About Us

We conduct research to identify disparities and develop and rigorously test novel interventions in partnership with communities. We also train residents and fellows to understand the structural factors impacting the lived experience of our patients and the institutional and population health frameworks in which we function. The Social Emergency Medicine Research team is a part of the Emergency Medicine Network (EMNet) and Massachusetts General Hospital.

What are Social Determinants of Health?


Social determinants of health (SDoH) are the environmental factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, work, and live, and are connected to larger forces and systems such as economic, political, and social polices that shape daily life. Social determinants of health have a major impact on people’s health and well-being as well as health inequities – the unequal and avoidable differences in health between populations.

The goal of our work is to identify and address adverse SDoH in an efficient and scalable way to address social needs, reduce disparities in care, and improve health outcomes. We have ongoing additional work around understanding neighborhood and spatial risk, evaluating and developing directories of community resources, and identification of social risk and social need.

Department of Emergency Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School