgusted (31%, 41). Qualitative analysis identified four themes: (1) issues with review process/journal quality, (2) time/effort demands, (3) relevancy to expertise, (4) technology/administrative barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Academic faculty received copious peer review requests and declined or ignored many, citing frustration, surprise or disgust. Editors should optimize the review request process to avoid reviewer burnout.

  PublisherDOI

• Nature Versus Nurture: Resident Career Decisions in Emergency Medicine

  AEM Education and Training · 2025-11-12 · 1 citations

  article

  ABSTRACT Objectives Choosing a post‐residency career path in emergency medicine (EM) represents a complex set of decisions involving personal preferences and training program characteristics. It is unclear to what degree the training program environment shapes these choices or if residents select training programs that align with their pre‐existing career plans. We sought to evaluate resident career plans over time and assess differences between 3‐ and 4‐year training formats in EM. Methods We conducted a prospective, observational, cohort study of EM residents at six ACGME‐accredited residencies in the United States from 2020 to 2024. Participants reported demographics and career plans at the onset of their training and at graduation. We used analysis of covariance to determine differences in career choice and change over time between 3‐year and 4‐year programs. We used univariable regression to assess associations between personal and program factors on change in career choice during residency. Results Eighty‐one residents completed both the initial and graduation surveys. We did not detect any statistical difference between three‐ and four‐year programs for either initial ( p = 0.32) or graduation ( p = 0.80) career plans. Thirty participants were undecided about their career plans at the beginning of training. There was no difference between types of changes in career choices between three‐ and four‐year programs when including ( p = 0.40) or excluding ( p = 0.60) those changes of participants who were initially undecided. We did not detect any significant associations between individual (age, gender) or program (program identity, program format) factors on the change of career plans during residency. Conclusion We did not find a significant difference between program format and career plans. A minority of residents changed career plans during residency, and neither program length nor demographic factors were significantly associated with those changes. A proportion of residents begins training undecided about their career path, highlighting a potential role for early, structured career guidance.

  PublisherDOI

• Beyond the CLAIM: A comprehensive needs assessment strategy for creating an Advanced Medical Education Research Training Program (ARMED-MedEd)

  2025-08-29

  articleOpen access

  <p>Background: The health professions education (HPE) landscape has shifted substantively with increasing professionalization of research and scholarship. Clinician educators seeking to become competitive in this domain often pursue fellowships and master's degrees in HPE, but there are few resources for the continuing professional development (CPD) of those who seek to continue developing their scholarly practice within HPE. Acknowledging the multiple players in this landscape, the authors sought to design a new "beyond beginners" HPE research program using a novel needs assessment planning process.</p> <p>Methods: The authors developed and conducted a new three-phase, five-step process that sets forth a programmatic approach to conducting a needs assessment for a CPD course in HPE research. The five steps of the CLAIM method are: Competitive analysis, Literature review with thematic analysis, Ask stakeholders, Internal review by experts, and Mapping of a curriculum. These steps are organized into three phases (Discovery, Convergence, and Synthesis).</p> <p>Results: Over a 12-month period, the authors completed a comprehensive needs assessment. The CLAIM process revealed that longitudinal digital connection, diverse and in depth exposure to HPE research methods, skills around scholarly publishing, and leadership and management of research would be beneficial to our design.</p> <p>Conclusions: The CLAIM method provided scaffolding to help the authors create a robust curriculum that adopts a scholarly approach for developing a HPE research course. This needs assessment methodology may be useful in other CPD contexts.</p>

  PublisherDOI

• Beyond the CLAIM: A comprehensive needs assessment strategy for creating an Advanced Medical Education Research Training Program (ARMED-MedEd)

