Can you tell us a little about your professional journey and how you got into emergency medicine?

I went to medical school thinking that I would be an emergency physician. This was mostly because of the stories I heard growing up from my mom and aunt who were both ER nurses. I was fascinated by the cases they discussed. I anxiously looked forward to my 16th birthday when I would be able to join my town’s ambulance squad. My mother had been a member of since I was in kindergarten and I admired the volunteer service she provided to our community coupled with the medical care she provided to patients. I was lucky to get a job after high school for my summers and college breaks working the ED of our local hospital. That time solidified my plans. I felt at home in the ED and knew it was the specialty for me. I tried to keep an open mind during medical school but with each clinical experience, I continued to find myself gravitating towards the ED while also enjoying the majority of my clinical rotations. While I briefly entertained another specialty, it never felt right and emergency medicine was definitively the right choice for me. 

What motivated you to join the CORD Board of Directors?

From the beginning of my career after residency, I knew that I wanted to work in GME with residents. I can still remember attending my first CORD meeting in 2010 and leaving so motivated to go bring back so many of the things I learned to my own program. Additionally, the professional network I have developed through CORD has been grounding for me with a group of close friends who are people I reach out to for advice, lean on when I have a challenging situation and motivate me to push my career. Over the years, I watched the leadership of CORD as I got more involved and realized that the ability to serve on the Board of Directors would not only bring me professional fulfillment but also allow me to have a larger impact and represent my colleagues in residency leadership in important discussions and decisions. This is a critical time to be involved with emergency medicine education as the specialty faces many challenges: capacity crises, outpatient resources, a learning environment that remains difficult, changes in application numbers, and a look forward to what is expected of emergency physicians in the future. For members who are looking for ways to get involved, I would recommend joining committees and then volunteering for projects and leadership roles within them. Over time, this builds your network and impact in the organization and specialty. CORD is a group that promotes each other and there are many opportunities that can lead to increasing levels of leadership. The Board of Directors is an amazing way to ultimately represent your colleagues and help to shape the direction of the organization. 

Can you tell us about your current role and responsibilities at your institution?

In terms of my current professional life, I am the program director of the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Mass General Brigham. I trained in this program, but then spent the majority of my professional career in NYC. I decided to apply for the PD job when it opened and came back right in the middle of COVID (just after chairing the COVID academic assembly in NYC). It was a crazy time to move and change my job, but ultimately this has been a great decision. Coming back to the program where I trained and leading the next generation of residents has been a highlight for me. All of us in this space do this for the ability to guide trainees and having the opportunity to do this in the place that trained me has been amazing. Recently I have taken on the role of Vice Chair of Education as well, and this has allowed me to expand my reach to fellows and students. I feel incredibly luck to work alongside a group of educators who are deeply committed to advancing education in our field.