Samah Fodeh-Jarad, PhD, MSc

Samah Fodeh-Jarad, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, with a secondary appointment at the Yale School of Public Health, and is affiliated with the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Dr. Fodeh’s research centers on patient-focused care, emphasizing the improvement of communication between patients and healthcare providers and examining how social and environmental factors shape health outcomes. A major part of her work involves harnessing artificial intelligence to strengthen patient care, using machine learning and natural language processing to analyze patient-generated data and clinical records. She applies large language models to reveal insights into social barriers, patient-provider communication dynamics, and the broader context of patient experiences. Her research also explores methods for detecting patients’ goals, values, and preferences in healthcare, ensuring that care delivery aligns more closely with what matters most to individuals. Through these innovations, Dr. Fodeh strives to make healthcare more responsive, respectful, and tailored to individual needs, leading to better health outcomes and more consistent quality of care. Her research further utilizes advanced AI techniques to integrate and analyze multiple data modalities, uncovering actionable findings that enhance clinical decision-making and tackle complex patient-centered challenges. Additionally, she focuses on mining health and social media data to address critical public health concerns, including suicide risk and opioid addiction. Dr. Fodeh’s work is at the forefront of transforming healthcare through the integration of AI, making it more personalized, responsive, and centered on the needs and experiences of patients.