“We need to raise the bar.” These were the comments of Dr. Misrak Tadesse, a neonatologists with over 30 years of experience in the medical field in Ethiopia and abroad as to why she joined the Ethio-American Doctors Group (EADG). “I want Ethiopia to have a health care facility that is capable of providing quality care and for there to be an expectation that physicians know that they are serving the patient.  Be a change agent for how patients, physicians, and nurses interact for the best health outcome for the population.”

Dr. Misrak received her medical degree from The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.  She is specialized  in neonatology, a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of critically ill and premature newborn infants. It is a hospital-based specialty, and is usually practiced in neonatal intensive care units. Outside of EADG, Dr Misrak has used her expertise to help Ethiopia’s heath sector through her work with Tikur Anbessa hospital as well as The St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC).

As a newborn health advisor at Tikur Anbessa Hospital, she was instrumental in the development and implemented Ethiopia’s first Neonatal/Perinatal Fellowship training program from which  Ethiopia’s first three Neonatologists graduated. She has also served as a mentor to the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner students at the Tikur Anbessa Hospital.   The program has graduated the country’s first class of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners.  At Tikur Anbessa, Dr. Misrak was also instrumental in the design and implemented the Ethiopian Neonatal Network (ENN) Database.  There are  now  20 member hospitals in Ethiopia  participating in the database.

The St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) also owes much to Dr. Misrak’s and her colleagues’ work where they designed and implemented the Ethiopian Neonatal Advanced Life Support (ENALS) and Transport program. This program has resulted in decreased delivery room neonatal mortality, hypothermia, and need for admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Dr. Misrak has been contributing to knowledge in her profession through scientific publications in various medical journals. In addition, she has been active in doing technical presentations throughout the United States, one of which enabled her to earn the Fellow Clinical Research Award.

Dr Misrak currently lives in the United States and works  as a Senior Clinical Neonatologist.

Although she lives and works in the United States, Dr. Misrak continues to make contributions in Ethiopia through her work with medical schools in Ethiopia and her association with Ethio-American Doctors Group (EADG) that will allow her to make even greater contributions when the EADG hospital that is under construction is completed.