Rob Tatum

President

Arlene Ho

Past President

Arlene was born and raised in Orange County, CA, specifically Little Saigon, raised by ornery Vietnamese immigrants, and still came out a pretty okay person. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with dual degrees in Human Biology and Psychology. After 2 gap years working as a GI medical assistant and as an executive assistant for UCI Alumni Association, Arlene went to Michigan and experienced what cold actually meant, graduating from Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) with a dual MD/MBA degree. Now she is a Med-Peds resident at Loma Linda University and continues to be a serial hobbyist and committee-ist, not the least of being LLU Med-Peds’ social media master. She was heavily influenced by the Med-Peds faculty and interest group at WMed and is very intent on giving back at least as much as she received. Arlene is excited to expand the national Med-Peds mentorship network to help others to find their joy for both adult and pediatric care in the best specialty!

Christy Lopez

President Elect

Christy grew up in Martinez, California (home of the John Muir House!). For college, she left the West Coast to attend Johns Hopkins for undergrad, where she studied public health with a minor in piano performance. She then attended Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai for medical school, where she was heavily involved in the student run free clinic East Harlem Health Outreach Project. As much as she loved the Big Apple, she ultimately decided to head back to Baltimore for residency at the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Med-Peds program. She is currently aspiring to pursue Combined Critical & Complex Care, with an academic focus on the care of medically complex young adults transitioning between home and ICU settings. Furthermore, she hopes for her practice to focus on the care of immigrant/refugee patients. Outside of medicine, she enjoys hiking, exploring Baltimore, playing piano in the Hopkins Medical Orchestra, and doing various running or multi-sport races.  She is thrilled to be stepping into the role of president for NMPRA. She hopes to continue to highlight the flexibility of Med-Peds for all!

Vineet Raman

Treasurer

NMPRA Coordinator

NMPRA Coordinator

Job posts are handled exclusively by the NMPRA coordinator. Please Contact the NMPRA coordinator for any questions regarding your job posting:  [email protected]

Djamina Esperance

Secretary (Traditional)

Djamina (she/her) grew up in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti where she lived until sophomore year of
high school. She completed the remainder of high school in Florida and subsequently moved to
Indiana for college at Taylor University. She spent a good portion of her training in Illinois
working as a standardized patient, EMT, and scribe during her gap years. She later completed a
post-baccalaureate program at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine where she
eventually stayed to complete her medical school training. She is now living in Boston where she
is a rising PGY-2 at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Boston Children’s Hospital Med-Peds
program. At the present moment she is excited to pursue a career in medical education and
academic hospital medicine or primary care. Outside of work she enjoys theater, reading,
exploring coffee shops/restaurants, watching soccer, dancing, and playing guitar and ukulele.
NMPRA played a pivotal role in helping her discover and ultimately choosing Med-Peds as her
specialty. She is thrilled for the opportunity to give back and inspire the next generation of MedPeds physicians.

Chang Xu

Public Relations Secretary

Jess Campanile

Director of Medical Students/Recruitment

Leonardo Olivera Perez

Director of Community Service and Outreach

Paetyn Cage

Director-Elect of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Subcommittee

Paetyn Cage is a Med-Peds resident at Emory University School of Medicine whose clinical practice and scholarship are grounded in compassionate care and a sustained commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She earned her MD from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where she was deeply involved in leadership with the Student National Medical Association, participated in medical school governance and admissions work to promote equitable selection and support of learners, and led community outreach initiatives aimed at underserved populations.

Her academic interests include psychological safety in medical education, learner development, and dismantling structural barriers that create disparities in healthcare and training. She has presented her work at regional and national conferences and contributed to projects that support underrepresented learners and foster inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments. Prior experience as a clinical research coordinator and years supporting children with cancer and their families continue to inform her advocacy, mentorship, and patient-centered approach.

Nellie Dyer

Director of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Subcommittee

I am a third year at the University of Louisville program! I am very passionate about DEI in healthcare, both for patients and providers. I am excited to be working with the DEI subcommittee to bring new and exciting webinar series and networking opportunities to NMPRA. One of my goals for this position in the coming year is to foster a URIM mentorship group! Here’s looking forward to a great year!

Jean-Luc Germany

Director of Health Policy/Advocacy

Diane Hassanieh

Director of Professional Advancement

Dr. Diane Hassanieh is a PGY-4 Med-Peds resident at UMass–Baystate and will serve as the Director of Professional Advancement. She has been involved with NMPRA since medical school and previously served as Traditional Secretary and Conference Vice Chair/Speaker Liaison. She is passionate about mentorship and professional development within medical education. As she navigates her own career path, she is excited to support other trainees in building mentorship connections and exploring the seemingly endless possibilities for a career in Med-Peds.