  2025-08-29

  articleOpen access

  <p>Background: The health professions education (HPE) landscape has shifted substantively with increasing professionalization of research and scholarship. Clinician educators seeking to become competitive in this domain often pursue fellowships and master's degrees in HPE, but there are few resources for the continuing professional development (CPD) of those who seek to continue developing their scholarly practice within HPE. Acknowledging the multiple players in this landscape, the authors sought to design a new "beyond beginners" HPE research program using a novel needs assessment planning process.</p> <p>Methods: The authors developed and conducted a new three-phase, five-step process that sets forth a programmatic approach to conducting a needs assessment for a CPD course in HPE research. The five steps of the CLAIM method are: Competitive analysis, Literature review with thematic analysis, Ask stakeholders, Internal review by experts, and Mapping of a curriculum. These steps are organized into three phases (Discovery, Convergence, and Synthesis).</p> <p>Results: Over a 12-month period, the authors completed a comprehensive needs assessment. The CLAIM process revealed that longitudinal digital connection, diverse and in depth exposure to HPE research methods, skills around scholarly publishing, and leadership and management of research would be beneficial to our design.</p> <p>Conclusions: The CLAIM method provided scaffolding to help the authors create a robust curriculum that adopts a scholarly approach for developing a HPE research course. This needs assessment methodology may be useful in other CPD contexts.</p>

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 329 Factors That Influence Career Choice in Emergency Medicine Residents Over Time

  Annals of Emergency Medicine · 2025-08-22

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Sex Differences in Durability Following Heavy Intensity Cycling Exercise in Trained Athletes

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2025-08-30

  preprintOpen access

  ABSTRACT The ability to withstand impairments in key physiological variables during prolonged exercise, known as “durability,” is emerging as an important factor in cycling performance. While females possess physiological characteristics that could confer enhanced durability relative to males, little is known about potential sex differences. Sixteen males (V̇O 2peak 58 ± 6 mL·kg −1 ·min −1 ) and 16 females (V̇O 2peak 51 ± 3 mL·kg −1 ·min −1 ) performed an incremental exercise test to exhaustion in visit 1. In visit 2 they performed 90 min of heavy‐intensity cycling (HVY) at 110% of gas exchange threshold (GET), followed by another incremental test. During HVY, pulmonary gas exchange (V̇O 2 ), heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), near‐infrared spectroscopy, and electromyography were recorded, and blood lactate (BLa) was collected. Before and after HVY, maximal voluntary contraction (MVIC), voluntary activation (VA), and potentiated twitches (100 Hz, 10 Hz, Q tw·pot ) of the knee extensors were assessed. Power at GET (−16% ± 15% vs. −2% ± 13%) and respiratory compensation point (−13% ± 10% vs. −6% ± 9%) decreased more in males than females ( p ≤ 0.049), whereas V̇O 2peak and its associated power decreased similarly ( p ≥ 0.073). All aspects of neuromuscular function decreased (all p < 0.001), without sex differences ( p ≥ 0.096). During HVY, HR, V̇O 2 (%peak), relative energy expenditure increased more in males ( p ≤ 0.008), whereas respiratory exchange ratio decreased more in females ( p = 0.001). BLa was higher in males than females ( p ≤ 0.040). Muscle oxygen extraction was lower ( p = 0.004) and tissue saturation index higher for females ( p < 0.001). The smaller reductions exhibited by females in submaximal thresholds, associated with lesser derangements to oxidative efficiency, suggest considering sex‐specific training prescription and pacing strategies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Nature vs. Nurture: Career Choice in Emergency Medicine Residents

  Western Journal of Emergency Medicine · 2025-06-16

  articleOpen access

  Background: Resident feedback is an important component of emergency medicine resident training.Although residents often report that they do not get enough feedback, it is unclear what exactly they consider feedback.We sought to clarify resident views on the feedback they consider most helpful and in what areas they would appreciate more and less feedback.Methods: An anonymous survey was created using Google Forms and distributed to all residents in an emergency medicine residency with 29 residents.Residents were asked multiplechoice questions about their views of feedback, specifically about the best times to give feedback, the areas in which they would like more and less feedback, and the manner in which they would like feedback given.The percent of residents responding with each option was calculated.Results: 27 out of 29 residents (93%) completed the survey.93% said the most helpful feedback comes from attending physicians.56% said feedback is best given in private immediately after a patient encounter, while only 4% said it is best given at the bedside.96% said feedback is best given in small aliquots instead of during dedicated meetings.The top areas in which residents would like more feedback are management plans (85%) and patient assessments (70%).The area in which they would like less feedback are social skills and social interactions (44%). Conclusion:Feedback is an important component of education.Clarifying resident views about it and ways in which feedback may be better-received by residents will likely benefit their education.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Oh, the places you'll go! A qualitative study of resident career decisions in emergency medicine

