Biography
Dr. Al'ai Alvarez FACEP FAAEM is an emergency physician and clinical associate professor of Emergency Medicine (EM) at Stanford University. Dr. Alvarez is the Director of Well-Being and co-chair of the Human Potential Team at Stanford Emergency Medicine. He also serves as the Director of the first Physician Wellness Fellowship. His work focuses on humanizing physician roles as individuals and teams through the harnessing of our individual human potential in the context of high-performance teams. His long-term interest is to optimize the interconnectedness between Medical Education, Process Improvement (Quality and Clinical Operations), Recruitment (Diversity), and Well-being (Inclusion) through human-centered design.
Dr. Alvarez is a faculty fellow at the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign (2021-2022), exploring the role of mindfulness in high-stress environments. He is also the co-director and organizer for the High-Performance Resuscitation Teams Summit (https://bit.ly/HPRT2022) in May 2022 in Chicago, IL, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and the Mission Critical Teams Institute. The goal of HPRT is to develop a collaborative inquiry among teams from various disciplines, including healthcare, aerospace, sports, military, special operations forces, fire rescue, and other high-performing/elite teams.
Dr. Alvarez has served as the associate residency program director (APD) at the Stanford Emergency Medicine Residency Program. Among his roles, he served as the second-year class APD and the Medicine Without Walls (MWOW) Line Director for the Stanford Emergency Medicine ACCEL Program (https://emed.stanford.edu/residency/ACCEL.html).
Dr. Alvarez currently also serves as the chair of WellMD's Physician Wellness Forum and is one of the peer supporters for WellMD's Physician Resource Network (PRN) Support.
Nationally, Dr. Alvarez serves on committees on physician well-being and diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical education. He is the co-chair of the Council of EM Residency Directors (CORD) Wellness Leadership Mini-Fellowship, a mentor at the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator, and co-founded and co-chairs the largest national diversity mentoring program in EM through the joint American College of Emergency Physician (ACEP)'s Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity (DIHE) and the Emergency Medicine Residents Association (EMRA)'s Diversity Mentorship Initiative.
Dr. Alvarez has given numerous grand rounds as well as national and international conference lectures and workshops on relevant topics in gratitude, compassion, and belongingness and their role in physician well-being and diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine.
Dr. Alvarez is the recipient of the 2019 ACEP DIHE Distance and Impact Award. He is also the recipient of the 2020 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) Outstanding Academician Award. Dr. Alvarez also received the 2020 CORD Academy for Scholarship in Education in EM Academy Member Award on Teaching and Evaluation.
Dr. Alvarez is a faculty fellow at the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign (2021-2022), exploring the role of mindfulness in high-stress environments. He is also the co-director and organizer for the High-Performance Resuscitation Teams Summit (https://bit.ly/HPRT2022) in May 2022 in Chicago, IL, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and the Mission Critical Teams Institute. The goal of HPRT is to develop a collaborative inquiry among teams from various disciplines, including healthcare, aerospace, sports, military, special operations forces, fire rescue, and other high-performing/elite teams.
Dr. Alvarez has served as the associate residency program director (APD) at the Stanford Emergency Medicine Residency Program. Among his roles, he served as the second-year class APD and the Medicine Without Walls (MWOW) Line Director for the Stanford Emergency Medicine ACCEL Program (https://emed.stanford.edu/residency/ACCEL.html).
Dr. Alvarez currently also serves as the chair of WellMD's Physician Wellness Forum and is one of the peer supporters for WellMD's Physician Resource Network (PRN) Support.
Nationally, Dr. Alvarez serves on committees on physician well-being and diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical education. He is the co-chair of the Council of EM Residency Directors (CORD) Wellness Leadership Mini-Fellowship, a mentor at the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator, and co-founded and co-chairs the largest national diversity mentoring program in EM through the joint American College of Emergency Physician (ACEP)'s Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity (DIHE) and the Emergency Medicine Residents Association (EMRA)'s Diversity Mentorship Initiative.
Dr. Alvarez has given numerous grand rounds as well as national and international conference lectures and workshops on relevant topics in gratitude, compassion, and belongingness and their role in physician well-being and diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine.
Dr. Alvarez is the recipient of the 2019 ACEP DIHE Distance and Impact Award. He is also the recipient of the 2020 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) Outstanding Academician Award. Dr. Alvarez also received the 2020 CORD Academy for Scholarship in Education in EM Academy Member Award on Teaching and Evaluation.
