DOM Staff Spotlight: Emily Twa, MPH

Our next DOM Staff Spotlight is Emily Twa, Senior Business Manager for the Department of Medicine. Learn more about our colleague below!

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Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?
I’ve lived in most regions of the U.S. except the Northeast. Most of my family lives in Texas and California. I moved to Atlanta when I came to Emory for graduate school, and it’s been a great place to call home since then!

What is your professional background?
After undergrad, I was a middle school educator through Teach for America. I loved teaching but knew I wanted a role that would allow me to zoom out and drive equity at a system level, even if that was outside of education. Ultimately, I decided that a Master’s in Public Health Policy and Management was the best place to start. While at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, I held roles that allowed me to explore healthcare operations, public policy, and non-profits.

I joined Emory Healthcare as an Administrative Fellow after graduating. This gave me the opportunity to take on projects related to strategy, operations, and finance while learning from the executive teams at PGP and EUHM. After my fellowship, I joined Palliative Medicine where I  supported their inpatient and outpatient operations. They are a fantastic group, and I was lucky to be on a team that encouraged my creative and analytical approach to problem-solving.

What is your role at Emory?
I serve as the Senior Business Manager for the Department of Medicine. My role supports clinic and academic activities at the division and department levels. I manage projects that impact all our teams (i.e., improving onboarding processes) and provide more targeted support to divisions that have major strategic or operational projects (i.e., GI’s Rapid Improvement Projects).

How long have you worked in the Department of Medicine?
I’ve been with the Department of Medicine for about four months. The team is so supportive and welcoming. I am so happy to be part of it!

What are you currently working on? Any upcoming projects? 
I have several projects that are picking up in the new year. The first involves launching the Department of Medicine’s workplace safety plan. We spent the last several months researching best practices and coordinating with groups across Emory. We know that safety has weighed heavily on many team members and look forward to launching this soon. In the next couple of months, we will share formal recommendations with our teams around communication, training, and space setup. We plan to make existing tools readily available for teams so that they feel prepared in an emergency.

EHC and SOM are also addressing safety at a system level. Our work is on a smaller scale and will fit into any broader initiatives. There will be presentations and emails ahead, so stay tuned and please feel free to reach out with questions or recommendations!

What do you like to do for fun outside of work?
I love trying new things, so this can change by the week! My go-to has always been reading. I enjoy everything from articles to short stories to books.