Stephen Dorner – ER Doc at Vanderbilt

By Conor Ryan

stephen dorner

Stephen on left; photo courtesy of Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Stephen Dorner is a medical student at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and will soon begin the clinical rotation of his MD training. He is also director of the Medical-Legal Partnership at the Shade Trees Clinic. In addition to treating the medical issues presented by patients at the clinic, Stephen and his colleagues provide legal support and advice to deal with the underlying socio-economic problems which contribute to illness. The MLP recently helped a patient overcome complex immigration issues to reunite his family, thus benefiting both his physical and mental wellbeing.

Stephen is a 2011 Mitchell Scholar and received a Master's Degree in Global Health from Trinity College Dublin. While in Ireland Stephen's thesis research looked at how the US Government uses foreign policy issues such as national security, economics and human rights to frame its global health policy discussions.

Stephen intends to specialize in Emergency Room Care and believes the ER is an important barometer for understanding the general state of public health and the role of socio-economic factors in patient wellbeing. By studying the types of medical issues presented in the ER, Stephen will be able to make important recommendations to influence not only future healthcare policy but also economic and legal policy.