  AEM Education and Training · 2024-03-20 · 9 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Objectives: Postresidency career choices are complex decisions that involve personal, professional, and financial preferences and may be influenced by training programs. It is unknown how residents navigate these decisions during emergency medicine (EM) residency. We explored EM residents' perspectives on career decision making and how residency programs can support career planning. Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews at seven accredited EM residency programs from diverse locations and training formats. We used purposive sampling to reflect the diversity of trainees with regard to gender, level of training, and career plans. Two researchers independently coded the transcripts. We used a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm to guide our thematic analysis. Results: We interviewed 11 residents and identified major themes in three categories. Residents described being exposed to career options through formalized curricula such as required rotations, career fairs, and subspeciality tracks, highlighting the importance of access to faculty with diverse areas of clinical and academic expertise. Many noted that exposure was often self-driven. We identified three major themes regarding career decisions: instrumental factors, people involved, and processes of decision making. Instrumental factors included personal interests, goals, and values as well as practice characteristics, financial considerations, timing, and opportunity costs. Mentors and family were highly involved in resident career decisions. Residents often utilized reflection and conversations with mentors and peers in their decision-making process. Participants recommended that programs provide exposure to diverse career options early in training, protect time for career education, and ensure adequate mentorship and a supportive community. Participants suggested specific curricular content and strategies to support career decisions. Conclusions: This study illuminates important factors involved in resident career decision making and how programs can support their trainees. Essential components include diverse experiences and building a reflective mentorship environment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Hearing Anything Anywhere

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2024-06-11

  preprintOpen access

  Recent years have seen immense progress in 3D computer vision and computer graphics, with emerging tools that can virtualize real-world 3D environments for numerous Mixed Reality (XR) applications. However, alongside immersive visual experiences, immersive auditory experiences are equally vital to our holistic perception of an environment. In this paper, we aim to reconstruct the spatial acoustic characteristics of an arbitrary environment given only a sparse set of (roughly 12) room impulse response (RIR) recordings and a planar reconstruction of the scene, a setup that is easily achievable by ordinary users. To this end, we introduce DiffRIR, a differentiable RIR rendering framework with interpretable parametric models of salient acoustic features of the scene, including sound source directivity and surface reflectivity. This allows us to synthesize novel auditory experiences through the space with any source audio. To evaluate our method, we collect a dataset of RIR recordings and music in four diverse, real environments. We show that our model outperforms state-ofthe-art baselines on rendering monaural and binaural RIRs and music at unseen locations, and learns physically interpretable parameters characterizing acoustic properties of the sound source and surfaces in the scene.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Wendy C. Coates

  University of California, Los Angeles

  145 shared

• Jaime Jordan

  University of California, Los Angeles

  129 shared

• Lalena M. Yarris

  University of Ottawa

  105 shared

• Emilie Fowlkes

  99 shared

• Daniel Runde

  University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

  97 shared

• Jacqueline Kurth

  86 shared

• Donald Byars

  85 shared

• William anderson

  Carolinas Medical Center

  81 shared

Labs

• Emergency MedicinePI

Awards & honors

• Dean's Team Award for Excellence in Departmental Mentoring (…
• Critical Appraisal: Best Education Research in Emergency Med…
• Dean’s Team Award for Excellence, UC Davis Dean’s Office (20…
• Academic Teacher of the Year Award, UC Davis Department of E…
• Outstanding Faculty Research Presentation, Society for Acade…