2024 Health Policy Committee Leader Spotlight

Melanie Yates MD, Chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2024

Melanie Yates.jpgProgram: University of Cincinnati

Your goal as an EMRA leader: My biggest goal is to help create a community where every medical student and physician-in-training can reach their highest potential. I am here to be a mentor for those interested in my niche, help create content to teach our future leaders about health policy, and to guide my committee members to achieve their goals through my servant leadership. 

Why get involved in a professional society? Professional societies, if used correctly, allow for an incredible amount of growth and networking that is difficult to get anywhere else. I joined EMRA initially to meet others who were interested in emergency medicine, and from there have found a great number of people (who I now call friends) who share in my passion for advocacy and health policy. 

What is the best advice you have ever received? If your dreams don't scare you, their not big enough

What is the last non-textbook you read? The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and currently making my way through "The Wanderers"
 
What are your tops songs on your Spotify Wrapped? Anything Fall Out Boy. Best playlist in my opinion is "Angsty Teens of the 2000s"

Nicholas Melucci, DO, MPH, Chair-Elect of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2024

Nicholas Melucci.jpgProgram: George Washington University

Your goal as an EMRA leader: To educate and inspire residents and medical students to involve themselves in health policy both within emergency medicine and beyond.

Why get involved in a professional society? After serving as a Vice Chair on the Health Policy Committee last year, I realized how valuable it was to be involved with EMRA. I met and networked with many people from across the country. EMRA provides a fantastic platform for collaboration to educate the EM physicians of the future.

What do you think are the top three traits of a great leader? 1. Communicator 2. Listener 3. Selfless

If I weren't an emergency physician, I would be: A golf course architect or a chef

What is the last non-textbook you read? Reading Kitchen Confidential currently!

 

Alberto E. Perez-Sthory, MD, Vice Chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2024

Alberto E. Perez-Sthory, MDProgram: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvannia

Your goal as an EMRA leader: There were times when I thought the circumstances of my birth would dictate my future. However, I was able to embark on a different path because of the sacrifices of my family and that of mentors & peers who took a chance on me. Thus, I want to pave it forward by supporting the next generation of emergency medicine physicians. I want to empower them to continue helping the underserved and make sure they are able to define their own destiny by their potential, not by resource constraints or their past. I trust that being an EMRA leader will allow me to do just that.

Why did you get involved in a professional society? To meet and connect with colleagues from all over the country and walks of life, as well as inspire others to see health policy through a different lens and help shape the future of our health care system. 

What is the best advice you have ever received? "Never forget where you came from and never take your eyes off where you are heading"
 
What is something that people don't know about you? I was a former competitive swimmer!

If I weren't an emergency physician, I would be: Probably a professional food taster lol ... love food, wine, and traveling!

What is your favorite hack for night shifts? Pre-shift workout + Celsius ... Post-shifts mimosas!

What's the last non-textbook you read? Red, White, & Royal Blue

 

Katarina Jones, MPH, Vice Chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2024

Katarina JonesProgram: University of Louisville

Your goal as an EMRA leader: To advocate for legislation and policies that are evidence based, equitable and practical

Why get involved in a professional society? To get engaged at the national level to advocate for patients and healthcare workers across the country

What do you think are the top three traits of a great leader? Communication, patience, humility 

What app on your phone consumes the most of your time? NYT games

What are your tops songs on your Spotify Wrapped? Podcasts! Highly recommend "Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine" for a look into historical medicine



Stephanie Berg, MD, Vice Chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2024

Stephanie Berg, MDProgram: Baylor Scott and White

Your goal as an EMRA leader: This is a pivotal moment in time for Emergency Medicine. It is our responsibility to step up as leaders to shape the field so that future students and residents love their training and careers even more than we do today. We are the driving force of our specialty's future and my goal as an EMRA leader is to inspire and lead members to be positive changemakers for EM!

Why get involved in a professional society? Connecting, learning, and leading with other members is an invaluable part of medical education. To face all of the challenges of Emergency Medicine, we need a diverse network. Professional societies like EMRA allow for these interactions to occur and they are a source of encouragement driving us to achieve excellence in our field.

What is the best advice you have ever received? Don't be afraid to be wrong out loud. This allows for others to see your thinking and help you grow in ways you could never imagine (especially on shift)!

What is something people don't know about you? I have my M class license and will occasionally ride alongside my husband to our treasured coffee date spots.

