Michael Westerhaus

SocMed, Co-Director & Social Medicine Consortium, Core Leadership Team,

Michael Westerhaus

Contact Info

west0591@umn.edu

SocMed, Co-Director & Social Medicine Consortium, Core Leadership Team

UMN Global Medicine, Assistant Professor

Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility, Global-Local Course Director

The Bridge to Residency for Immigrant International Doctor Graduates through clinical Experience (BRIIDGE Program), Program Director


Clinical Practice: Primary Care at the Center for International Health


Summary

Michael Westerhaus aims to understand and respond to structural forces in society that create poor health and health inequities. As a primary care clinician at the Center for International Health, he seeks to bear witness to the lived experience of refugees in order to support their efforts to overcome barriers to health. As an educator with the organization SocMed and as a member of the Global Medicine Faculty at the University of Minnesota, he teaches social medicine and utilizes experiential and action-based methods to elevate the critical consciousness of health professionals. He also serves as Program Director for the BRIIDGE program, which prepares international medical graduates for successful entry into U.S. residency training programs. As a founding member of the Social Medicine Consortium, he leads efforts with a global community of partners who utilize social medicine education and strategic community organizing to mobilize power to advance health equity. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 2006 and completed the Global Health Equity residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2010. He also received a Master’s in medical anthropology from Harvard University in 2005.

Awards & Recognition

Professional Associations