By Merin C. MacDonald | Date published: May 1, 2024
Danielle Leary Seeks to Integrate Veteran-Centered Health Care into Internal Medicine Residency Training and Primary Care Practice
Military veterans often face unique health care challenges including post-traumatic stress disorder, musculoskeletal injuries, and neurological disorders, but many do not receive care at Veteran’s Affairs clinics. Providing veteran-focused care in the primary care setting would enable physicians to address veterans’ specific health needs to fill this critical gap.
Danielle Leary, DO, a primary care physician in General Internal Medicine and a veteran of the United States Navy, is currently developing a veterans’ care curriculum for Internal Medicine residents and veteran-centered care initiatives for the Benedict Primary Care Clinic.
“There are a lot of VA-focused curricula in the country where residents go to the VA and learn how the system works,” said Dr. Leary. “We already have that in place, which is fantastic and we're so lucky to have that partnership, but from the research I've done, I don't think any curricula are specifically focused on health issues that our veterans face independent of the VA.”
Along with Elizabeth Murphy, MD, program director of the Primary Care Track and associate professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Dr. Leary is developing a veterans’ curriculum for residents. Through a series of lectures, they will cover a range of topics from what it means to be a military veteran to exploring how to care for veterans with myriad conditions.
Beyond her work with the residency, Dr. Leary aims to help primary care providers gain a deeper understanding of this patient population. “We have a lot of veterans that receive health care at UMass but don’t go to the VA,” said Dr. Leary. “Analysis from Epic shows that we have about 945 patients in the Benedict Clinic who are veterans. It is important for us to know about those patients so that we can screen and ensure we’re not missing certain diseases or conditions that they may have, and so that we can plug them into appropriate services.”
Dr. Leary received her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Touro University in Nevada and served as a lieutenant, flight surgeon, and director of Search and Rescue Operations in the United States Navy. Following her military service, she completed her Internal Medicine Residency and served as a chief resident at UMass Chan Medical School.
Dr. Leary will be giving a talk on integrating veterans’ health care into primary care on Wednesday, May 8, as part of the Benedict Primary Care CME Conference series.