Steven L. Bernstein, MD

Steven L. Bernstein M.D. is Professor and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Yale. His work focuses on the implementation of tobacco dependence treatment in various clinical settings. Dr. Bernstein pioneered the development of tobacco dependence treatment interventions in the ED. A recent trial was the first to demonstrate the efficacy of a multicomponent intervention to help ED smokers quit. A current project is assessing the ability of decision support and an order set embedded in an electronic medical record to help doctors improve treatment of hospitalized smokers. A newer line of research entails testing the ability of a measure he developed using techniques adapted from network analysis to measure the relationships between adherence, abstinence, and clinical outcomes. Dr. Bernstein also leads a new program to train junior investigators in implementation science.

His work has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Legacy Foundation, among others. His work led to EDs being mentioned as appropriate venues for tobacco control in the 2008 Public Health Service guideline on tobacco dependence treatment, and a report by the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bernstein has served in an advisory capacity developing tobacco policies and measures for national groups including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Joint Commission and the National Committee for Quality Assurance. He recently served on a panel for the National Cancer Institute that drafted research priorities in tobacco control. At Yale, Dr. Bernstein has appointments at the School of Public Health, the Comprehensive Cancer Center, and serves as core faculty for the National Clinician Scholars Program. He is the founding director of the Yale Emergency Scholars (YES) program, a new residency track that will train the next generation of clinician-scientists in emergency medicine. YES graduates will earn a Masters in Health Science degree.