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Professional Summary
Professional Education
- Residency: Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2011) NY
- Internship: Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2008) NY
- Board Certification: American Board of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine (2012)
- Residency, Jacobi/Montefiore Residency Program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, Emergency Medicine (2011)
- Medical Education: University at Buffalo School of Medicine (2007) NY
- BS, SUNY at Buffalo (University at Buffalo, Biological Sciences (2002)
- BS, SUNY at Buffalo (University at Buffalo), Biophysics (2002)
- BA, SUNY at Buffalo (University at Buffalo), English (2002)
Honors & Awards
- Distance and Impact Award, Diversity, Inclusion & Health Equity Section. American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) (2019)
- National Organizational/Institutional Award, Building Next Generation of Academic Physicians (BNGAP) (2020)
- Outstanding Academician Award, Society for Academic EM (SAEM) -- Academy for Diversity & Inclusion in EM (ADIEM) (2020)
- Scholarship in Education in Emergency Medicine Academy Member Award on Teaching and Evaluation, Council of Residency Director (CORD) (2020)
Administrative Appointments
- Assistant Residency Program Director, Stanford Emergency Medicine (2016 - 2021)
- Associate Residency Program Director, Stanford Emergency Medicine (2021 - 2021)
- Co-Chair, Stanford WellMD Physician Wellness Forum (2019 - Present)
- Co-Lead, Human Potential Team, Stanford Emergency Medicine (2021 - Present)
- Director of Well-Being, Stanford Emergency Medicine (2021 - Present)
- Faculty Diversity Liaison, Stanford Office of Faculty Development and Diversity (2020 - Present)
- Fellowship Director, Stanford Emergency Medicine Wellness Fellowship (2021 - Present)
- Interim Assistant Clerkship Director, Stanford Emergency Medicine (2017 - 2019)
Publications
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IDEA Series: A Low-fidelity Simulation Workshop for Teaching Cricothyroidotomy.
Garcia, S., & Alvarez, A. (2019). IDEA Series: A Low-fidelity Simulation Workshop for Teaching Cricothyroidotomy. . Academic Life in Emergency Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.aliem.com/2019/02/idea-series-low-fidelity-simulation-workshop-cricothyroidotomy -
Rough day? Be grateful. A talk on positive psychology in Emergency Medicine
Alvarez, A., & deVries, P. S. (2018). Rough day? Be grateful. A talk on positive psychology in Emergency Medicine. Stanford BeWell. Retrieved from https://bewell.stanford.edu/rough-day-be-grateful -
ROUGH DAY? BE GRATEFUL.
Alvarez, A., & de Vries, patty P. (2019). ROUGH DAY? BE GRATEFUL. International Clinical Educators (ICE) blog. Retrieved from https://icenetblog.royalcollege.ca/2019/03/05/rough-day-be-grateful/ -
An Interactive Session to Help Faculty Manage Difficult Learner Behaviors in the Didactic Setting.
Schnapp, B. H., Alvarez, A., Ham, J., Paetow, G., Santen, S. A., & Hart, D. (2018). An Interactive Session to Help Faculty Manage Difficult Learner Behaviors in the Didactic Setting. MedEdPORTAL : the Journal of Teaching and Learning Resources, 14, 10774. -
Detection of Type B Aortic Dissection in the Emergency Department with Point-of-Care Ultrasound.
Earl-Royal, E., Nguyen, P. D., Alvarez, A., & Gharahbaghian, L. (2019). Detection of Type B Aortic Dissection in the Emergency Department with Point-of-Care Ultrasound. Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine, 3(3), 202–7. -
The Impact of Due Process and Disruptions on Emergency Medicine Education in the United States.
Alvarez, A., Messman, A., Platt, M., Healy, M., Josephson, E. B., London, S., & Char, D. (2020). The Impact of Due Process and Disruptions on Emergency Medicine Education in the United States. The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 1–5. -
Physically Distant, Educationally Connected: Interactive Conferencing in the Era of COVID-19.
Rose, C., Mott, S., Alvarez, A., & Lin, M. (2020). Physically Distant, Educationally Connected: Interactive Conferencing in the Era of COVID-19. Medical Education. -
Emergency Medicine Gender in Resident Leadership Study (EM GIRLS): The Gender Distribution Among Chief Residents
Mannix, A., Parsons, M., Krzyzaniak, S., Black, L. P., Alvarez, A., Mody, S., & Gottlieb, M. (2020). Emergency Medicine Gender in Resident Leadership Study (EM GIRLS): The Gender Distribution Among Chief Residents. AEM Education and Training. -
Mastery Learning Ensures Correct Personal Protective Equipment Use in Simulated Clinical Encounters of COVID-19.
Pokrajac, N., Schertzer, K., Poffenberger, C. M., Alvarez, A., Marin-Nevarez, P., Winstead-Derlega, C., & Gisondi, M. A. (2020). Mastery Learning Ensures Correct Personal Protective Equipment Use in Simulated Clinical Encounters of COVID-19. The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 21(5), 1089–94. -
Patient feedback in the emergency department: A feasibility study of the Resident Communication Assessment Program (ReCAP).
Mozayan, C., Manella, H., Chimelski, E., Kline, M., Alvarez, A., Gisondi, M. A., & Sebok-Syer, S. S. (2020). Patient feedback in the emergency department: A feasibility study of the Resident Communication Assessment Program (ReCAP). Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open, 1(6), 1194–98. -
Thinking Outside the Inbox: Use of Slack in Clinical Groups as a Collaborative Team Communication Platform.
Montrief, T., Haas, M. R., Alvarez, A., Gottlieb, M., Siegal, D., & Chan, T. (2021). Thinking Outside the Inbox: Use of Slack in Clinical Groups as a Collaborative Team Communication Platform. AEM Education and Training, 5(1), 121–29. -
ALiEM Connect: Large-Scale, Interactive Virtual Residency Programming in Response to COVID-19.
