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Walter Kernan, MD

Professor Emeritus of Medicine (General Medicine)

Contact Information

Walter Kernan, MD

Appointments

Biography

Walter N. Kernan is Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Senior Research Scientist at Yale University School of Medicine and . He completed his internship and residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After fellowship training in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at Yale, he joined the Yale faculty in the Section of General Internal Medicine.

In addition to practicing general internal medicine, Dr. Kernan's work has included educational administration, and clinical research on topics at the interface between internal medicine and cerebrovascular disease. Dr. Kernan founded and directed the Ambulatory Component of the Internal Medicine Clerkship during 1993-2015. In 2015, this clerkship merged with the psychiatry clerkship to become the Integrated Clerkship for Primary Care and Psychiatry. His research on student education has focused on effective strategies for teaching in the ambulatory care setting and evaluation of teaching quality. In the area of cerebrovascular disease, Dr. Kernan's research has included clinical trials of new therapies for prevention of recurrent stroke (estrogen, thiazolidinediones), cohort studies of prognosis, case-control studies of risk factors, and cross-sectional examinations of quality of care. With collaborators at Yale and other institutions, he was the overall principal investigator for the NIH-funded Insulin Resistance Intervention after Stroke that was completed in 2016. New projects include observational research on resident training in primary care and clinical trials of stroke primary and secondary prevention.

Education & Training

  • Fellow
    Yale University School of Medicine (1989)
  • Resident
    Johns Hopkins Hospital (1987)
  • MD
    Dartmouth College (1984)
  • BA
    Harvard College (1978)

Certifications

  • Board Certification
    AB of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (1987)

Honors & Recognition

AwardAwarding OrganizationDate
Ruth-Marie E. Fincher, MD Service AwardClerkship Directors in Internal Medicine2015
Alvan R. Feinstein AwardYale School of medicine2013
Medical Educator AwardSociety of General Internal Medicine-New England Region1996

Professional Service

OrganizationRoleDate
National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and StrokeNST-1 Study Section2010 - 2012
Yale School of MedicineTerm Appointments & Promotions Committee2006 - 2009
National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and StrokeNSD-K Study Section2005 - 2009
Yale School of MedicinePart Time Faculty Appointments & Promotions Committee2000 - 2011
Clerkship Directors in Internal MedicineMember1999 - 2017
American Heart AssociationMember1989 - Present
Society of General Internal MedicineMember1988 - Present
American College of PhysiciansMember1984 - Present

Departments & Organizations