People

McKenzie Warshel, DO, MEd

Johns Hopkins Hospital

McKenzie is currently a PGY3 in the combined Emergency Medicine and Anesthesia residency at Johns Hopkins. She enjoys blending the two specialties and their unique crossover such as resuscitation, regional anesthesia, and procedural sedation. She has a particular interest in medical education as she completed her Masters in Medical Education while she was a medical student at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her thesis focus was on educating faculty on techniques to keep medical students more engaged. While at Hopkins, she has worked on curriculum development implementations for the interns. She has a passion for wellness and mental health advocacy in residency training.

Prior to medical school, McKenzie was a domestic violence counselor with an emphasis on children in Johnstown, PA. She spent years developing and implementing trauma-informed group counseling program in the carceral system. She attended conferences and workshops around the country on working in the carceral system, group counseling, and trauma-informed care. She created a longitudinal curriculum for incarcerated patients focusing on coping mechanisms, communication skills, healthy relationships, and accountability. She ran all group counseling sessions weekly for men and women at Cambria County Prison for two years. Prior to medical school matriculation, was awarded funding and expanded her Empowerment Program to the three correctional facilities in her local area.

Kirlos N. Haroun, MD

Johns Hopkins University

I was born in Egypt to an incredibly supportive farming family before moving to Miami, Florida with my parents and my three siblings, where I grew up. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Miami, attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, and finished my residency at the University of Chicago. Currently, I am learning and growing as a Clinical Instructor and Medical Education Fellow at Johns Hopkins, focusing on the development of wellness-minded medical professionals. This upcoming July, 2025 I will be gratefully stepping in as the Assistant Program Director of the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Residency!

Lauren A. Walter, MD, MSPH

University of Alabama Medical Center (Birmingham)

Dr. Walter is a 2005 graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School. She completed her emergency medicine residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2009 where she currently remains as an Associate Professor and Associate Vice Chair. In addition, Dr. Walter is currently the Social Emergency Medicine & Population Health Fellowship Director at UAB. Dr. Walter is a clinical researcher with a focus on social emergency medicine and population health. She is PD/PI for several socially-based, funded clinical research programs in her department, including universal HIV and HCV screening as well as opioid use disorder identification and engagement programs. Finally, Dr. Walter is also the current Research Editor for SocialEMpact.com.

Rachel Michelle Skains, MD, MSPH

University of Alabama Medical Center (Birmingham)

Dr. Rachel Michelle Skains, MD, MSPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine (EM) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) with a joint faculty position at the Birmingham VA Medical Center (BVAMC). After graduating from Wake Forest School of Medicine (2016), she completed her EM residency at UAB (2019) followed by a Clinical Research Fellowship focused on Geriatric EM while pursuing a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Clinical and Translational Science from the UAB School of Public Health (2021). Dr. Skains was awarded the AHRQ NRSA T32 Postdoctoral Scholar Fellowship in the UAB Health Services Research Training Program (2020-2022), in addition to funding through the UAB Integrative Center for Aging Research (ICAR) and Geriatric Emergency care Applied Research (GEAR) 1.0 pilot grant programs. She has recently been awarded two NIA awards: Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Specialists' Transition to Aging Research (GEMSSTAR) R03 (2023-2025) and Exploratory/ Developmental Grant R21 (2023-2025), in addition to the GEMSSTAR for EM Supplemental Funding Program through SAEMF/EMF and UAB Health Services Foundation General Endowment Fund (HSF-GEF) grants. These studies examined the risk of adverse health outcomes, such as delirium, with potentially inappropriate medication use among older adults in the ED. In addition, Dr. Skains was an ED physician champion for the UAB – Highlands and BVAMC Geriatric ED Committees, which received Level 1 (2021) and Level 3 (2023) accreditations respectively, completed the UAB Geriatric Scholar Interprofessional Program (2019-2021), updated the Geriatric ED Guidelines 2.0 in Medication Safety, published the first expert consensus-based list of high-risk prescriptions to avoid for older ED patients (GEMS-Rx), and serves as Member-at-Large for the SAEM Academy of Geriatric Emergency Medicine (AGEM) (2024-2026).

Jonathan D. Rupp, PhD

Emory University

Dr. Jonathan Rupp is the Vice Chair for Innovation and Discovery, and a Professor in Emory University School of Medicine's Department of Emergency Medicine. He holds a secondary appointment as a Professor in the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health, and an Adjunct Research Professor appointment at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in the UofM College of Engineering. Dr. Rupp’s role at IPRCE involves providing administrative, scientific, and financial oversight of the Center, including its daily functioning, progress towards the center’s mission and specific aims, management of IPRCE faculty leading each Core, and funding Center initiatives and pilot grants. Dr. Rupp provides vision and guidance for the Center’s Outreach, Research, and Training activities and our Task Forces. He represents the Center in communications with external partners and stakeholders. He also chairs the Steering Committee and the Task Force Leaders Committee.

