Building a Strong Community

Stanford Department of Emergency Medicine welcomes and encourages people of all backgrounds and actively promotes a welcoming environment in all aspects of our work. 

We aim to bring together individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences to fuel innovation in education, research, and patient care. 

Our patients come from all backgrounds and socioeconomic strata. 60% receive federally-subsidized health care. Embracing varied perspectives fosters novel strategies that ensure our programs, community, and leadership reflect the richness of the patients we serve.

We constantly strive to provide a safe and supportive environment for all through training and education in respect for differences and awareness of biases.

Resource Library

Visit our library of publications on growing and strengthening the emergency medicine community. 

Department News & Projects

  • Complex Care Plans for Frequent ED Visitors

    A pilot program targeting frequent ED visitors has reduced ED recidivism and inpatient admissions and saved $710,000 in the first six months while enhancing care pathways.

  • Quality, Equity, and AI in Emergency Cardiac Care

    Dr. Maame Yaa (Maya) Yiadom and her team tested an AI model against clinicians in detecting acute coronary syndrome, revealing screening gaps and the balance between human and AI judgment in precision care.

  • What Digital Health Tells Us About Disease

    Dr. Christine Ngaruiya uses Natural Language Processing to reveal gender gaps in noncommunicable diseases and leads global efforts linking health and climate change to drive policy and action.

  • Evaluating Latinx Mental Health in the Community

    Jennifer Newberry, MD, JD, leads a bilingual team in a multi-year collaboration with community partners to assess and address mental health usage patterns in the East San José Latinx community.

  • Emergency Care Post-Dobbs

    Dr. Monica Saxena led the development of a protocol to provide medication abortions in Stanford’s Emergency Department.

  • Emergency Care for Patients with Dementia

    Michelle Lin, MD, MPH, MS, an advocate for comprehensive geriatric care, investigates the accessibility and impact of geriatric emergency departments, aiming to bridge the gap for marginalized populations.

  • Digital Solutions to Create Equity in Mentoring

    Dr. Sally Mahmoud-Werthmann is addressing underrepresentation in emergency medicine by developing a virtual mentorship platform to connect mentees with mentors who share similar lived experiences.

  • Health Equity in the Pediatric ED with Dr. Cherrelle Smith

    Growing up in a small, rural community one hour away from the nearest in-network physician, Cherrelle Smith, MD was aware from an early age of limitations on access to health care. Now assistant medical director of the Stanford Pediatric Emergency Department (ED), Dr. Smith has focused her efforts on expanding access to care as well as mitigating the behaviors and microaggessions that can marginalize female and black physicians.

  • Exploring the Need for Inclusion and Parity in EM

    Numbers tell a story and Christopher Bennett, MD is determined to share that story; in the past several years he and collaborators have published seven studies focused on parity and inclusion - or the lack thereof - in academic medicine and emergency medicine.

  • Improving Healthcare for At-Risk Populations

    Jody Vogel, MD, vice chair for academic affairs for Stanford’s Department of Emergency Medicine, is investigating interventions to reduce healthcare costs and improve the quality of care for frequent emergency department visitors with complex needs, thanks to a five-year Career Development Grant Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.