Monika Safford
BornJuly 5, 1960
Vienna, Austria
Academic background
EducationBA, Biology and German, 1982, Dartmouth College
MD, 1986, Weill Cornell Medicine
Academic work
InstitutionsWeill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine
Brown University Alpert Medical School

Monika M. Safford is an American clinician-investigator. She is the Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and John J. Kuiper Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. She was the inaugural Endowed Professor of Diabetes Prevention and Outcomes Research and Assistant Dean for Continuing Medical Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.

Early life and education

Safford was born in Vienna, Austria as an American naturalized citizen. She moved to New York’s Hudson Valley[1] in 1967. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and German from Dartmouth College before enrolling at Weill Cornell Medicine for her medical degree.[2]

Career

Upon completing her MD, Safford accepted an instructor position at Brown University Alpert Medical School with a hospital appointment at the Miriam Hospital. She then went into private practice in the greater Hartford, Connecticut area before becoming the director of an inner-city clinic in Newark, New Jersey where her clientele was mostly African-Americans.[1] She accepted a faculty position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine in 2003, where she was the inaugural Endowed Professor of Diabetes Prevention and Outcomes Research and Assistant Dean for Continuing Medical Education.[3]

While serving in this role, Safford studied non-invasive treatments for diabetes including diet and exercise. In 2012, she co-led a study showing that intensive lifestyle interventions could possibly put those with type 2 diabetes into remission and eliminate the need for medication.[4] Later, she was named a co-recipient of the Max Cooper Award for Research Excellence for her research "on the elimination of health disparities in cardiometabolic disorders through observational research in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study and other large databases."[5] In 2014, Safford and her research team engaged in a long-term study to assist those with diabetes commit to medication adherence.[6] She was subsequently awarded the Alere Wellbeing Research to Practice Award by the Society of Behavioral Medicine.[7]

Prior to leaving UAB, Safford led a team to conduct a trial aiming to improve blood pressure in rural Southeastern African Americans with low socioeconomic status.[8] She also participated in the National Diabetes Education Program's (NDEP) Medication Adherence Task Group to review and compile resources for the NDEP’s Promoting Medication Adherence in Diabetes Web resource.[9]

In 2015, Safford was appointed Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and John J. Kuiper Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. One of her primary responsibilities in the role of Chief is to expand the division's clinical research program by recruiting top investigators.[3] As the John J. Kuiper Professor of Medicine, Safford completed a merge between the hospital medicine and ambulatory care within the division and established the PALS (Patient Activated Learning System), an online source of knowledge for patients.[10] In her role as Chief, Safford collaborated with researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine to investigate the usability of OurNotes, a platform that lets patients co-produce medical notes with clinicians.[11]

Publications

Safford is a highly published researcher, with over 650 publications on PubMed and 816 publications on ResearchGate. Her areas of research center around health equity, with focuses on diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and prevention.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 Salerno, Heather (2017). "Monika Safford, MD '86, known for her studies of health inequalities in Alabama, is continuing that work at her alma mater". weillcornellmedicine-digital.com. p. 38. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  2. "Monika M. Safford, MD". uab.edu. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Dr. Monika Safford Named Chief of Division of General Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center". news.weill.cornell.edu. September 15, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  4. Bakken, Jim (December 20, 2012). "UAB research shows Type 2 diabetes remission is possible through diet, exercise". uab.edu. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  5. Carter, Kendra (April 18, 2013). "Julian, Safford named recipients of the Max Cooper Award". uab.edu. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  6. Green, Tyler (March 5, 2014). "UAB to take radically different approach to drug adherence in the Black Belt". uab.edu. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  7. "Safford awarded the Alere Wellbeing Research to Practice Award". uab.edu. 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  8. Pope, Adam (September 28, 2015). "UAB to lead $9.4 million trial to improve blood pressure in the Black Belt". uab.edu. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  9. Pope, Adam (July 15, 2015). "UAB doctor contributes to new Web resource for diabetes education". uab.edu. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  10. "Chief of General Internal Medicine Working to Build Patient Trust: PALS". medicine.weill.cornell.edu. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  11. Rapaport, Lisa (November 13, 2017). "New tool could let patients contribute to doctors' notes". ca.finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  12. "Monika Safford's Profile on ResearchGate". researchgate.net. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
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