Dr. Rupp has been extramurally funded for over 20 years. His past research has supported the development of new federal regulations, test procedures, and test devices to improve safety for occupants in motor vehicle crashes and in military vehicle exposed to under-body blast. He has collected and analyzed data on crashes and crash injury to identify risk and protective factors, developing tools for assessing the ability of vehicles to mitigate the potential for injury crashes, and statistical modeling to estimate the benefits of injury prevention technologies. His current work includes studies aimed at developing new methods for investigating pedestrian injury crashes, assessing how to most effectively counsel patients on firearm injury prevention in the ED, and characterizing factors influencing micro mobility device injuries.

He also is a member of the Georgia Crash Outcomes Data Evaluation System (CODES) Board of Directors, the Georgia Violent Death Reporting System’s Advisory Committee, the Rollins—Spark (Program on Substance Use Disorders) Advisory Board, the Georgia State University Center for Alcohol and Violence Research External Advisory Board, and the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center External Advisory Board.

Douglas Wiebe, PhD

University of Michigan

Dr. Wiebe is a Professor at the University of Michigan with appointments in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology (School of Public Health). He is Director of the U-M Injury Prevention Center, one of 11 centers funded by the CDC, and is PI of the Ivy League-Big Ten Epidemiology of Concussion Study.

Myron Q. Love, CHPA, CPP, PSP, PCI

Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin

Myron Q. Love, CHPA, CPP, PSP, PCI is Director of Safety, Security, Emergency Management and Business Continuity with Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin. As a practitioner, he has over twenty years of experience leading physical security and campus safety programs for several of the nation’s top-ranked pediatric and regional adult academic medical centers. He supports his industry as a healthcare security thought-leader, serving as a member of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) Council on Guidelines, Director of the ASIS International Processional Certification Board, and Chair of the IAHSS Greater Milwaukee Chapter. He is Chair Emeritus of the ASIS International Healthcare Security Council.

He is a board-certified subject matter expert, having earned the Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator (CHPA) credential in addition to the ASIS International “Triple-Crown” as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Physical Security Professional (PSP), and Professional Certified Investigator (PCI).

His expertise includes the design and implementation of policies, standards, and guidelines to ensure accreditation compliance, emergency preparedness, and incident response. He has successfully led physical security risk assessment, design, and systems teams working towards activation of new Level 1 Trauma emergency departments, inpatient behavioral health units, and was a contributing SME of the IAHSS Workplace Violence Prevention certification program.

Nida F. Degesys, MD

UCSF

Dr. Degesys is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at UCSF and serves as the medical director for the UCSF Age Friendly Emergency Department (AFED), the only Level 1 GED in the Bay Area, as well as the Assistant Medical Director for the UCSF ED, the Medical Director of the Clinical Decision Unity (CDU) and the UCSF EM Administrative Fellowship Director. Dr. Degesys completed an administrative fellowship at Stanford University and emergency medicine residency at UCSF/ZSFG. Dr. Degesys has won several awards including ACEP's National Junior Faculty Teaching Award (2023), Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Academy of Geriatric EM (AGEM) Early Career Achievement (2023), the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA) National Fellow of the Year (2019), the UCSF EM faculty bedside teaching award (2019), and SAEM's National Resident Educator Award (2018).

Nkele Davis, MD

Emory University School of Medicine

Dr. Nkele Davis is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Emory University. She trained at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and completed a two-year medical education fellowship at Emory University. She has a specific interest in mentorship and undergraduate medical education. She is the Assistant Clerkship Director for Emergency Medicine and Assistant Medical Education Fellowship Director. 

Elizabeth Stulpin, MD

Emory University

Dr. Elizabeth Stulpin is a current Medical Education fellow in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University and future Assistant Program at the University of Pennsylvania Emergency Medicine residency. She is originally from Philadelphia, then completed her residency training at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. She is interested in graduate medical education and quality improvement in order to provide the highest level of care for her patients.

Marta A.W Rowh, MD, PhD, MPH

Emory University School of Medicine

Dr. Rowh is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Racial Advocacy (DEIRA) Curriculum Thread director at Emory School of Medicine. Dr. Rowh trained at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a medical degree and a doctorate in immunology. She was a physician for the Air National Guard, CBRNE unit, volunteering in NYC during the COVID pandemic and serving as the Medical Director for a civilian-military mass vaccination partnership. She has led a variety of SOM programs in community engagement, public health, health systems and policy. She teaches for the same reason she entered medicine – to improve health inequities within our community.

