Dr. Gita Pensa

Gita Pensa, MD, is an emergency medicine physician and a well-being and performance coach for medical defendants in litigation. She is the creator of the “Doctors and Litigation:The L Word” podcast, and is a consultant to defense attorneys, insurance carriers, and hospital systems. She is the creator of the LEAP (Litigation Education and Performance) courses, licensed by numerous insurers and hospital systems to help clinicians acclimate to and perform in legal environments. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and serves as Managing Editor and a regular contributor at Emergency Medicine Reviews and Perspectives (EM:RAP), where she also co-hosts the UC Max program. Her work centers on broad-based emergency care, supporting clinicians after adverse clinical outcomes, and performance-focused coaching for physicians navigating medically related legal proceedings. Her scholarly and professional interests focus on the human impact of malpractice litigation, physician well-being and resilience, and digital innovation in emergency medicine education through audio and online curricula. She is the creator and host of the open-access podcast curriculum "Doctors and Litigation: The L Word," and developed the Defense LEAP (Litigation Education and Performance) Program to help clinicians prepare psychologically and practically for litigation. Dr. Pensa’s contributions have been recognized with Brown University’s Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award, EMRA’s National Faculty Mentor of the Year honor, and the Rhode Island ACEP Special Service Recognition Award for public advocacy. She is an Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society inductee and a nationally sought-after speaker, with appearances across major medical and public forums, and she is featured in the documentary "A World of Hurt: How Medical Malpractice Fails Everyone." She earned her MD from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and completed the George Washington University/Georgetown University Combined Emergency Medicine Residency Program, where she served as Chief Resident.