Leonor Fernandez, MD
Rabkin Fellow in Medical Education
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Fellowship Project:
Creating a cross cultural curriculum: A teaching and evaluation guide
Dr. Leonor Fernandez is a general internist at BIDMC in the Division of General Medicine and Primary care and Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She received her BA from Princeton University and her MD degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine training at Boston City Hospital, where she co-founded the Latino Clinic. She worked several years as a clinician and co-director of medical residency teaching at East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, a large clinic that serves a very diverse community.
At BIDMC she serves as Associate Firm Chief for the Tullis Medical Firm where she plays a leading role in teaching medical residents. She also co-directs a weekly lecture series on health promotion and screening for the medical house staff.
Dr. Fernandez' current work focuses on reducing disparities in health outcomes. Her workshops are designed to teach communication skills and highlight institutional changes that help clinicians understand and transcend many common cultural, linguistic and social barriers in the doctor-patient relationship. She has particular expertise in the field of immigrant health. She has led many seminars and workshops in national and regional venues on these topics. Currently, she is also coordinating the creation of a cultural competence curriculum for use in many orthopedic residency programs.
Dr. Fernandez also serves as co-director of Schwartz Rounds at BIDMC, a very well-attended inter-disciplinary forum on the human and ethical dilemmas in healthcare.