Recognizing the complexities of the U.S. health system, our Department equips Emergency Medicine learners with the unique skills to lead change and engage as leaders in health care policy and reform. With our proximity to Washington, D.C. and Annapolis, our faculty, fellows, and residents have engaged in a range of local, State, and Federal policy issues.
We boast a strong track record of physician leaders who have advocated for the interests of their patients and their communities. Our Department’s Section of Health Policy, led by Clinical Associate Professor Kyle Fischer, MD, MPH, is an essential subspecialty within the Department of Emergency Medicine.
Research
Faculty, fellow, and resident physicians in our Section of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine have published peer-reviewed studies in publications including
- Annals of Emergency Medicine,
- The Journal of Emergency Medicine,
- Western Journal of Emergency Medicine,
- Emergency Medicine News,
- Population Health Management,
- Environmental Health Perspectives,
- Health Services Research,
- Journal of Community Health,
- Frontiers in Public Health,
- Injury Prevention, and
- The Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.
Education and Training
For residents, we offer a health care policy elective that may be taken as a full 18-month longitudinal course or as an abbreviated 12-month course. Participants may choose either option depending on the available time and level of interest.
For fellows, we offer a health policy fellowship designed to give early career emergency physicians a unique, tailored experience in health care policy. Through formal didactic training, at least 2 full-time policy experiences, leadership development, and numerous opportunities to apply policy and advocacy skills both domestically and internationally, the fellowship will provide a springboard for a successful career as a physician leader. The comprehensive 2-year design ensures fellows have in-depth experience that makes them competitive candidates for policy jobs at the completion of the fellowship.
Patient Care
While research and advocacy may take place outside of the hospital, all of our health policy work is informed by our firsthand experiences working clinically in Emergency Departments throughout Baltimore. As emergency medicine providers, we stand at the crossroads of our community. We routinely witness the systemic inequities that affect health outcomes and confront social determinants of health every shift.
Section Faculty