Be
DR . WHO
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT DR . MELISSA PLATT
AUTHOR Kathryn Vance
“ the change you wish to see in the world .” These words by Mahatma Ghandi ring true after just one conversation with Dr . Melissa Platt . She is a strong advocate for both her patients and physician peers . But before she could use her voice as a physician , she entered the health care world in another way .
Dr . Platt was born and raised in Chicago . Her mother , an ER nurse for over 40 years , was always a strong influence on every factor of her life . Dr . Platt ’ s mother would often bring her to the doctors ’ lounge on night shifts , much to the 9-year-old ’ s joy .
“ I thought it was great , it was like a party ,” she said , remembering fondly the orange and apple juice she ’ d drink . “ I thought eating at the cafeteria at the hospital was great !”
When Dr . Platt finished high school , she thought of becoming a physical therapist , but soon decided to go into nursing , to work in the ER , just like her mom . She also realized that big city life wasn ’ t for her and wanted to go “ somewhere with more trees .” She moved to Lexington , Kentucky to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Kentucky . However , by her junior year , she realized she wanted more .
“ I loved nursing , but I could probably only do it for about five years ,” she said . “ I felt that I knew what I wanted to do for patients as far as treatment ; I felt confined with nursing . I didn ’ t like to have to go ask for something that I knew needed to be done . I wanted the background and the training in medicine to provide the best care that I could for my patient .”
After graduating from UK , she looked at her options for medical school , finding Louisville to be the metropolitan sweet spot between Lexington and her home town . As a senior at the University
of Louisville School of Medicine , she knew she would return to where her heart was all along . “ Emergency medicine has always been very comfortable for me . I feel completely at home in the emergency department . People ask if I ’ d do it again 20 years later , and I say absolutely .”
During her third year of at UofL , she was named Chief Resident , which gave her a glimpse into what it ’ d be like to be a faculty member and sparked an interest in academics . She then joined a private practice with contracts in Shelbyville and Louisville and remained with them for a year and a half before a much-anticipated position opened up with UofL and they asked her to come back . “ It was like coming home .”
After rising in the ranks over the last 16 years , Dr . Platt is a Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and also serves as the Program Director of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program .
“ I have 35 of the most wonderful residents a program director could ever ask for ,” she said . “ One of the joys of emergency medicine is that you get to live it through the eyes of the resident . There ’ s a great energy in academics .”
That positive energy is essential when working in a fast-paced Level I trauma center like UofL Hospital . No matter the time of day , month of the year , or the assault of a global pandemic , their team is constantly in action . “ Emergency medicine keeps moving . Where others were forced to stop , we kept going . We always say , either lean in or step forward . We will always be there for the community , and we will be sure that we ’ re safe doing it .”
Emergency medicine physicians wear many different hats , never knowing what will walk through the door on any given day . “ We treat prince to pauper--we ’ ll treat anyone . And in just one day , you can have a bunch of different roles . You can be an internist first ,
( continued on page 30 ) SEPTEMBER 2021 29