PROJECT: Develop a de-escalation toolkit for medical providers working with patients who are experiencing mental health crises, providing guidance on de-escalating high-acuity mental health crises and stabilizing patients who are in distress, without correctional measures, such as incarceration, chemical, or physical restraints.

Angelica Johnsen is a rising fourth-year medical student in the Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program. She hails from New Jersey and is the proud daughter of two Filipino nurses.

During her time in medical school, Johnsen has enrolled patients onto health insurance, advocated for the rights of formerly-incarcerated patients, volunteered with the LA Community Fridges project, and researched the expansion of Medicaid coverage for psychiatric medications.

In her free time, she belabors over inventing the perfect dessert and tries to organize her e-mail inbox, with varied levels of success. She intends to practice as a full-scope Family Medicine physician, emphasizing the expansion of mental health scope in the primary care setting and formalizing didactic education about medical practice in low-resource settings.