Steven Larson, MD

Steven Larson, MD, is a cofounder and the Executive Director of Puentes de Salud. He is assistant dean for Global Health Programs and an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He received his B.A. in fine arts from Haverford College and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.  Over the past 20 years, Dr. Larson has developed an extensive working knowledge of the health care issues facing immigrant populations in the United States and in underserved populations worldwide. Since 1988 he has immersed himself in the history of Central America and examined the impact of politics, geography, economics and religion on health care. He visits frequently and has many personal and professional contacts throughout Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and El Salvador. In 1993 Dr. Larson established Frontline Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine to help students and residents explore the complex issues facing underserved populations. In 1999, with the goal of collaborating nationally with other medical educators committed to global health, Dr. Larson joined IHMEC, the International Health Medical Education Consortium (now GHEC). In 2000 he was elected to its Governing Council. Through this relationship, Dr. Larson has identified an expanded range of clinical and research opportunities for Penn medical students over the past 10 years. Dr. Larson also serves as the faculty advisor for the student-run Global Health Interest Group.

From 1993 to 2006, Dr. Larson served as the volunteer medical consultant for Project Salud, a nurse-managed migrant health clinic located in rural southern Chester County that provides health care to the predominantly Mexican labor force employed in the local agricultural industry. In 1994 Dr. Larson created an elective course on immigrant health for medical and nursing students. In 2003, recognizing the rapid growth of an urbanized, undocumented Latino population, Dr. Larson and his colleagues Drs. Jack Ludmir and Matthew O’Brien initiated work to establish Puentes de Salud.