International and Domestic Health Equity and Leadership (IDHEAL) UCLA Emergency Medicine

The objective of the UCLA IDHEAL fellowship is to produce leaders in academic emergency medicine who have the appropriate academic, research, public health and advocacy tools to successfully embark on a career devoted to the reduction of health disparities. This includes an understanding of how social forces impact health on the local, national, and international level. The fellowship is two years and combines the academic strengths and opportunities of the UCLA Westwood campus with clinical opportunities to work with underserved populations at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, a public hospital under the umbrella of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. 

SocialEMpact’s Nicole Blum (MS4) interviewed Dr. Hannah Janeway, current IDHEAL Fellow:

What particular interest(s) do you have within the field of Social EM?

Social justice, community activism and activist medicine; racism, police brutality and the duty of the emergency physician to report; border health, medical legal asylum work and border abolition; LGBTQIA+ healthcare in the pre-hospital and Emergency Department setting, activist medicine.

Can you briefly describe one of your current projects that you are most excited about?

There are currently three projects that I am most excited about. The first is a qualitative research project looking at care for LGBTQIA+ individuals in the prehospital setting, the second is an educational and organizational tool to teach medicals students and providers how to use different activist techniques like non-violent direct action (NVDA) to create change and organize together, and the third is continuing to expand and provide leadership to a non-hierarchical medical project —now a non-profit called Refugee Health Alliance—that provides health care and addresses social determinants of health for asylum seekers at the US-Mexico Border in Tijuana, where I spend half of my time.

What drew you to your current program and what tools has it provided you to find success in the field of Social EM?

The IDHEAL fellowship is the only combined social and global health fellowship in that it looks at health equity holistically and recognizes that the same global processes have created the inequities we see in the US and abroad. These are inherently connected and shouldn’t be separated in thought or approach. This was particularly important for me as someone who does a fair amount of my work at the border. Second, the IDHEAL faculty and fellows engage with the community in the struggle for social justice, and this was a very important factor for me. 

Any advice for potential applicants to fellowships in Social EM?

As an activist and someone trying to break down aspects of the medical hierarchy that have long prevented our field from evolving, it was important for me to go somewhere where I would be supported and respected for the work I do there. Getting a feel for who the faculty are and whether they can support you and mentor you to improve your efficacy in creating change was probably the most important thing for me.

For more information regarding the UCLA IDHEAL Fellowship:

http://www.idheal-ucla.org/page/