Dr. Pryanka Relan is an internationally recognized leader in emergency medicine, public health, and global health.
Prior to returning to full-time clinical practice in the Mid-Atlantic region, she served for more than a decade at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, where she held leadership roles across the WHO Health Emergencies Programme and Universal Health Coverage division. Her work focused on emergency preparedness and response, emergency medical teams, health systems strengthening, and global health policy. She has participated in more than 20 field deployments supporting outbreak response, humanitarian emergencies, and health system strengthening initiatives worldwide.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Relan served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she investigated disease outbreaks and other public health threats in the United States.
She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, contributed to international guidance documents, and is passionate about advancing the integration of emergency medicine and public health to improve patient and community outcomes.
Within ACEP, Dr. Relan has been an active member of the International Section and the Public Health & Injury Prevention Section, contributing to initiatives that strengthen the role of emergency physicians in global health, emergency preparedness, and public health. She co-authored an ACEP publication through the Public Health & Injury Prevention Committee focused on strengthening partnerships between emergency departments, public health agencies, and community organizations to improve population health and emergency preparedness. At the chapter level, she is an active member of the Maryland Chapter of ACEP.
Dr. Relan is honored to receive the 2026 ACEP Public Health Trailblazer Award and remains committed to advancing emergency medicine’s role in improving the health and resilience of communities worldwide.
