Rickquel “Rikki” Tripp, MD MPH, is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, EMS faculty, and Medical Director of four different EMS agencies: Penn Hills, Lower Valley, SouthEast Regional, and Foxwall. Dr. Tripp is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medicine Services (EMS). She has chaired the Networking Committee of the Physician Inclusion Council of Pitt and UPMC (PICUP) since 2017 and has served as the first Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) of UPMC Graduate Medical Education (GME) since 2020 and as the first Vice Chair Diversity, Inclusion, & Health Equity (DIHE) of Department of Emergency Medicine since 2021. She also served as the Co-Chair of the UPP EM DEI Committee and former Vice Chair of the National Association EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) DEI Committee from 2020-2022. She has created and promoted many initiatives, including UPSTANDER training workshop; UPMC GME and NAEMSP Townhalls addressing systemic racism, cultivating healing, & health disparities; Virtual URiM Recruitment Diversity Brunches, antiracism curriculum FOREM (Framework of Race Equity medicine), and creating a Department Diversity Champions list for better networking and communication.
Dr. Tripp received the UPMC Award for Commitment and Excellence in Service (ACES) for her outstanding accomplishments and commitment in D, E, & I in 2019. She was raised in Upper St. Clair, PA, and began her academic journey across the East Coast and Midwest after high school.
She completed her MD at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, MPH at Harvard School of Public Health, her emergency medicine residency at the University of Chicago, and her EMS Fellowship at UPMC in 2017. In addition to Rikki being a Commander in the US Navy Reserves and her previous service as a flight surgeon while on active duty, she is an exceptional leader, mentor, and educator within the UPMC/Pitt community.
This year our focus is on leadership and self-care. We asked our leadership honorees to tell us how they incorporate self-care into their busy life.
Becoming a leader takes a lot of time, an incredible amount of work and effort, dedication, ambition, and, at times, sacrifice. However, we must make sure the sacrifice is not our own wellness. No feat or challenge will be overcome unless we first make ourselves the highest priority to care for. I incorporate self-care into my daily routine by listening to my favorite music and treating myself to a good meal. On a monthly basis, I treat myself to getting my nails done and hiring a house cleaning service. I realize my wellness depends on the quality time I spend with my daughter, family, and friends, and I continue to strategize ways to optimize my time to make sure that happens. Thus, soothing my soul and enriching my happiness while being a leader in the community.
