Martina T Caldwell, MD, MS

Biographical Statement

Guided by her mission to serve as a conduit between institutions and marginalized populations to disrupt transgenerational inequity, Dr. Caldwell has dedicated her personal and professional pursuits to principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). Her research focuses on emergency department (ED) interventions to improve reproductive health equity using community-based participatory research (CBPR), mixed methods, and implementation science.

She leads a robust community partnership alongside Detroit-based community organizations Black Family Development, Inc., Alternatives for Girls, Inc. and Institute for Population Health, Inc. that focuses on reproductive health equity. This CBPR collaboration developed and is currently piloting the Women & Person-Empowered Community Access for Reproductive Equity (WE CARE) intervention.

WE CARE is a theory-based, reproductive justice-informed intervention for gender-inclusive, reproductive-aged females. It uses community health workers and an online health decision-support tool called MyPath to provide person-centered family planning counseling, referrals, and care navigation, with social needs screening and referrals. Dr. Caldwell has also led many JEDI initiatives, including an ED. Health Educator program, Underrepresented in Medicine Scholarship, Social Emergency Medicine Film and Discussion series, and ED DEI Culture and Climate Assessment. 

Titles

• Medical Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Henry Ford Medical Group
• Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Department of Emergency Medicine
• Senior Staff Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine

Care Philosophy

"It is our human mandate to create a just and inclusive healthcare system and culture for all to achieve equitable outcomes for our diverse patients, staff, and communities. Henry Ford Health System (Henry Ford Health) is earnestly striving towards this vision."

Research Interests

Dr. Caldwell's research primarily focuses on emergency department (ED) interventions to improve reproductive health equity using community-based participatory research (CBPR), mixed methods, and implementation science.Please see her biographical statement above for her community partnerships.

Other research focuses on diversity and inclusion in emergency medicine and healthcare, health education and literacy, and COVID-19 health equity.

Awards & Honors

She has received numerous awards, including:

• 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health Award, National Minority Quality Forum (2021)
• Physician-Scientist Track Award, Henry Ford Health System (2018 – 2020)
• Health Disparities Research Collaborative (HDRC) Scholar (2017 – 2020)
• Diversity Hero Award, Henry Ford Health System (2019)
• 2nd Place, American Hospital Association’s Innovation Challenge (2019)
• Health Equity Scholar, Henry Ford Health System (2016 – 2017)

Dr. Caldwell also serves on several national committees and actively participates in networks related to DEI, including with the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), Society for Family Planning (SFP), American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).