M. Elle Saine, MD, PhD is an infectious diseases fellow physician in the Physician Scientist Training Pathway at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Saine’s research uses a theory-based approach to explore how stigma informs health care policy, barriers in access to health care, and health equity. As part of this investigation, Dr. Saine studies the intersection of infectious disease epidemics, such as viral hepatitis (hepatitis B and C) and HIV/AIDS, and the opioid epidemic. She is particularly interested in developing novel mixed-methods approaches within pharmacoepidemiology. Her dissertation research employed a patient-centered mixed-methods approach to investigate the role of disease-related stigma as a barrier in access to health care among patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Her post-doctoral work builds on this research to evaluate stigma as a barrier in access to care for patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV), with specific focus on structural stigmas. Clinically, Dr. Saine is particularly passionate about caring for patients with HIV and viral hepatitis, and has a specific interest in ID/addiction medicine.
Dr. Saine received her MA in Skeletal Biology from NYU (2012), where she trained in forensic anthropology and human rights work with the New York Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF). She received her PhD in Epidemiology in 2019 and her MD from the Perelman School of Medicine in 2021. She completed residency in internal medicine at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 2023.