Cynthia Frary McNamara, MD, FACP
Assistant Professor; Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine
Biography
Research & Publications
News
Appointments
Biography
Dr. Cynthia Frary McNamara is an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, Traditional Track. She is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine and is an internist at the Veterans Administration Hospital Connecticut. She is honored to provide primary care for our country’s veterans and to teach medical trainees. She is part of the Women's and Gender Health Education core faculty. Her interests also include medical education, mentorship, social and identity-based determinants of health, global and rural health, and health disparity. She has received two Yale/Stanford Johnson & Johnson Global Health Scholar awards to serve as a teaching physician in Uganda and Rwanda and has worked providing primary care in areas of Central America.
Education & Training
- ResidentHospital of the University of Pennsylvania (1994)
- MDCornell University Medical College (1991)
- BSBoston College, Biochemistry (1987)
- Medical Education FellowshipYale School of Medicine
Certifications
- Board CertificationAB of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (1994, recertified: 2014)
Activities
- Integration of an ambulatory addiction medicine two-week curriculum within an Internal Medicine (IM) residency at a Veterans Affairs (VA) facilityYale School of Medicine Medical Education Day Virtual Poster Presentation 2023Yale Medical Education Day
- Teaching politically charged, controversial topics: the challenge for women’s and gender healthYale School of Medicine Medical Education Day Virtual Poster Presentation 2023Yale Medical Education Day
- Teaching politically charged, controversial topics: the challenge for women’s and gender healthAurora, CO, United States 2023Society of General Internal Medicine
- Socioeconomic determinants of health (SDOH) in the Yale Office-based medicine (YOBM) curriculum.Yale School of Medicine Medical Education Day Virtual Poster Presentation 2022Yale Medical Education Day
- Telephone MedicineGave a talk on the history of virtual care and how to incorporate telephone and video medical visit into clinical care. 2021Noon Conference
Honors & Recognition
| Award | Awarding Organization | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Education Fellowship | Yale University School of Medicine | 2021 |
| Nominee, Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award | Yale School of Medicine | 2021 |
| Nominee, Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award | Yale School of Medicine | 2020 |
| Humanism Award | Yale Internal Medicine Residency Program | 2019 |
| Compassion in Healthcare 2018 Essay Contest | Intima, a journal of narrative medicine | 2018 |
| I CARE Department of Veterans Affairs | Department of Veterans Affairs | 2014 |
| Yale/Stanford Global Health Scholars Program | Yale School of Medicine | 2011, 2017 |
| Fellow, American College of Physicians | 1999 | |
| Varoon Mahajan Memorial Scholarship Award | 1991 | |
| Summa Cum Laude | Boston College | 1987 |
| Phi Beta Kappa | Boston College | 1987 |
Professional Service
| Organization | Role | Date |
|---|---|---|
| International Medical Relief | Disaster Area Relief Team Physician | 2023 - Present |
| Program for Humanities in Medicine | I coordinated and administered the 2022 Program for Humanities in Medicine Creative Writing and Arts contest. The contest included submissions from participants who were students in a Yale Health Program. Categories included prose, poetry, and visual arts. I was also involved in the coordination of the workshop entitled The Queer Family Making Event. I also provided de-briefing for clinical year medical students between clerkships. | 2022 |
| Program for Humanities in Medicine | Interim Director | 2022 |
| Christ Episcopal Church Vestry | Work to maintain the finances and other committees in the Church | 2021 - Present |
| The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare Committee, VA Connecticut | The Schwartz Rounds program offers opportunity for discussion in panel format topics with social and emotional dilemmas faced in patient care. The committee chooses relevant topics and panelists and moderates the discussion. | 2020 - Present |
| Scarce Resource Allocation Committee, VA Connecticut | This committee has worked to decide how to allocate scarce resources during the pandemic. Tasks have included decisions regarding allocation of ventilators, blood, oxygen, and medications for outpatient treatment and prevention of COVID. | 2020 - Present |
