Nathaniel Sands, MPH

I am a second-year medical student at California Northstate University (CNSU) in Elk Grove, California, and the Secretary of the CNSU EM Interest Group. I initially became interested in EM as I was finishing my BS in Biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara.  I figured, what better inroad to explore medicine than EM? So, I became an EMT, and concurrently volunteered in the Emergency Department at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.  After exploring interests in infectious diseases and public health at UC Berkeley and UCSF, I returned to EM as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Center for Resuscitation Science, a research group in the Emergency Department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. While in Philadelphia, I worked on a project to provide COVID-19 testing to people experiencing homelessness, served as President of the Penn Pre-Health Program’s Student Government, and helped establish the Resuscitative TEE Collaborative Registry (rTEECoRe).  Now, in medical school, I remain active in the community by volunteering with Sacramento Street Medicine and at local elementary schools in the Sacramento area.

Throughout my journey, I have established so many fantastic relationships with people in EM and related disciplines. At the SAEM Annual Meeting in Phoenix last May, I enjoyed reconnecting with many of my colleagues, and I felt honored to meet so many exceptional practitioners of academic emergency medicine.  I feel at home within this community, so I would love to expand my role within SAEM.

This is my motto: whatever we wish to achieve, let’s do it together. As a RAMS Medical Student Representative, I want to connect with as many EM residents and medical students interested in EM as possible. I strive to harness resources and networks within SAEM to build a community that supports and advances the careers of all members.  In turn, I hope that you, the reader of this statement, will reach out to me with ideas, concerns, advice, or questions so that I may address them to the best of my ability.  I am excited to be part of your team!