Erin Davidowicz

Hi everyone- I’m Erin! I’m originally from the NYC area, spending most of my time between Brooklyn and the suburbs. My interest in the intersection of social justice, human rights, and healthcare policy began with my work with Amnesty International in high school. This interest prompted me to study Medical Anthropology & Global Health in college at SUNY Geneseo to gain further insight into the ways in which marginalized identities are failed by the healthcare system. After graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, I took a couple of years off to live it up in Brooklyn. I went to medical school at Penn State, and living in such a rural area truly radicalized my career approach. I realized the potential I had as a future MD to dismantle and transform the system. My main research focused on understanding reproductive health barriers for women living in rural Zambia and relating these barriers to the effects of climate change. My other research focused on systemic barriers to mental health treatment for WOC and exploring educational gaps in medical education for LGBTQ+ healthcare. Unfortunately, my school didn’t even have a LGBTQ+ student organization (even in 2016!), so I served as co-founder of the LGBTQIA+ student organization. I was involved in the leadership for SNMA (a result of the severe lack of URM representation at my school). Through this position, I implemented an anti-racism contract that I presented and is now signed by every incoming class at their White Coat Ceremony, helped to organize a pipeline program for URM pre-med students to increase representation in medical schools, and implemented a project called Catalyst for Change to increase dialogue/awareness of the racial injustices occurring on campus. A lot of my time was also invested in reproductive justice efforts; as a leader for Medical Students for Choice, I organized several conferences focused on abortion care, domestic violence, and reproductive health policy. I fell in love with Psychiatry when I realized the great potential that exists in this field to work on systemic reform, policy, and public sector work. I am most interested in applying my background to health systems efforts in women’s mental health, incarceration policy, and substance use in pregnancy. I am also very interested in LGBTQ+ mental health. My hobbies include socializing, playing the piano, bubble tea, social justice, and video games! I am so grateful to be here at Yale amongst such innovative, inspiring colleagues and faculty!