Shira Fischer, PhD, MD, MMSc

Shira Fischer is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a Capstone Oversight Mentor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, and Associate Scientist in Division of General Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She began her career at the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies in Washington, DC, when the seminal patient safety reports were being published, which focused her attention on the importance of research not just in medicine but also on improving the system. Her graduate thesis research examined laboratory monitoring of high-risk medications in the ambulatory setting, using electronic record data to separate the role of physicians and the role of patients in completion of these important monitoring tests. Dr. Fischer completed the BIRT Fellowship and earned an MMSc in clinical informatics at Harvard Medical School in 2014. Since completing the fellowship, she has worked at the RAND Corporation. As a Physician Policy Researcher, her work focuses on health information technology research and policy. Recent work included projects for ASPE at HHS, one focusing on the entry-level health care workforce and the other evaluating the evidence behind technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models such as Project ECHO. This work was presented in a report to Congress by HHS. She is currently working on national emergency response and the use of data for surveillance in public health emergencies and has been tracking telehealth use throughout the pandemic. Dr. Fischer received her BA from Harvard College in biochemical informatics and her MD and PhD in Clinical and Population Health Research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Previous Education

• MD/PhD, University of Massachusetts Medical School - 2012
• BA, Harvard College - 2001