Alumni Spotlight

The Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship prepares physicians for a career of impact. 

 

  • Sonya Stokes, IEM Fellow 2018

    • Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

    During her fellowship, Dr. Stokes evaluated a community-based surveillance system monitoring internally displaced persons in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She also was awarded Lancet’s best student poster at CUGH 2018 for her two poster presentations:

    1. Barriers to Implementation of a Community-Based Surveillance System Monitoring Internally Displaced Persons in the Democratic Republic of Congo
    2. Barriers to receiving care among women who have experienced gender-based violence in Afghanistan
  • ​Hayes Wong, IEM Fellow 2018

    • IRC Uganda

    During her fellowship, Dr. Wong worked in Uganda with the International Rescue Committee to assess the quality of healthcare at health facilities that served South Sudanese refugees. Following this assessment, she worked with health staff on the ground to set up, test, and implement a quality improvement system. She also worked in Rwanda with sidHARTe – Strengthening Emergency Systems to train front line provides on acute care through 5-day training courses.

  • ​Tsion Firew, IEM Fellow 2017

    • sidHARTe Strengthening Health Systems, WHO Geneva & Ethiopia MoH

    During her fellowship, Dr. Firew worked in the Upper East Region of Ghana to conduct facility Needs Assessment Emergency Services Resource Assessment Tool (ESRAT). Using this experience, she also worked for the Emergency and Critical Care directorate of Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia where she trained data collectors and analyzed assessment results. She also served as the clinical team lead in Mosul, Iraq for the Trauma Stabilization Point operated by the NYC medics. She conducted this work during the battle for Mosul and her work included rapid triage of patients, hemorrhage control, airway management, and critical life-saving interventions.

  • ​Jonathan Lee, IEM Fellow 2017

    • WHO & MSF

    During his fellowship, Dr. Lee worked with worked in Ghana under the Ghana Health Service with the Dr. Moresky in the Columbia University - sidHARTe - Strengthening Emergency Systems to conduct ESRAT assessments of emergency services in health facilities. During his MPH practicum, he worked in Cairo at the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) on the development of the NCD emergency health kit, a supply of medications and equipment meant to provide for the NCD healthcare needs of 10,000 people over 3 months in emergency settings. Later he returned to work for the WHO and served as the Mosul Trauma Referral Coordination. This work was conducted during the battle for Mosul and involved coordinating clinical services, designing and implementing a referral system, evaluating data, and creating a tele-medical advisory of optimal patient care. Finally, Dr. Lee is currently in Cox’s Bazar district with MSF providing clinical services to Rohingya refugees and the local community.

  • ​Craig Spencer, IEM Fellow 2013

    • Director, Global Health in Emergency Medicine, CUMC

    During his fellowship, Dr. Spencer worked as a field epidemiologist on numerous projects measuring access to medical care and human rights in Africa and Southeast Asia. In addition to his global public health work, Craig has worked clinically providing medical care in the Caribbean, Central America, and East Africa with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). He has completed many missions including deployment to West Africa during the Ebola epidemic. Most recently Craig worked with MSF on a medical search and rescue boat for migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

  • Mary Choi, IEM Fellow 2011

    • CDC Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion

    After her fellowship, Dr. Choi worked as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia University and served as Community Case Management Survey Specialist at the IRC. There she led a joint childhood mortality survey with Save the Children. She also developed and led a child mortality survey in Sierra Leone with IRC and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). She was subsequently selected for the prestigious CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service. She currently serves as a medical officer with the CDC Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion.

  • Trina Helderman, IEM Fellow 2009

    • Senior Health Advisor in Emergency Medicine, Medair, Sudan

    During her fellowship, Dr. Helderman served as a health intern working in South Sudan near Darfur for IRC assisting with training and quality of care assessments for the clinical staff and directed the community response to a cholera outbreak. After fellowship, she took on a Project Coordinator role with the MENTOR initiative to prevent a malaria outbreak following floods in northern Kenya. In 2011, she began as Project Manager with Medair in South Sudan, working with their emergency response team. She is currently the Senior Health Advisor in Emergency Medicine for Medair, Sudan.