Rose, C. C., Haas, M. R., Yilmaz, Y., Alvarez, A., Mott, S. E., Landry, A. I., … Chan, T. M. (2021). ALiEM Connect: Large-Scale, Interactive Virtual Residency Programming in Response to COVID-19. Academic Medicine : Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. -
Curated collection for clinician educators: Six key papers on residency recruitment.
Schnapp, B. H., Alvarez, A., Bianchi, R., Caretta-Weyer, H., Jewell, C., Kalantari, A., … Quinn, A. (2021). Curated collection for clinician educators: Six key papers on residency recruitment. AEM Education and Training, 5(2), e10597. -
The standardized letter of evaluation in emergency medicine: Are the qualifications useful?
Miller, D. T., Krzyzaniak, S., Mannix, A., Alvarez, A., Chan, T., Davenport, D., … Gottlieb, M. (2021). The standardized letter of evaluation in emergency medicine: Are the qualifications useful? AEM Education and Training, 5(3), e10607. -
Professional development during a pandemic: a live virtual conference for emergency medicine chief residents.
Zaver, F., Battaglioli, N., Rose, C. C., Montrief, T., Alvarez, A., & Lin, M. (2021). Professional development during a pandemic: a live virtual conference for emergency medicine chief residents. CJEM. -
Standardizing terminology in academic medical journals: understanding sex and gender.
Dessie, A., Alvarez, A., & Lewiss, R. E. (2021). Standardizing terminology in academic medical journals: understanding sex and gender. European Journal of Emergency Medicine : Official Journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine, 28(5), 331–332. -
Institutions' role in postpandemic support.
de Morree, A., & Alvarez, A. (2021). Institutions' role in postpandemic support. Science (New York, N.Y.), 373(6561), 1318. -
Bias in recruitment: A focus on virtual interviews and holistic review to advance diversity
Otugo, O., Alvarez, A., Brown, I., & Landry, A. (2021). Bias in recruitment: A focus on virtual interviews and holistic review to advance diversity. AEM EDUCATION AND TRAINING, 5, S135–S139. -
Outcomes From a Novel Graduate Medical Education Leadership Program in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Powell, C., Yemane, L., Brooks, M., Johnson, C., Alvarez, A., Bandstra, B., … Blankenburg, R. (2021). Outcomes From a Novel Graduate Medical Education Leadership Program in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 13(6). -
Faculty Recruitment, Retention, and Representation in Leadership: An Evidence-Based Guide to Best Practices for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine.
Davenport, D., Alvarez, A., Natesan, S., Caldwell, M. T., Gallegos, M., Landry, A., … Gottlieb, M. (1800). Faculty Recruitment, Retention, and Representation in Leadership: An Evidence-Based Guide to Best Practices for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine. The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 23(1), 62–71. -
Drivers of Professional Fulfillment and Burnout Among Emergency Medicine Faculty: A National Wellness Survey by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.
Lu, D. W., Lee, J., Alvarez, A., Sakamoto, J. T., Bird, S. B., Sundaram, V., … Blomkalns, A. L. (2022). Drivers of Professional Fulfillment and Burnout Among Emergency Medicine Faculty: A National Wellness Survey by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. Academic Emergency Medicine : Official Journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. -
Gender differences in emergency medicine standardized letters of evaluation.
Mannix, A., Monteiro, S., Miller, D., Parsons, M., Alvarez, A., Krzyzaniak, S. M., … Gottlieb, M. (2022). Gender differences in emergency medicine standardized letters of evaluation. AEM Education and Training, 6(2), e10740. -
Holistic Review, Mitigating Bias, and Other Strategies in Residency Recruitment for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: An Evidence-based Guide to Best Practices from the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine.
Gallegos, M., Landry, A., Alvarez, A., Davenport, D., Caldwell, M. T., Parsons, M., … Natesan, S. (2022). Holistic Review, Mitigating Bias, and Other Strategies in Residency Recruitment for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: An Evidence-based Guide to Best Practices from the Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine. The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 23(3), 345–352. -
Sex and race visual representation in emergency medicine textbooks and the hidden curriculum
Kalantari, A., Alvarez, A., Battaglioli, N., Chung, A., Cooney, R., Boehmer, S. J., … Gottlieb, M. (2022). Sex and race visual representation in emergency medicine textbooks and the hidden curriculum. AEM EDUCATION AND TRAINING, 6(3), e10743. -
Factors driving burnout and professional fulfillment among emergency medicine residents: A national wellness survey by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Sakamoto, J. T., Lee, J., Lu, D. W., Sundaram, V., Bird, S. B., Blomkalns, A. L., & Alvarez, A. (2022). Factors driving burnout and professional fulfillment among emergency medicine residents: A national wellness survey by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. AEM EDUCATION AND TRAINING, 6, S5–S12.
Practice Locations
Marc and Laura Andreessen Adult Emergency Department Stanford, CA
Stanford, CAMarc and Laura Andreessen Adult Emergency Department
1199 Welch Road
Stanford , CA 94304
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