Nicte Mejia, MD, is an Assistant in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School. She was born in Guatemala of Mexican and Salvadorian parents, and she graduated medical school with honors from the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. Dr. Mejia obtained subspecialty training in Neurology and Movement Disorders at Mass General and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her clinical practice centers on caring for patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.
Dr. Mejia’s research aims to improve neurologic care and outcomes for all patients, in particular addressing potential racial or socioeconomic inequalities in neurologic care. She actively collaborates with researchers across medical disciplines at MGH and other institutions on projects related to neurologic health equity. Her research has enormously benefited from the generous support of the Rappaport Family Foundation.
Dr. Mejia recently demonstrated significant nationwide racial and socioeconomic inequalities in access to Parkinson’s disease deep brain stimulation surgery. This work is critical for patients with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers, as they often face years of progressive disability and poor quality of life. Her research was awarded funding to scientifically develop a Parkinson’s disease web portal for Latino patients and their caregivers to connect with a health coach. This much needed intervention will lay the foundation for many more clinical research projects aimed at improving care for underserved neurology patients.
Dr. Mejia has presented her findings pertaining to disparities in neurological care both regionally and nationally, including a Scientific Session platform presentation at the 2011 American Academy of Neurology annual meeting. Her most recent honors include selection as a 2012 Harvard Medical School Health Disparities Postgraduate Fellow and the recipient of an American Neurological Association Junior Academic Neurologist Scholarship Award. She has also successfully mentored two Harvard Medical School students who are underrepresented in medicine toward receiving scholarships. Moreover, she remains active at an institutional and national level in committees that pertain to clinical research training and diversity, and was recently appointed as director of diversity for the MGH Neurology Department and chair of the Neurology Department’s Diversity Committee.
Dr. Mejia actively participates in community outreach activities including speaking to underrepresented students on pursuing scientific and medical careers.
She will present her most recent research findings at the 2012 American Academy of Neurology annual meeting. Dr. Mejia plans to further develop her clinical research initiatives through local and national collaborative studies on access to neurologic care and clinical outcomes. She plans to obtain funding from the National Institutes for Health to solidify her neurologic health equity and clinical outcomes research activities.
Dr. Mejia’s ten year plan is to: 1) Become a well established, productive and innovative clinical researcher with neurologic clinical outcomes and health equity research collaborations globally; 2) Lead initiatives aimed to improve patients’ access to quality neurologic care; and 3) Be an active educator and mentor on neurologic outcomes and health equity research.