Program Leadership

Amy Puchalski, MD
Associate Program Director

Asuncion Erikson
Program Coordinator
Current Fellows
PGY-4
Victoria Riley, MD
Adam Brzezinski, MD
Sami Hlebak, DO
PGY-5
Beth Melton, DO
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine-Carolinas Campus
Residency: Wake Forest (Emergency)
“Hi! My name is Beth Melton and I am so happy to be a PEM fellow at CMC. I am originally from Michigan and went to Michigan State University for college. I moved to Charlotte shortly after and worked for several years as a medical assistant, EMT, and was a Hyperbaric Technologist at CMC – Mercy. I attended medical school in South Carolina and recently completed my EM residency at Wake Forest. I live in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood of Charlotte now with my husband Tyler, my cat Petrie and my dog Triscuit. Professionally, I have research and clinical interests in preventing child abuse, ED care of sexual assault patients, workplace violence, and global health. Personally, I enjoy cooking and baking, attempting to try every Charlotte restaurant (just ask me for recommendations!), running and hiking, watersports, travel, reading, and crocheting. My favorite thing about CMC so far has been the people. The attendings and teaching are unmatched, and working alongside the phenomenal residents and other fellows makes me happy to come to work every day.”
Taylor Burl, MD
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Residency: Hennepin County (Emergency)
“Hello! My name is Taylor and I’m a second-year PEM fellow, along with Beth. I grew up in Newburyport, Massachusetts and have a strong preference for beaches, black dogs, seafood, and New England sports teams. I went to undergrad at Penn State so naturally love the Nittany Lions and college football, too. I stayed in Boston for medical school at Tufts, and recently completed my emergency medicine residency at Hennepin County in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I fell in love with the PEM fellowship at CMC/LCH because it’s a high acuity, high volume, urban hospital program in a city with easy access to the outdoors, a great food and drink scene (I’ve been getting recommendations from Beth since I moved), and lovely neighborhoods to live in. On days off you can find me running, hiking with my dog, browsing flea markets, or reading romance novels and murder mysteries. My research interests include pediatric airway management and pediatric trauma. I’m looking forward to exploring these interests during fellowship, with the support of the wonderful and down-to-earth faculty at CMC/LCH. “
PGY-6
Rebecca Raffler, DO
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Carolinas Medical Center (Pediatrics)
“I’m a rare, born and raised, Charlotte native! Despite leaving to do my Undergrad at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, then living in NYC for a few years, I found my way back down south for medical school at VCOM in Spartanburg, SC. It was a very easy decision for me to come back to Charlotte, NC for my Pediatric Residency training at Levine Children’s Hospital and I love it here so much that I stayed for Fellowship. My research interests are on invasive group A strep, sepsis, and am currently the simulation fellow on our Sim Track! While our education and experience are uncontested with the amount of high acuity patients we care for and the diverse pathologies, it’s the people we work with and the city itself that sold this program to me. Charlotte is central to the mountains, beach, and multiple lakes so there’s always something to do and somewhere to be! The food, bar, and activity scene here is amazing and (most importantly) it’s super dog friendly! I can’t imagine being anywhere else. So come hang out with us!”
Alumni
2025
Zack Gibson, DO
Medical School: A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: University of Arizona (Emergency Medicine)
Research Interest: Airway Management, Medical Education
Current Position: University of Utah
Haseeb Khatri, MD
Medical School: Texas A&M
Residency: University of Missouri (Emergency Medicine)
Research Interest: Advocacy and Policy, HIV Linkage to Care
Current Position: Health Care Administration, Leadership, and Management Fellowship (inaugural Atrium Health Program Fellow!), Carolinas Medical Center and Levine Children’s Emergency Department
Maureen Nsofor, MD
Medical School: Morehouse Medical College
Residency: Emory (Pediatrics)
Research Interest: Injury Prevention
Current Position: Carolinas Medical Center and Levine Children’s Emergency Department
2024
Ali Rosser, MD
Medical School: SUNY Upstate
Residency: Stony Brook (Emergency Medicine)
Research Interest: Simulation and Medical Education
Current Position: Dell Children’s Hospital – Austin
Kendra Jackson, MD
Medical School: University of Virginia
Residency: Carolinas Medical Center (Pediatrics)
Research Interest: HIV and Medical Education
Current Position: Johns Hopkins University
2023
Lizz Olson, MD
Medical School: Wake Forest
Residency: Carolinas Medical Center (Emergency Medicine)
Research Interest: Informatics and HIV
Current Position: Medical College of Georgia
Erica Scott, MD
Medical School: Texas Tech
Residency: East Carolina University (Emergency Medicine)
Research Interest: Global Health and Medical Education
Current Position: UT Southwestern
Whitney Ficker, MD
Medical School: University of Missouri
Residency: University of Missouri (Pediatrics)
Research Interest: Human Trafficking
Current Position: University of Missouri
2022
Vanessa Goff, MD
Medical School: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Residency: Children’s National Health System (Pediatrics)
Current Position: East Carolina University
Nikki Richardson, MD
Medical School: East Carolina University
Residency: Carolinas Medical Center (Emergency Medicine)
Current Position: St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital – Tampa
2021
Elise Alves Graber, MD
Medical School: University of Miami
Residency: University of Miami (Pediatrics)
Current Position: Jackson Health System
Juliana Jaramillo, MD
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Residency: King’s Country Hospital/SUNY Downstate (Emergency Medicine)
Current Position: East Carolina University
2017
Christyn Magill, MD
Medical School: University of Florida College of Medicine
Residency: Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Richmond (Pediatrics)
Current Position: Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center and Levine Childrens’ Hospital
JR Young, MD
Medical School: University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Residency: Children’s Hospital of Colorado (Pediatrics)
Current Position: Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates, Charlotte, NC
2014
Maneesha Agarwal, MD
Medical School: University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Residency: Boston Combined Residency Program in Pediatrics (Pediatrics)
Current Position: Faculty and Associate Professor Emory University School of Medicine / Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
2012
Chad Scarboro, MD
Medical School: Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Residency: East Carolina, Brody School of Medicine (Emergency Medicine)
Current Position: Chief Medical Officer, Levine Children’s Hospital and Jeff Gordon’s Children’s Center. Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center