Rate My Professor Sierra Beck

Dr. Sierra Beck serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, with a joint clinical appointment as an Emergency Medicine Specialist (FACEM) at Dunedin Public Hospital. She earned her MD from the University of California, Davis in 2008, American Board Certification in Emergency Medicine in 2012, and Fellowship of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (FACEM) in 2018. Beck completed an Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship at Emory University and Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, USA, enhancing her expertise in emergency ultrasound applications.

Her research focuses on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) within emergency medicine, including trauma and musculoskeletal injury assessment, development of ultrasound procedural skills in early learners, and integration of artificial intelligence into point-of-care echocardiography. As a PhD candidate in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, her project investigates clinician-performed cardiothoracic ultrasound in non-expert users and the impact of artificial intelligence. Key publications encompass 'Cardiac Ultrasound Training for Medical Students Utilizing Drawing and Ward-Based Instruction' (MedEdPORTAL, 2025, co-authored with Whalley, Coffey, Hawley, and Anakin); 'Image Quality and Technical Limitations in Emergency Transthoracic Echocardiography' (Emergency Medicine Australasia, 2024); 'Periosteal Block versus Intravenous Regional Anesthesia for Distal Radius Fractures: A Randomized Controlled Trial' (Emergency Medicine Australasia, 2022, with Brunner-Parker, Stamm, Douglas, and Conboy); contributions to the 'Emergency and Clinical Ultrasound Board Review' (Oxford University Press); and several 'From Other Journals' articles in Emergency Medicine Australasia (2025).

Dr. Beck received the 2025 Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) Sonologist of the Year award. She contributes to ultrasound education through workshops, serves on the ASUM25 Conference Committee, and promotes innovative training strategies in clinical settings.