| Diversity Committee, VA Connecticut | This committee started creating policy for expectations of respectful behavior amongst patients and employees towards one another. | 2019 - 2020 |
| ACP Connecticut Chapter Scientific Meeting | Facilitator, Women's Breakfast | 2019 |
| ACP Connecticut Chapter Scientific Meeting | Poster Session | 2018 - 2020 |
| Community Health Partnership - Honduras | Worked to arrange interim services for residents of rural villages in La Florida, Honduras; Provided medical care and collaborated with local health care workers and health promotors to arrange for longitudinal care in a medical clinic in Opatoro, La Florida, Honduras. | 2018 - 2019 |
| Community Health Partnership - Honduras | Provided medical care and collaborated with local health care workers and health promotors to arrange for longitudinal care in a medical clinic in Opatoro, La Florida, Honduras | 2018 - Present |
| Intern Selection Committee, Internal Medicine Residency Program | Committee Member | 2018 - Present |
| Outreach Committee, Christ Episcopal Church | Member | 2018 - Present |
| A Better Chance | Mentor and host family for a student participant in the A Better Chance Program in our community. Hosted her one weekend monthly at our home and met additional times to provide mentorship and support. | 2017 - 2020 |
| Build2Heal: Services for families affected by the genocide | Collaborated with business leaders and students from University of Rwanda and Clubhouse International to arrange services for victims of Rwandan genocide and their families | 2017 - 2018 |
| Hope for Haiti Medical Brigade | Provided medical care and collaborated with local health care workers and health promotors to arrange for longitudinal care in a medical clinic in Petite Riviere de L'Artibonite, Haiti | 2016 - 2017 |
| Community Health Partnership - Honduras | Provided medical care and collaborated with local health care workers and health promotors to arrange for longitudinal care in a medical clinic in Opatoro, La Florida, Honduras | 2015 - 2016 |
| Disruptive Behavior Committee, VA Connecticut | This committee reviews and makes decisions about management of patients with disruptive behavior utilizing allocation of a graded "Behavioral Flag" system. | 2014 - Present |
| Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo | Preceptor for first year medical students from Yale School of Medicine and Intec, Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 2013 |
| Hope for Haiti Medical Brigade | Provided medical care and collaborated with local health care workers and health promotors to arrange for longitudinal care in a medical clinic in Petite Riviere de L'Artibonite, Haiti | 2012 - 2013 |
| Refugee Committee, Christ Episcopal Church | Worked with Christ Episcopal Church and Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services to help a family relocated from Burundi. | 2008 - 2009 |
| Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services | Host family for teenage boys from Burundi. | 2007 - 2017 |
| Christ Episcopal Church | Mentor two boys from Burundi | 2006 - Present |
| Depression Reminder Committee, VA Connecticut | This committee worked with mental health providers to develop a reminder to screen for depression. | 2005 - 2006 |
| Domestic Violence Program, Ama Doo Alchini Bighan | I was the medical consultant on the Board of Directors of the local Navajo Nation chapter of the Program for survivors of Domestic Violence. | 2001 - 2002 |
| Domestic Violence Diagnosis and Support Committee, Chinle Comprehensive Healthcare Facility | The committee implemented the utilization of the Abuse Assessment Screen, a validated tool for diagnosis of current or previous domestic violence prevalence, in the outpatient internal medicine and OB-GYN clinics, as well as a process for support for patients identified as survivors. | 2000 - 2002 |
| Domestic Violence Task Force, Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility | Coordinated screening and implemented protocol for survivors of current and past domestic violence working with health care workers and community based domestic violence organization Ama Doo Alchini Bighan | 1999 - 2002 |
| Domestic Violence Task Force | Community-based task force to support survivors of domestic violence in the community. | 1999 - 2002 |
| University City Hospitality Coalition, Homeless Health Care | Volunteer | 1994 - 1996 |