What is your favorite hack for night shifts? Wear a heated vest and turn it on when you get to the early morning hours. It helps provide warmth and energy when your cortisol levels are at their lowest.

What app on your phone consumes the most of your time? Instagram. The scroll is soothing.

What's the last non-textbook you read? Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

Favorite channel on social media? Half Baked Harvest! I absolutely love her recipes and whole aesthetic.

Phillip Groden, MD, Vice Chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2024

Stephanie Berg, MDProgram: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Nicholas Nasser, MD, MPH, Asst. Vice Chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2024

Nicholas Nasser.jpgProgram: The Mount Sinai Hospital

Your goal as an EMRA leader: To bring awareness to the health policy implications with regard to rising health care costs and end of life care.

Why did you get involved in a professional society? To further network with passionate fellow residents and bounce ideas off of likeminded peers as well as make life-long connections with future leaders in the field. 

What is the best advice you've ever received? You are the master of your fate, the captain of your soul

If I weren't an emergency physician, I would be: Either a lawyer or a writer

What is your favorite hack for night shifts? Celsius. Can't live without it. 
 
What is the last non-textbook you read? Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
 

Angelica Rego MD, Asst. Vice Chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2024

Angelica Rego MDProgram: UVA

Your goal as an EMRA leader: To increase awareness about the ways that, even early in our careers, we can make a difference! Your experiences and ideas are valuable, and change starts just by sharing those with others.

Why did you get involved in a professional society? To expand my network of people in EM who are passionate about innovation and making our specialty the best it can be.

What do you think are the top three traits of a great leader?Approachability, being a good listener, and being open minded
 
What is the best advice you have ever received? When you're stressed about something, ask yourself if it will matter in five years. If the answer is no, let it go.
 
What is something that people don't know about you? I used to be an amateur motocross racer! Feels like another lifetime ago but it was an amazing sport to compete in.
 
If you weren't an emergency physician, what would you be? My alternate career plan was to be a photographer for National Geographic so I could get paid to travel and be in nature!
 
Favorite channel on social media? Spectator Index on Twitter is elite 
 
What are your tops songs on your Spotify Wrapped?  Top to bottom it was songs from Lana Del Rey's last album

Jake Graff, MS3, Asst. Vice Chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2024

Jake Graff, MS3Program: Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine

Your goal as an EMRA leader: I would like to be actively involved in advocating for students and residents and the future of the specialty of Emergency Medicine. I would like to increase communication about upcoming legislation to students and residents with whom this legislation may affect. My goal is to be an asset to the team that I am on and help make EMRA better.

Why did you get involved in a professional society? To help effect change you need a seat at the table. EMRA provides me an exceptional opportunity to grow as a student leader and will help put me in a position to learn and grow so I can be part of the solution to the problems facing emergency medicine. Additionally, I want to work with and learn from exceptional leaders in the field of emergency medicine.

What is the best advice you've ever received? Winning and success is a conscious decision. You need to make up your mind whether you want to succeed or you want to fail. Then once you succeed you are duty bound to bring those around you up, to help others win, to help others succeed because it's not about you. It's about the people next to you. It's about helping others succeed. That's how legacies are left. Individual success is only meaningful if it is used to help others succeed. If you don't help others you've squandered the gift. Will it be easy? No. Will it hurt? Yes. However, when you recognize that this is what you chose. When you recognize that this is the path you selected, it makes all the hurdles and hoops and problems worth it.

What is something people don't know about you? I played rugby in college and won two national championships. I also love to cook. Currently working on the perfect ribs and bbq sauce. 

If you weren't an emergency physician, what would you be? I'd run a BBQ joint and coach football. 

Favorite life hack for night shifts: Get at least 4 hours of sleep before the shift and eat clean. I try to completely flip my schedule on nights and its helped. Also, blackout curtains, fan and a cool room really help.

What's the last non-textbook you read? Fourth Wing and Blood Meridian.

Related Content

Feb 24, 2020

Meet Logan Ramsey, MD

We're pleased to introduce Logan Ramsey, MD, vice chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2020-2021.

Feb 24, 2020

Meet Valerie Pierre, MD

We're pleased to introduce Valerie Pierre, MD, vice chair of the EMRA Health Policy Committee, 2020-2021.

Feb 24, 2020

Meet Sean Hickey, MD

We're pleased to introduce Sean Hickey, MD, vice chair of the EMRA Critical Care Committee, 2020-2021.