2024 Health Policy Academy Fellows Spotlights
Alexander Hua, MD, MBA, Health Policy Academy Fellow 2024-2025
Program: LSU New Orleans
Alexander is a PGY-2 emergency medicine resident at LSU Health Sciences New Orleans, with a unique background spanning medicine, business and health policy. He completed his MD/MBA from the Tulane University School of Medicine/A.B. Freeman School of Business. Prior to that, he earned his B.S. in Neuroscience at the University of California Los Angeles and M.S. in Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine. Shaped by his experience as a first-generation Vietnamese American, he is deeply passionate about addressing healthcare disparities and advocating for underserved communities. As an HPA fellow, he seeks to leverage his unique background and interdisciplinary expertise to drive more equitable change in healthcare policy and practice, both locally and nationally. Post shift, he enjoys exploring the vibrant culinary scene in New Orleans, salsa dancing, and training for his next triathlon.
James Blum, MD, MPP, Health Policy Academy Fellow 2024-2025
Program: Boston Medical Center
James is a third year resident at Boston Medical Center. He grew up in Maryland and attended Brown University where he studied chemistry. After college, he worked on Capitol Hill for two years in the House of Representatives. He attended Icahn School of Medicine for medical school and also completed a Master in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School during this time. He is focused on working with underserved communities and developing health policy that improves access and quality of healthcare.
Lucinda Millsom, MS4, Health Policy Academy Fellow 2024-2025
Program: St George’s, University of London
Lucinda is a final year medical student and aspiring emergency medicine physician completing her clinical rotations at Swedish Hospital, Chicago. Originally from Sydney, Lucinda worked in Australian politics as Chief of Staff to a senior Cabinet Minister before studying medicine. She intends to use her political and policy background to advocate for EM physicians and patients and to help implement innovative healthcare funding models. Lucinda has embraced the pickleball phenomenon and loves anything that involves the beach.
Nicholas Rizer, MD, Health Policy Academy Fellow 2024-2025
Program: Johns Hopkins
Nick is currently a PGY-3 resident at the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine residency program. Originally from Pennsylvania, he attended Penn State for undergrad and the University of Pennsylvania for medical school. He has served as an Assistant Vice Chair for the EMRA Health Policy Committee and is involved in advocacy efforts surrounding the health impacts of climate change in Maryland. He is particularly interested in health care financing, alternative payment systems, and health care disparities.
Polly Wiltz, DO, Health Policy Academy Fellow 2024-2025
Program: University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Polly is a PGY-2 emergency medicine resident at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University. She completed medical school at Pacific Northwest University College of Medicine. Prior to that she earned a dual-degree B.S. in Biochemistry and B.A. in Spanish from Western Washington University, after which she spent three years serving in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. Her experience as a Community Health Educator and Peace Corps Volunteer Leader sparked her passion and dedication to working with underserved communities and advocating on behalf of those who have not yet found their voice. This also gave her in-the-field experience to assist in project design on a national level with host-country nationals and foreign diplomats As an HPA fellow, she hopes to expand her skills into health policy and population health to create and influence legislation that protect health and human rights for people living in the United States. Her hobbies outside of medicine include kayaking, hiking, theatre, reading, exploring with her family and pets, and naps.
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