Assistant Professor Jenna Bernstein, MD, has been named a Health Policy Fellow by the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS).
The two-year fellowship allows Bernstein to gain experience working with legislators and regulatory officials that develop healthcare laws and policies that impact orthopaedic surgeons and their practices. The goal of the fellowship is to provide orthopaedic surgeons in the early stages of their career with the skillset to help advocate for both short and long-term policy changes.
“It is imperative for surgeons to be at the table when decisions are made to decide anything about surgery,” Bernstein said. “I hope to take away more knowledge about how to best advocate in government, and how decisions regarding health care are made at a government level.”
Bernstein noted that the role is also one of advocacy on behalf of patients, particularly underserved populations. “As we serve a very diverse population at Yale, it is important that we advocate for our patient to have equity of care within arthroplasty,” Bernstein said.
The program also provides mentorship and networking for orthopaedic surgeons in their early career.