Vanessa Maier, MD, MPH is a Family Physician and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She sees patients in her primary care clinic in MetroHealth’s Beachwood Health Center as well as in the School-Based clinic in her alma matter, Cleveland Heights University Heights High School. She serves as Medical Director of MetroHealth’s School Health Program, a collaboration between MetroHealth’s Institute for Hope and local school districts to improve both health and educational outcomes by increasing access to school-based primary care. This work was highlighted in a WZIZ/PBS documentary “Healthy Students = Strong Learners” and has been integral in the response of partnering school districts to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Dr. Maier also serves as the Director of Health for the City of Shaker Heights and COVID Medical Director for Breakthrough Schools and The Intergenerational Schools, assisting leadership in developing evidence-based policies to mitigate in-school transmission of SARS-CoV-2. She is the Primary Investigator on a National Institute of Health randomized clinical trial in partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Environmental Health Watch and The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.
Dr. Maier also serves as Regional Leader of the ABC Science Collaborative, a National Institute of Health initiative coordinated through Duke School of Medicine to assist school and community leaders in understanding the most current and relevant data regarding COVID-19. In this role she works with national partners on a variety of research initiatives, supporting efforts to improve the quality of data available to schools to guide mitigation strategies.
Dr. Maier teaches population health in the Family Medicine Residency program at MetroHealth and is the Block Leader for Block 1, the first 5 weeks of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine curriculum, providing first year medical students an introduction to epidemiology, biostatistics, bioethics, health systems science, population heath and health determinants. She also serves as faculty advisor for the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine advocacy curriculum, a student-run framework of interprofessional electives, developed in partnership with multiple community organizations, where students learn to support the social, economic and political change necessary to improve the health of populations.
Teaching Information
Teaching Schedule
MEDS 9002 Leadership in Health Advocacy Panel Series: An extension of the health determinants curriculum in Block 1, students are introduced to physician faculty engaged in advocacy work.
MEDS 9005 Leadership in Health Advocacy Health Care Controversies: Coordinated in partnership with the School of Law, learning side by side in interdisciplinary teams, law students and medical students, along with other health professional students, gain a unique perspective on a series of current and controversial topics in health law and policy.
MEDS 9007 Leadership in Health Advocacy Summer Project: Coordinated in partnership with the Center for Reducing Health Disparities and multiple community partners, students define an injustice correlated to a health disparity, propose an advocacy response, and engage with a community partner to develop a framework for evaluation.
MEDS 9008 Leadership in Health Advocacy Workshop Series: Coordinated in partnership with the Social Justice Institute, students are introduced to advocacy campaigns and participate in interactive workshops to develop advocacy skills.
MEDS 9009 Leadership in Health Advocacy: Field Experience: Students work directly with a community partner to complete an advocacy task/project, as directed by the partner, and develop an Advocacy Portfolio, documenting their work.