Dr. Tyeese L. Gaines is a board-certified emergency medicine and lifestyle medicine physician, healthcare executive, and J.D. candidate at Florida International University College of Law. She brings almost two decades of experience across clinical care, hospital leadership, urgent care operations, and health system strategy, and continues to practice emergency medicine while pursuing her legal training.

Dr. Gaines has prior experience across multiple hospital systems and telemedicine platforms. She has held senior leadership roles including Medical Director and Chairman of the Emergency Department at Landmark Medical Center, Founding Medical Director of UltraMed Urgent Care, and Assistant Medical Director at Raritan Bay Medical Center. She also owned and operated an urgent care practice, leading clinical operations, staffing, and business strategy.

In addition to her clinical and operational work, Dr. Gaines previously served as an Executive Fellow in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at Humana, where she supported enterprise initiatives related to population health, clinical quality, and Medicaid strategy.

She is currently building legal experience through roles with Legal Services of Greater Miami, where she supports litigation and client counseling on heirs’ property and title matters; the National Women’s Law Center, where she contributed to reproductive rights litigation and policy advocacy; and the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, where she conducted legal research and drafted orders in civil matters.

Dr. Gaines holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and a Master of Arts in Journalism from Northeastern University. She is also a Registered Patent Agent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

In parallel, she has built a long-standing career in journalism, media, and public relations. She served as health editor of theGrio.com when part of NBC News and has appeared as an on-air medical expert across local and national platforms. Through her media agency, Doctor Ty Media, she provides media training, branding, and strategic communications support for physicians and healthcare organizations.

Her legal interests focus on plaintiff-side litigation at the intersection of health, environmental harm, and consumer protection, with an emphasis on addressing systemic inequities and protecting vulnerable populations.

Dr. Gaines serves on multiple advisory boards, including the Center for the Business of Health at UNC, HerHealthEq, the National Medical Fellowships Alumni Council, and previously, the now sunset American Medical Association’s Physician Satisfaction and Practice Sustainability Advisory Group. She is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and a past recipient of the National Medical Association’s Top 40 Under 40 award.