BISAN SALHI (2018)
POSITION:
Assistant Professor, Emory University, Department of Emergency Medicine
Associate Professor, Emory University, School of Medicine
EDUCATION:
Biochemistry BS, 1999, University of Michigan
Doctor of Medicine (MD), 2003, University of Michigan
PhD in Anthropology, 2018, Emory University
PUBLICATIONS:
PhD Dissertation
- (2018) Diagnosis Homeless: Emergency department “super-utilizers” and urban poverty in Atlanta, Georgia. Emory Theses and Dissertations (ETD).
Articles
- (2021) Salhi, Bisan and Kelly M. Doran. Homelessness. Social Emergency Medicine.
- (2021) Salhi, Bisan and Anwar D. Osborne. Incarceration and Social Death — Restoring Humanity in the Clinical Encounter. New England Journal of Medicine.
- (2019). Salhi, Bisan, Jennifer W. Tsai, Jeffrey Druck, Melissa H. White, Bernard L. Lopez, and Jacqueline Ward-Gaines. Toward Structural Competency in Emergency Medical Education. AEM Education and Training.
BIOGRAPHY:
Dr. Bisan Salhi received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in Emergency Medicine from the University of Michigan in 2003 and recently completed her pursuit of the dual MD/PhD degree from Emory University in 2018. Her research in medical anthropology focuses on the experiences that individuals suffering from urban housing insecurity face when seeking emergency healthcare. To be more specific, Dr. Salhi has published numerous papers examining structural and cultural barriers that hinder homeless populations from accessing quality care. Her emphasis on emergency medicine particularly highlights the importance of analyzing physician competence in the ability to make rapid, yet highly calculated decisions regarding life or death circumstances. She also conducts interviews and participant observation within the clinical setting to explore how the relationship between physicians and patients shapes the establishment of risk management and trust.
According to her profile for the Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine (AWAEM), Dr. Salhi works to “incorporate insights from Emergency Medicine and Anthropology into medical student education.” After flourishing with the mentorship from Dr. Peter Brown during her PhD training, she has since taught several courses at Emory University that highlight the intersection between anthropology and healthcare. Dr. Salhi’s conviction and service were recently recognized by AWAEM, and she received the Catalyst Award honoring female faculty “who have made outstanding contributions” to the field of emergency medicine education.
Dr. Salhi’s PhD dissertation is currently inaccessible because it is still under the Emory Theses and Dissertations (ETD) embargo period, which will be lifted for her publication by 2024.