AAEM/RSA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
AAEM/RSA President Introduction Leah Colucci, MD MS
M
y name is Leah Colucci and I wanted to dedicate my first AAEM/RSA President’s corner of Common Sense introducing myself and my board as we take on the task of running AAEM/RSA!
I am a PGY-1 at Yale New Haven Hospital. I come from the great state of Florida and spent my undergrad, medical school, and masters at The University of Miami. (It is all about the []_[]!) I double majored in Neuroscience and Marine Biology. My family still calls me Mermaid. I am the only child of two emergency medicine nurses. My mom climbed in leadership at her institution and became the CNO of a rural hospital whose ED is staffed by a rare democratic group. I firsthand saw and heard the struggles of life in the ED and swore I would not be going into emergency medicine. However, I quickly fell in love with the unique ability we have as EM physicians to meet people on the worst day of their life and make a positive impact. After years of resisting, I found there was no other specialty that would be as fulfilling and I committed myself with eyes wide open.
“We need to take our privilege and work on what is broken in our system, not accept the status quo.” I joined AAEM, because I passionately believe everyone deserves access to a board-certified emergency medicine physician when they present to an ED. I don’t believe that just because you live in a rural community, or because you are a vulnerable member of society that you are forced to be seen by an NPP. Our specialty is dedicated to anyone, anything, anytime, and that should include anywhere in our country—not anywhere that doesn’t have independent practice. I also believe COVID highlighted how CMGs and private equity can take advantage of our care. AAEM has been the organization ringing the alarm bells for years. I don’t want our amazing residents to enter our incredible specialty with learned helplessness. We are physicians, we have overcome every obstacle thrown are way to become elite members of society. We need to take our privilege and work on what is broken in our system, not accept the status quo. I hope to give residents a voice and empower the best and brightest to enter our specialty and make a difference.
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COMMON SENSE JULY/AUGUST 2022
These passions and opinions I am bringing into my presidency. I look forward to working with the rest of my board: Vice President: Corey McNeilly, MD, University of Tennessee- Murfreesboro/Nashville
Past-President: Lauren Lamparter, MD, University of Illinois Chicago
Secretary/Treasurer: Anantha Singarajah, DO, Eisenhower Medical Center
Advocacy Liaison: Andrew Langille, DO, University of Tennessee-Murfreesboro/Nashville
Wellness Liaison: Nahal Nikroo, MD, Nuvance Health/Vassar Brothers Medical Center
International Liaison: Donna Okoli, MD, Advocate Christ Medical Center
Publications and Social Media Liaison: Kaitlin Parks, DO, Washington University in St. Louis
Chapter Division & Section Liaison: Heather Renfro, MD, University of Chicago
Education Liaison: Loren Touma, DO, Jefferson Northeast Medical
Student Representative: Mary Unanyan, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific