ER doctor and MPH student Nellie Darling wants to fix disaster medicine
Nellie Darling, an emergency medicine doctor, was inspired to pursue public health after witnessing how hospitals struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Program
Expected graduation year
2027
Hometown
Portland, Maine
Transcript
As an ER doctor, one of the things I love about my job is that I get to see something different every day. I never really know what’s going to come through the door. Working clinically in the middle of a pandemic, I learned firsthand exactly what we can do if we can combine disaster medicine and public health. So, I started seeking out public health programs bridging this gap.
Flexibility was extremely important for me. [Harvard Chan School] was very accommodating and really attracts professionals and pre-professionals who are also working. So, I’m continuing to work as an ER doctor while I’m doing my degree.
One of the papers that I’m working on is on the effect of mass casualties on pre-hospital care delivery. One of my co-workers is trying to figure out, you know, do we start LVAD [Left Ventricular Assist Device, a surgical implant that helps the heart pump] soon enough on patients with heart failure?
I was truly inspired by seeing how many like-minded people were coming together in this climate to try and make change. And I just I felt like I was home.
Just for fun
Dog mom to a golden retriever named Aurora and a pit bull named Hank
