Jesse Menachem Ehrenfeld (born 1978) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

physician. Ehrenfeld is President of the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...

, since June 2023. and Professor of Anesthesiology at the

Medical College of Wisconsin The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is a private medical school, pharmacy school, and graduate school of sciences in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The school was established in 1893 and is the largest research center in eastern Wisconsi ...

. He is also a former Speaker of the

Massachusetts Medical Society The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) is the oldest continuously operating state medical association in the United States. Incorporated on November 1, 1781, by an act of the Massachusetts General Court, the MMS is a non-profit organization t ...

, where he was the youngest officer in the 228-year history of the organization. He is also a former Vice-President of the Massachusetts Society of Anesthesiologists. The inaugural recipient on the

NIH The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

Sexual and Gender Minority Research Award from the NIH Director, Ehrenfeld has been recognized for his contributions to advancing health equity. A 2008 recipient of the

AMA Foundation Leadership Award The Excellence in Medicine Awards (frequently known as the Leadership Awards) are accolades presented annually by the American Medical Association Foundation to recognize excellence of a select group of physicians and medical students who exemplif ...

, Ehrenfeld is a researcher in the field of

biomedical informatics Health informatics combines communications, information technology (IT), and health care to enhance patient care and is at the forefront of the medical technological revolution. It can be viewed as a branch of engineering and applied science. ...

. Ehrenfeld's research interests include bioinformatics and the application of information technology to increase quality, reliability and patient safety. Ehrenfeld's work has led to the presentation of over 200 abstracts at national/international meetings and the publication of over 175 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medical Systems, and is a fellow of the

American Medical Informatics Association The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), is an American non-profit organization dedicated to the development and application of biomedical and health informatics in the support of patient care, teaching, research, and health care ad ...

and the

American Society of Anesthesiologists The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is a professional association of physicians in the field of anesthesiology. As of 2024, the organization included more than 57,000 national and international members and has more than 100 full-tim ...

Education

Born in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, Ehrenfeld attended high school at

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was Settler, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''Encyclopedia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed. ...

. A

board certified Board certification is the process by which a physician, veterinarian, or other professional demonstrates a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills through written, oral, practical, or simulator-based testing. Certification bodies There are mor ...

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative medicine, perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critica ...

, he holds a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

from

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Fr ...

, an MD from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, and a

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), International Masters for Health Leadership (IMHL) are interdisciplinary profes ...

degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He completed his Internship in Internal Medicine (2004–2005), Residency in Anesthesiology (2005–2008), and Informatics Fellowship (2008–2010) all at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He is Board Certified in both Anesthesiology and Clinical Informatics.

Career

Ehrenfeld's research in the area of continuous quality improvement and intraoperative patient safety has been supported by the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

, the

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

, the

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...

, the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research. and the

. He was the founding director of the Anesthesia Fellowship in Biomedical Informatics at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He serves on the board of trustees of the

. His appointments have included Assistant Professorships at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

and the

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

where he practiced anesthesiology within the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine. As of 2025, he is the director of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW), senior associate dean and professor of anesthesiology in the

(MCW) School of Medicine. Prior to that, he was professor of anesthesiology, surgery, biomedical informatics, and health policy at

Vanderbilt University Medical Center The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is a medical provider with multiple hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as clinics and facilities throughout Middle Tennessee. VUMC is an independent non-profit organization, but maintains a ...

. He is the author of several books, including "Pocket Anesthesia", "Anesthesia: A Case Based Survival Guide", and "The MGH Textbook of Anesthetic Equipment" and has published extensively in the medical literature. Ehrenfeld is active in the LGBTQ community, and is a Log Cabin Republican. He co-founded and directs the Vanderbilt Program for LGBTQ Health A commander in the U.S. Navy, Ehrenfeld serves as a medical reserve officer.

Military service (2008–present)

On April 7, 2008, Ehrenfeld was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve. Initially assigned to Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, he served as a medical corps officer at an Operational Health Support Unit in Newport, Rhode Island. He was later assigned to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and served with an Operational Health Support Unit in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed Direct Commissioning Officer (DCO) School at the U.S. Naval Training Center in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. In 2014, Ehrenfeld was called to active duty and served a tour in Kandahar, Afghanistan at the NATO Role III Multinational Medical Unit. During his tour, he served both as the anesthesiology division officer and the public affairs officer in support of both

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

and

Resolute Support Mission Resolute Support Mission (RSM) or Operation Resolute Support was a NATO-led multinational mission in Afghanistan. It began on 1 January 2015 as the successor to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was completed on 28 Dece ...

from September 2014 to April 2015.

Advocacy

A longtime advocate for patients, equality, and LGBTQ health, Ehrenfeld made international headlines on February 22, 2015, when he asked the newly appointed Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter his stance on letting transgender individuals serve in the military. The Secretary's response "I don't think anything but their suitability for service should preclude them rom serving — was his first public comment on the issue and the most favorable from a senior U.S. military official to date. Within hours, the event was being reported by news outlets all over the world and by the next afternoon the White House chimed in with its support, sparking even more media attention. This exchange was featured in the documentary TransMilitary. In May 2015, Ehrenfeld and his partner were featured in a television ad supporting same-sex marriage. produced by

Freedom to Marry Freedom to Marry was the national bipartisan organization dedicated to ensuring marriage for same-sex couples in the United States. Freedom to Marry was founded in New York City in 2003 by Evan Wolfson. Wolfson was president of the organizatio ...

. The television ad was banned from television when the NBC affiliate in Chattanooga, Tennessee refused to air the ad. On February 27, 2019, Ehrenfeld testified alongside five transgender service members in front of the

House Armed Services Committee The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of ...

Subcommittee on Military Personnel. In his testimony, Ehrenfeld said "I would like to state unequivocally that there is no medically valid reason—including a diagnosis of gender dysphoria—to exclude transgender individuals from military service."

Honors

Sexual and Gender Minority Research Award *

*Special Tribute and Commendation from the State of Delaware, House of Representatives *

Teaching Award *Commendation for Excellence in Service from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

*Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce Business Leader of the Year * Joseph A. Johnson Jr. Distinguished Leadership Professor *Levi Watkins Jr Faculty Award * GLMA Achievement Award *Tennessee Hospital Association Diversity Champion Award

Personal life

Ehrenfeld is married to Judd H. Taback, an attorney. Ehrenfeld is the first openly gay president of the

References

External links

*
Articles on Pubmed

Published Books

Ehrenfeld Profile , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

American Medical Association Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrenfeld, Jesse Harvard Medical School faculty Physicians from Boston Physicians from Nashville, Tennessee Physicians from Wilmington, Delaware Living people 1978 births LGBTQ physicians LGBTQ people from Delaware LGBTQ people from Massachusetts LGBTQ people from Tennessee Haverford College alumni Pritzker School of Medicine alumni Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health alumni Vanderbilt University faculty Health informaticians