Nita Avrith, MD

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Nita Avrith, MD MPH, Assistant Professor Emergency Medicine, Global Health Fellowship Director, Mount Sinai Morningside/West

Tigist T. Bedane, MD, ECCM

St.Peter Specialized Hospital

Chase Westra, MD

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Chase Westra, MD is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Morningside & West in New York City. He completed his residency at LAC+USC Medical Center where he participated in a mini-fellowship in hospital administration and QI, served as the resident director of the Social Emergency Medicine program, and participated in global projects in Colombia, Kenya, and Mexico. During medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, Dr. Westra participated in the Global Medicine (GMED) Program where he was involved in programs in Peru and the Dominican Republic. His professional interests include global EM capacity development and education, linkage to care from the ED, and addressing social barriers to care in the ED through community partnerships.

Michelle Feltes, MD MACM

Stanford University

Michelle Feltes, MD is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University Hospital. She received an MD from Washington University in St Louis and completed Emergency Medicine residency training at George Washington University. Dr Feltes completed her Global Emergency Medicine fellowship at Stanford University’s Department of Emergency Medicine in 2018. During her fellowship, she received a Master of Academic Medicine degree from the University of Southern California. Dr Feltes also led the creation and implementation of an emergency medicine diploma course for physicians in Myanmar. After fellowship, she joined the Department of Emergency Medicine as faculty at Stanford University, focusing on medical education in global emergency medicine. In 2022, Dr Feltes became the co-director of Stanford’s Global Emergency Medicine fellowship. She currently works with faculty in Kigali, Rwanda on a longitudinal, sustainable curriculum for ultrasound training for Rwandan emergency medicine residents.

Mallika Manyapu, MD, MPH

George Washington University

I am currently a second-year global health fellow at George Washington University with plans to complete my fellowship in July 2025. I have a strong background in global health and a passion for improving healthcare access and outcomes worldwide.

Throughout my academic journey, I have actively engaged in projects that have allowed me to develop a well-rounded understanding of the challenges faced in global health, especially humanitarian response, workforce capacity building and medical education. My journey in global health, specifically, began in medical school where I also completed a Masters in Public Health in global epidemiology from Emory University, and gained comprehensive knowledge in global health issues, epidemiology, policy, and program management.

I completed my emergency medicine residency at Montefiore, Jacobi, and Albert Einstein in the Bronx, New York. During residency, I worked extensively with the underserved population in the Bronx, and as a chief resident, focused on wellness initiatives for residents, developing curriculums, and providing mentorship. I also volunteered through various organizations in India, Jamaica, and Poland, providing healthcare, teaching local providers, and participating in program improvement task forces.

As a fellow at George Washington University, I have been involved in many projects involving education, capacity building, and humanitarian response. My experiences have allowed me to participate in projects alongside organizations such as WHO and International Medical Corp. I have traveled to Ukraine, India, Uganda, Kenya, Jamaica, and Rwanda during my fellowship thus far and hope to continue working in these spaces to improve clinical care in low-resource and challenging settings. My long-term goal is to continue building on these experiences and establish a role in organizations that specifically focus on building capacity and providing healthcare in challenging environments.

Justin G. Myers, DO

University of North Carolina Hospitals

Dr. Justin Myers is a U.S. Board-Certified Emergency Physician and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Carolina. As the Director of Faculty Education and a Certified Professional Coach, he is dedicated to advancing high-quality medical education and fostering the professional growth of emergency medicine physicians, residents, and medical students. With a strong commitment to global health, Dr. Myers has been actively involved in emergency medicine development and research in Kenya since 2014. He is a registered WHO/ICRC Basic Emergency Care (BEC) trainer and has played a key role in facilitating international emergency care initiatives. Through his expertise in medical education, leadership development, and global emergency medicine, Dr. Myers continues to shape the future of the field while mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Nichole Michaeli, MD, MPH, DTM&H

University of Vermont Medical Center

Dr. Michaeli is an assistant professor in emergency medicine and co-director of the Global Health Equity fellowship at the University of Vermont Medical Center. She completed residency at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a global emergency medicine fellowship at Havard Medical School/Brigham and Women's Hospital. She holds an MD/MPH from the University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio. She is interested in strengthening global emergency care systems through the design, adaptation, and implemention of emergency tools and training for local frontline providers in regions affected by conflict and humanitarian crises. She has recently worked in Kenya, Somalia, Liberia, and Ukraine.

Lisa Bell, MD

Harbor UCLA Medical Center

Ruba Omeira, MD, MPH

Georgetown University Emergency Medicine

Ruba Omeira, MD, MPH, Resident Physician PGY-1, Georgetown University Emergency Medicine