Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency

Our Mission

The Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency’s HAEMR Gives program aims to improve the health outcomes of vulnerable patient populations through community health outreach, advocacy, and partnership.

Values and Vision

Honoring our Role in the Health Safety Net

As emergency providers, we hold ourselves accountable to meeting the needs of our patient population. As emergency physicians, we are committed to taking care of all patients, particularly the most vulnerable patients who lack access to other avenues of care, whose medical needs and concerns often start upstream of the moment we see them in the emergency department, and who seek respite by walking through our doors. We strive to establish a stronger safety net for our community.

Leveraging our Vantage Point

The emergency department provides a vantage point to the health needs of the population. Emergency physicians get to see the direct effects of systems that have stopped working, that have left some behind, that are absent. The Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency recognizes what a unique privilege it is to serve in our care setting–at the intersection between health care and public health. We aim to advocate for the comprehensive health and social needs of our patient population.

Delivering Quality and Equitable Care

The ED serves as the primary entry point into the healthcare system for minority populations. As emergency providers, we pride ourselves in the egalitarian philosophy that espouses our approach to medical practice–those who are sickest and most in need are prioritized regardless of their social or economic status. However, historically marginalized patients face very real barriers in access to and quality of emergency medical treatment. We strive to create a more egalitarian system for emergency care delivery.

HAEMR Gives Initiatives

Crisis Standards of Care

• Concerned that published Crisis Standards of Care guidelines designed to help hospitals ration critical resources like ventilators and intensive care unit beds had the potential to disadvantage vulnerable patient populations, faculty and residents successfully campaigned institutional and civic leaders to reform guidelines for critical resource allocation.  Opinion: U.S. Must Avoid Building Racial Bias Into COVID-19 Emergency Guidance by Jossie Carreras Tartak, MD and Hazar Khidir, MD.
• Language Translation During Covid Recognizing that the Latinx community was one of the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, we developed translational materials to meet the language needs of our patients, including comprehensive discharge instructions on safe quarantining at home to protect loved ones.
• Establish outreach and partnership with health centers serving out most vulnerable populations: In 2020-2021 we aim to establish a longitudinal partnership with a federally qualified community health center serving a diverse patient population. Our engagement will involve philanthropic support and conducting outreach initiatives including health fairs.

The Front-Line Indigenous Partnership (FLIP) is a HAEMR-affiliated program that works to improve indigenous healthcare, serve healthcare providers working with indigenous populations, and increase indigenous representation in healthcare. As a HAEMR resident, you can complete clinical rotations to Tséhootsooí Medical Center (TMC) in Flagstaff, Arizona, Gallup Indian Medical Center in Gallup, New Mexico, and/or San Carlos Apache Healthcare in Peridot Arizona during your elective time. These sites offer a unique environment to learn about the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Tribal Healthcare systems, while also honing your clinical skills in a different clinical context. HAEMR grads have gone on to serve in leadership positions at IHS sites across the country. FLIP will connect interested residents with alumni to learn more about this career path. Individuals interested in medical education can also serve as mentors in the Ohiyesa Premedical Program and/or the Saint Michaels Indian School Premedical Society among others, designed to encourage Indigenous youth interested in healthcare and increase their representation in medical schools and other healthcare professions around the country. Launched in 2021, FLIP continues to grow and expand, seeking leadership and input from motivated residents. We would love to have you join us! Residents are encouraged to partner with this program for opportunities in education, research, and leadership. Please visit www.the-flip.org or reach out to flip@partners.org to learn more.