As Dr. Shamsah Amersi’s colleagues began to shut down their respective medical practices due to fear of risking their safety and that of their families, she was determined that the ethical imperative to provide care for her pregnant patients was greater than fear for her own safety. Pleas on social media by her and her son for donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) and groceries for those in need garnered national attention and support from Mayor of Hermosa Beach, Stacey Armato, renowned tennis player, Naomi Osaka, and Los Angeles Lakers co-owner, Jesse Buss, among others.
“My patients need me now more than ever,” explained Shamsah. She delivered many babies, continued performing surgeries, caring for women, and being their advocate through the pandemic. “Mothers were unable to hold their babies for 14 days after delivery,” recounts Shamsah. “We continued to do our best to preserve joy and provide support to them now more than ever.”
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When her colleagues contracted COVID-19, Shamsah stepped in and volunteered to cover for their patients. She helped create guidelines for delivering babies with infected mothers, including methods to optimize the well-being of the mothers during the difficult 14-day period of not being able to hold their babies.
While she spent day and night at her practice, considered the busiest in Southern California, Shamsah’s 15-year-old son, Jaden Amersi Anselmo, was also determined to provide support to his community while unable to physically attend school.
What began with Jaden and his classmates delivering groceries to the local Red Cross evolved into his endeavor being featured on Fox News and developing a partnership with Whole Foods and other local grocery stores.
Jaden’s food drive quickly caught the attention of businesses and non-profit organizations. He began collaborating with Venice Family Clinic, a local non-profit organization in Los Angeles, received donations of toothbrushes and toothpaste from dentists, thousands of water bottles from Voss Water, and skin care items from Dermalogica.
As an avid pianist, Jaden continued his work with "Music Mends Minds," a nonprofit that creates musical support groups for patients with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Every week while his mother was at work, Jaden would spend part of his day playing music virtually to the elder patients who he normally plays with weekly.
Well-known singer and artist, Usher, who is also expecting a baby during this pandemic and under the care of Shamsah said, "Dr. Amersi - thank you for all that you and your son are doing during this crisis. You are both incredible."
Similar to healthcare professionals throughout the country, Shamsah and her entire hospital staff were faced with the critical lack of PPE. “It was similar to asking the doctors to enter a war scene with flip flops and a T-Shirt,” she explained. “Instead of waiting and being passive, we decided to be resourceful.”
In a remarkable showing of support, a generous outpouring of contributions arrived from high-profile clients including Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy, Adam Levine from Maroon 5, and Headspace Meditation App co-founder Andy Puddicombe. Patients and friends including Diane Keaton, Courteney Cox, Blake Griffin and Usher generously donated meals for the entire hospital to feed the frontline health care providers on behalf of Shamsah’s request for support.
Los Angeles Lakers owner, Jesse Buss, was inspired by Shamsah’s care during the delivery of his son, Ashton, in the midst of a global pandemic. He and his partner, Sarah Hair, generously donated masks for the entire hospital in honor of Shamsah. Madame Li Xiaolin, President of The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, donated masks from China to support her and other healthcare professionals.
Mayor of Hermosa Beach, Stacey Armato, and a patient of Shamsah, collaborated with Chinese Royalty and donated N95 masks, personally driving to her home to deliver them. In the
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evenings,Shamsah and Jaden would drive to personally drop off PPE to other doctors, particularly elder doctors in the community especially vulnerable for infection.
Her compassion for her patients and calmness during difficult times were acknowledged by Shamsah’s clients. “You have a magical way about you and an incredible ability to quell my fears and provide comfort through every phase of my life,” said actress Diane Keaton. “Being pregnant during a pandemic is hard. Delivering a baby while infected is unimaginable,” said Natalie, a patient of Shamsah who had tested positive for COVID-19. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
In appreciation of having successfully delivered their baby at 34 weeks of gestation, Shamsah’s patient Sarah Martin and her husband Kyle, Senior Manager for Vans, donated custom Vans shoes to every healthcare provider at the hospital. Patti Stanger, star of Bravo and the cast of Real Housewives, recognized Shamsah on her social media account: "Meet our friend Shamsah Amersi who is on the frontline delivering life while others die. She is our hero."
Naomi Osaka, regarded as the best tennis player in the world, chose Shamsah as her personal hero for a national REAL HERO campaign: Naomi wrote the name “Dr. Amersi” on her tennis championship jacket and shared her admiration for her work on the frontlines. The World Tennis Association recognized Shamsah as their hero and donated $10,000 to her practice for her inspiring work during the global pandemic. 72and Sunny, an international advertising company, personally delivered face shields to Shamsah’s home so she could distribute them to her frontline colleagues.
Dr. Amersi received her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Psychobiology from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and her medical degree from University of California, San Francisco’s School of Medicine. She is recognized as a leading obstetrician and gynecologist in the country. She serves as a mentor to medical students and physician assistants from Yale University, and has personally delivered over ten thousand newborns.
