23 Oct Melissa Hazlitt, MD: A 2025 Unsung Hero

It is with great admiration that I nominate Dr. Melissa Hazlitt for the Unsung Hero Award in Emergency Medicine. Dr. Hazlitt embodies the very essence of this award—dedication, humility, and quiet excellence.

As a nocturnist, Dr. Hazlitt has long been a steady, reassuring presence in our Emergency Department during the most challenging hours—those long nights when crises unfold, families arrive in distress, and the true spirit of emergency medicine is tested. She consistently delivers exceptional care with calm confidence, clinical precision, and her trademark dark humor that somehow brings lightness to even the most difficult shifts. As a member of the core faculty in our EM Residency Program, her leadership and expertise in both our Ultrasound and Simulation programs have elevated the education of our residents.

What stands out the most is her commitment that extends far beyond the walls of our Emergency Department. When not impacting lives in New York, Dr. Hazlitt is volunteering her time and traveling to support our colleagues on the front-lines internationally, notably in the Ukraine and Peru, demonstrating a deep sense of global citizenship and compassion that transcends borders. Her interest in Global Health is not theoretical—it is lived, reflected in her advocacy, her mentorship, and her belief that equitable care is a universal right.

Outside the hospital, Dr. Hazlitt’s creativity flourishes through her work as a writer, a pursuit that mirrors her insight and empathy as a physician. Her dedication to pursue a Masters Writing Course while practicing emergency medicine is an example of her dedication to excellence with any project she pursues. We all await her novel with bated breath…

Recipient Bio:
Dr Hazlitt is a graduate of Meharry Medical College in Tennessee. She then pursued her Emergency Medicine residency at Yale New Haven Hospital System in Connecticut. She returned to New York shortly thereafter and joined our team at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, near her old stomping grounds. She and her husband share their home in Woodstock with a family of beloved “fur babies,” and she brings that same warmth and humor to her interactions with patients and peers alike.

In a field often defined by intensity and constant motion, Dr. Hazlitt reminds us of the steadfast heroism that defines Emergency Medicine. She asks for no recognition, yet her presence has an immeasurable impact on our team, our patients, and our collective morale.
For her compassion, courage, wit, and unwavering service to others—both locally and across the globe—I am honored to nominate Dr. Hazlitt for this year’s Unsung Hero Award in Emergency Medicine.

– Marco Propersi, DO