M. Elle Saine, MD, PhD, MA is an Internal Medicine resident 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 healthcare policy, barriers in access to healthcare, and health equity. As part of this investigation, Dr. Saine studies the intersection of infectious disease epidemics, such as HCV 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 healthcare among patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Clinically, Dr. Saine is interested in Infectious Diseases and 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 from the University of Pennsylvania and her MD from the Perelman School of Medicine in 2021. Dr. Saine currently serves as Student Council Chair for the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE).