BOSTON – Christian Arbelaez, MD, MPH is the new Chief of Emergency Medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM).
Arbelaez joins BMC and BUSM from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where he served as an associate professor and then professor of emergency medicine with appointments at Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and Newport Hospital. He also served as Vice Chair of Academic Affairs at Brown Emergency Medicine.
“Dr. Arbelaez is an innovative leader and global expert in emergency medicine and public health with a passion for improving access to care and health outcomes in vulnerable populations” says Kate Walsh, President and CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System. “We are thrilled to welcome him to BMC and I am confident that his strong clinical leadership and experience will further advance the mission of BMC and our Emergency Department.”
Prior to joining Brown University, Arbelaez held positions at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency (HAEMR). Arbelaez completed his medical degree at University of Texas Medical Branch, an emergency medicine residency at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, and a minority health policy fellowship at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He completed the Hispanic Mid-Career Executive Leadership Fellowship from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service Leadership Center.
As a Colombian immigrant, Arbelaez experienced many of the social determinants of health facing vulnerable patient populations. His team will work to transform and reimagine emergency medicine, addressing the challenges Boston communities face, with a view towards the future of medicine grounded in BMC’s core values that aim to provide exceptional care without exception.
“Having spent my 20-year professional career focused on improving access to care and health outcomes of disadvantaged populations locally and globally, I'm excited for this next opportunity interconnecting mission, academic emergency medicine and community impact to build on BMC’s legacy,” added Arbelaez. “Together, we will achieve BMC’s vision of making the community of Boston, the city I call home, the healthiest urban population in the world.”
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About Boston Medical Center
Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a private, not-for-profit, 514-bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. BMC offers specialized care for complex health problems and is a leading research institution, receiving more than $166 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2019. It is the 13th largest funding recipient in the U.S. from the National Institutes of Health among independent hospitals. In 1997, BMC founded Boston Medical Center Health Plan, Inc., now one of the top ranked Medicaid MCOs in the country, as a non-profit managed care organization. Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine are partners in Boston HealthNet – 12 community health centers focused on providing exceptional health care to residents of Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.bmc.org.
About Boston University School of Medicine
Originally established in 1848 as the New England Female Medical College, and incorporated into Boston University in 1873, Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) today is a leading academic medical center with an enrollment of more than 700 medical students and approximately 1,150 students pursuing degrees in graduate medical sciences. BUSM faculty contribute to more than 605 active grants and contracts, with total anticipated awards valued at more than $200 million in amyloidosis, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, infectious diseases, pulmonary disease and dermatology, among other areas. The School’s teaching affiliates include Boston Medical Center, its primary teaching hospital; Boston VA Healthcare System; St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, Mass.; Kaiser Permanente in northern California; and Boston HealthNet, a network of 15 community health centers. For more information, please visit http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/