Talya Salant, MD, PhD

Kraft Fellowship Class: 2014

Kraft Clinical Site: Bowdoin Street Health Center 

Current Position(s):

Internist, Bowdoin Street Health Center

 “It is intensely important to me to remain grounded in daily clinical work and patient care. My appreciation of the complexity of community-based research stems directly from my immersion in the local worlds that continually intersect with and try to make sense of medical information. Unlike most other research fellowships, the Kraft fellowship recognizes the centrality of clinical care to understanding and improving community health. Through guided mentorship and exposure to leaders in community health, this program creates an environment for high stakes meaningful research. At the same time, it provides a career model for those of us seeking to blend direct patient care with investigations that emphasize voices and questions frequently left in the background of traditional health care research.”

Residency: Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Medical School: University of Chicago 

Kraft Project:

  • Integrating a Community Health Worker into an Advanced Primary Care Medical Home 

Katherine Hobbs Knutson, MD, MPH

Kraft Fellowship Class: 2014

Kraft Clinical Site: South Boston Community Health Center 

Current Position(s):

Assistant Professor and Psychiatrist, Duke University 

 “Growing up in a medically underserved rural area and my experiences in medical training and academic research have solidified my dedication to community mental health. Individuals with mental illness, particularly children, are disproportionately represented in medically underserved populations. The Kraft fellowship, through its training in community clinical services and public health, will provide a comprehensive understanding of healthcare delivery networks and avenues for reform. Ongoing mentorship and education will allow translation of my commitment and prior experiences into leadership to generate sustained improvements in the mental health system.”

Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital

Medical School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School 

Kraft Project:

  • Identifying and Treating Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance at South Boston

Joseph Joyner, MD, MPH

Kraft Fellowship Class: 2014

Kraft Clinical Site: MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center 

Current Position(s):

Internist, MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center 

 “I hope to gain the necessary tools for a career that combines both clinical care and policy analysis, with a focus on the most vulnerable populations in society. In particular, I am interested in continuing my clinical practice in a community health center setting while simultaneously studying the social determinants of health and how these affect the access to quality healthcare. Participation in the Kraft Fellowship will empower me to become a leader in community medicine by helping me acquire the skills necessary to treat not only my individual patients, but also the underlying determinants contributing to their health.”

Residency: Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Medical School: Weill Cornell Medical College

Kraft Project:

  • Identifying and Addressing Substance Abuse and Depression in Adult Primary Care 

Ian Huntington, MD, MPH

Kraft Fellowship Class: 2014

Kraft Clinical Site: Codman Square Health Center 

Current Position(s):

Internist, Codman Square Health Center  

 “IOur current technologically advanced acute care system struggles with chronic conditions like diabetes, drug and alcohol addiction, hypertension, obesity, social isolation, and depression. As I see it, these challenging chronic conditions share two important characteristics. First, their successful management is far more dependent on factors outside the individual clinical encounter, and second, these chronic diseases affect patients from all socio-economic classes but fall most heavily upon societies most disadvantaged. I seek to find a bridge between the system as it is now and the needs of the patients who use it most…Ultimately, after the fellowship, I want a career as a physician advocate and researcher that involves creating innovative programs for chronic disease that are grounded in rigorous evaluation.”

Residency: Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Medical School: Weill Cornell Medical College

Kraft Project:

  • Improving Inter-Visit Care for Patients with Chronic Diseases

Genevieve Daftary, MD, MPH

Kraft Fellowship Class: 2014

Kraft Clinical Site: Codman Square Health Center 

Current Position(s):

Pediatrician, Codman Square Health Center  

 “I want to be a great clinician who can qualitatively and quantitatively reflect on the work that I do in order to provide patients with the best individual care and programs. I want to be able to work with communities and their stakeholders to prove when community programs and interventions are effective so that others can implement similar strategies for the benefit of their own communities when applicable….I think the protected time, strong mentorship, clinical roots, and focus on community leadership will help move me beyond practical public health skills, to include rigorous analysis and synthesis such that my practical work can contribute to a greater body of knowledge within this field.”

Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital

Medical School: Harvard Medical School

Kraft Project:

  • Empowering  Youth at Codman Square Academy around School-Required BMI Measurements