Research Faculty Spotlight: Jeanine E. Hall, MD, MPH
For Jeanine E. Hall, MD, MPH, the inspiration to pursue a medical career came when she was walking to school in second grade. “I saw a bird that must have fallen out of a tree, and I remember just immediately wanting to take care of it,” Dr. Hall explains. “I brought it to school and my teacher’s eyes went wide and she told me to take the bird outside,” she says with a laugh. “But that is really what sparked my interest in wanting to help others.”
Dr. Hall knew she wanted to work with children but wasn’t sure where her skills could best be utilized. “I was really interested in helping kids along their journey as they grow, but I didn’t see myself becoming a community pediatrician,” she explains. “During medical school, I gravitated toward emergency medicine.” Identifying mentors she could turn to for guidance was a key part of her journey.
Dr. Hall now works as the Associate Director, Resarch and Scholarship, and as an attending physician and researcher in CHLA’s Division of Emergency and Transport Medicine. “I work to quickly figure out the needs of my patients so I can send them to the right place for ongoing care,” she says. “It’s almost like we’re solving health mysteries.”
Dr. Hall has seen many patient families who have experienced challenges in their health care journey. “My research focuses on understanding and improving the caregiver experience,” she explains.
“I’m currently working with caregivers of children who present to the Emergency Department with headaches,” Dr. Hall says. “We provide these caregivers with three questionnaires – one to assess their navigation health literacy, which is the ability to understand and apply health care system knowledge, another to identify their barriers to receiving care, and a third to explore their perception of the care they receive from their primary care provider.” That quality of care may influence a caregiver’s decision to bring their child to CHLA’s Emergency Department. The caregivers will fill out these questionnaires during their initial Emergency Department visit and respond to follow up questions related to care monthly for up to six months.
“I’m interested in what I call caregiver-informed intervention development, which means that interventions to connect caregivers with care are based upon what the caregivers themselves determine is their priority and not just what we as providers think will benefit them,” Dr. Hall explains.
Beyond her work, Dr. Hall enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering at her daughters’ school, family movie nights, and other activities.
