Strategically Planning for the Future

In 2024, Stanford Department of Emergency Medicine inaugurated an integrated strategic plan that unites the expertise of the School of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine (the university side) and the Emergency Medicine Service Line from Stanford Health Care (the clinical side) in a collaborative and concerted effort to transform healthcare for all.

Built on a five-year roadmap implemented in 2024, our strategic plan addresses the overwhelming demand for Stanford Medicine’s services; expands our scientific understanding of health; and ensures workforce training to strengthen emergency medicine innovation and discovery. 

The information harnessed through our emphasis on digital health, AI, and data science will be pivotal for practicing precision emergency medicine and furthering the health of the populations we serve. Our integrated roadmap furthers our commitment to digital health and non-traditional care delivery models, to enhance our efficiency and improve patient access to care while embodying our values of leadership, innovation, diversity, excellence, and service. We continue to pioneer advancements in AI within emergency medicine, while actively working to define ethical practices for data collection and utilization that center the patient as the decision maker. 

Building upon our success in establishing a strong research infrastructure within the department, Stanford Emergency Medicine’s strategic plan integrates clinical trials and implementation science research into our daily clinical activities. Partnering with colleagues from across Stanford University, we will advance the science behind emergency and post-acute care leveraging expertise in informatics, AI, health services, and community-engaged research within and outside the department. 

A critical component of the integrated strategic plan is the development of the future workforce. Central to this effort is our competency-based training for healthcare providers. Our objective is to ensure our practitioners possess vital skills and health data literacy, allowing them to seamlessly transition between the emerging health technologies of tomorrow and their patient interactions. We are steadfast in nurturing an environment that promotes learning, encourages diversity and a sense of belonging, and guarantees that our providers are well-equipped to adapt to the rapidly evolving demands of the healthcare landscape.

Our plan also reinforces our ongoing commitment to enhance access to care for vulnerable and underserved populations. Using data-driven, value-focused approaches that partner with community organizations we will streamline care coordination, optimize delivery models that strengthen continuity of care, and establish quality of care practices that will serve as best practices nationally.

As we embark on this ambitious plan with our partners at Stanford Health Care, we will share progress, lessons learned, challenges, and accomplishments with our colleagues around the country. Our strategic plan for our department is one we hope will also serve as a primary driver in transforming our specialty and care for patients everywhere.