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Basmah Safdar, MD, FACEP

Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine; Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Development, Emergency Medicine; Co-Chair, Chest Pain Center

Appointments

Biography

Basmah Safdar, M.D. is an attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Yale University. She is the Director of Yale New Haven Hospital Chest Pain Center. She is an internationally recognized scholar in sex and gender-specific research with a focus on cardiovascular health in emergency care. Her current research focuses on microvascular disease. She has been the recipient of federal and industry funding to conduct translational research, and has expertise in conducting numerous successful clinical trials in emergency settings. She leads the Yale CMD (coronary microvascular dysfunction) Registry that intersects with a multi-disciplinary clinical program addressing the systemic nature of microvascular dysfunction including in COVID-19. Dr. Safdar has won several research awards including Yale EM Research of the year award in 2004, Connecticut Chapter of Emergency Physicians (CCEP) award in 2004 and the National Best Clinical Science Research Award (Resident) by Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) in 2005 and 2020 AWAEM mid career award. She has formerly led the Women’s Heart Program at Yale New Haven Hospital. Dr. Safdar speaks regularly at regional and national forums and has given several media presentations raising awareness about sex and gender-specific forms of heart disease. In 2014, she successfully co-chaired the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference on “Sex and Gender Specific Research – Investigate, Understand and Translate how Gender Affects Patient Outcomes”. This national conference brought leaders in academic Emergency Medicine and other specialties to put forth a blue print to create a research agenda for the specialty for the next decade. Lastly, Dr. Safdar is committed to advancement of women in medicine. She currently serves as Fellow at Yale Branford College. Nationally, she recently completed a 3-year term as President of Academy for Women in Academy Emergency Medicine (AWAEM), a national organization for Emergency Medicine and used this platform to collate faculty development resources for early and mid-career women faculty in emergency medicine. Finally, she is committed to teaching and provide research mentorship to undergraduates, medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty at Yale; and leads the faculty development and mentorship program for the department.

Education & Training

  • MSc
    Harvard University, Cardiovascular Epidemiology (2013)
  • Resident
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (2004)
  • Chief Resident
    Yale New Haven Hospital (2004)
  • MD
    Aga Khan University (1999)

Honors & Recognition

AwardAwarding OrganizationDate
AWAEM Midcareer AwardSociety of Academic Emergency Medicine2020
Leadership AwardAcademy for Women in Emergency Medicine2014
Best Clinical Science Research Award, Resident CategorySociety of Academic Emergency Medicine2005

Departments & Organizations