ABOUT THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMIES

The National Leadership Academies supports America’s high-achieving high school and undergraduate college students through career and focus-area programs and services.

The National Leadership Academies was founded on the belief that a strong emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of student success and is committed to supporting students in its development. The National Leadership Academies recognizes that we must identify prospective talent at the earliest possible age and help these students acquire the necessary experience and skills to take them to the doorstep of vital careers as leaders and in the fields of medicine, the sciences, technology, engineering, and math.

The National Leadership Academies operates two international programs designed to give students an up-close and hands-on experience in medicine:

  • FutureDocs Abroad gives would-be physicians a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain real-life experience in gross anatomy labs, operating rooms, and medical treatment rooms. Students will spend a minimum of 60 hours in the hospital and at other medical facilities.
  • FutureVets Abroad has students shadow veterinarians as they treat, diagnose, and rehabilitate small and large animals (often in their natural habitats), observe surgeries and emergency medicine as they occur, participate in rotations, clinical lab research, nutrition, and anatomy, including pathology.

The National Leadership Academies pays taxes, accepts no taxpayer assistance or private subsidies, and is completely self-sustaining through tuition from academic programs.

LEADERSHIP

Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, MHS
Associate Professor of Medicine and Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Medical Director, FutureDocs Abroad

Dr. Galiatsatos, or “Dr. G,” as his patients call him, is a physician in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is the co-director of Medicine for the Greater Good, an initiative that aims to teach physicians the science of community engagement while training community health workers and lay health educators to promote health equity strategies. He is the Director of the Tobacco Treatment and Cancer Screening Clinic, Maryland’s largest clinic devoted to smoking cessation and cancer screenings. Finally, he is part of the Community Outreach and Engagement team at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. G graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, completed his residency in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins, and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health.

He is the son of Greek immigrant parents, born and raised in Baltimore City, Maryland. His parents, coming from Greece, emphasized the culture’s rich past, which still influences the present: from English words derived from Greek to certain professions and practices. Medicine was a logical choice, as his parents emphasized the works of Hippocrates to Dr. Papanicolaou (inventor of the Pap smear).

In addition, his community in Baltimore encouraged him to pursue a career in medicine. “We have plenty of cooks who can feed us, plenty of tailors to provide clothing, but no doctors to look after us as we get older,” said one of his Greek neighbors when Dr. Galiatsatos was in high school. Today, he cares for more than 100 Greek patients in his Baltimore clinic, keeping that promise.

He is the co-author of the book series, “Building Health Communities through Medical-

Religious Partnerships” and more than 100 research articles on community engagement and its impact on health and health equity. His new book, “Medicine for the Greater Good,” is due to be published in the Fall of 2025.

Dr. G is excited to share the world of medicine with others, especially the ability to trace it back to the land that is identified as the genesis of this practice: Greece.

Gary Richter

Gary Richter, M.S., D.V.M., C.V.C., C.V.A.
Veterinary Medical Director, FutureVets Abroad

As a holistic veterinarian and scientist, Dr. Richter helps dog and cat owners to navigate the thicket of treatment options and separate the fact from the fiction. He wants pet owners to use what actually works, not just what Western science or alternative medicine say “should” work. This multifaceted approach to health is known as integrative health care.

Dr. Richter examines traditional medicine from many cultures alongside modern medical techniques, describing the best of complementary care and the best of conventional veterinary medicine. His treatments have the backing of scientific research or years of successful outcomes in his clinical practice. He offers specific recommendations for an integrative approach to common diseases, including allergies, skin conditions, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Dr. Richter is the author of the #1 Amazon Best-Selling Author, The Ultimate Pet Health Guide and has received more than 30 awards for his expertise in the veterinary industry locally, nationally and internationally, including being named as “America’s Favorite Veterinarian” by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF).

Richard Rossi

Richard Rossi
Executive Director, The National Leadership Academies

Richard Rossi is a co-founder of two of the world’s largest and most prestigious enrichment programs for high-achieving students.

In the 30 years of Mr. Rossi’s guidance, more than 700,000 primary, middle, secondary school, and college students from more than 118 countries have attended these academic programs focusing on leadership and career development. These programs were designed to honor, inspire, and motivate the nation’s most promising future leaders.

In 2009, Mr. Rossi co-created one of the largest gatherings of high-achieving youth in Washington, D.C., history: 15,300 high-achieving young men and women who came together to experience the historic nature of President Obama’s first inauguration.

Mr. Rossi also served on the Board of Directors of Pinnacle Care, a prominent private health advisory company in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mr. Rossi now devotes himself to FutureDocs Abroad, FutureVets, and other academic programs on a full-time basis.

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Anna Rossi
Director of Event Production, The National Leadership Academies

Anna Rossi is an event director, producer and creator of top-tier global experiences. For over a decade, her touch has transformed gatherings into moments of life-impacting significance. Anna’s versatility and experience are her hallmarks.

Each summer, Anna helms five programs over two-week durations, welcoming hundreds of top-achieving teenagers across three continents. Europe, Asia, and Africa have all been host to her signature educational adventures.

What sets Anna apart is her calm intensity under the pressure of execution. She fiercely protects the integrity of her programs and those who attend them. With Anna at the helm, the outcome is a platform where students grow their connections, confidence, direction, and occasionally… experience the sheer magic of the moment.

SUPPORTING
ORGANIZATIONS:

The Society of Torch & Laurel

The Society of Torch & Laurel is a high school honors program developed by the National Society of Collegiate Scholars to recognize high school high-achievers and provide them and their families with the vital tools to successfully transition to college.

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS)

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) is an honors organization that recognizes and elevates high-achieving students. NSCS provides career and graduate school connections, leadership and service opportunities, and gives out more than $1 million annually in scholarships, awards, and chapter funds.

College Admissions Central

College Admission Central exists to serve high school students interests, providing them with the essential resources and support that’s required to gain acceptance to college. They provide the essential tools, information, resources, and assistance: everything they’ll need to succeed!