Lauren M. Westafer, DO, MPH, MS

UMass Chan-Baystate

Biography

Lauren M. Westafer, DO, MPH, MS, is an associate professor at UMass Chan-Baystate. She earned her medical degree from Nova Southeastern University, completed residency at Baystate Medical Center, and completed an emergency research fellowship at UMass Chan-Baystate in 2018.

Dr. Westafer is an emergency medicine clinician-researcher whose work focuses on implementation science, venous thromboembolism, and addiction medicine. Her research program centers on de-implementation of low-value care, with major disease-focused work in pulmonary embolism and substance use disorder.

In addition to her clinical and research roles, she serves on the Annals of Emergency Medicine editorial board, the ACEP Clinical Policy Committee, and the writing committee for the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines on acute pulmonary embolism. She is also a member of the SAEM Grants Committee.

Her current support includes NIH and institutional funding, including NHLBI support for the DELVE PE project and NIDA support for opioid use treatment initiation work. Her honors include the 2023 Baystate Women in Medicine and Science Impact Award and the 2021 SAEM FOAMed Excellence in Education Award.