Westyn Branch-Elliman MD, MMSc
Adjunct Instructor, General Internal Medicine
72 E. Concord Street | (617) 414-5013westyn.branch-elliman@va.gov

Sections
General Internal Medicine
Biography
I am a physician investigator who focuses on optimizing healthcare resource utilization and expanding infection prevention programs beyond traditional boundaries. My research projects include epidemiologic and economic evaluations of postpartum breast infections, comparative and cost-effectiveness evaluations of preventions designed to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAI), and development of novel electronic tools for improved HAI detection. The majority of my time is dedicated to clinical research. I also see patients and teach medical students, residents and infectious diseases fellows. In my previous role as the Medical Director of Infection Prevention at the Eastern Colorado VA Healthcare System, I dedicated significant effort to administrative responsibilities, including healthcare epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship.
Education
Medicine, MD, Northwestern University School of Medicine
Clinical Evaluation/Research, MMS/MMSc, Harvard Medical School
Cell & Molecular Biology, BA, University of California, Berkeley
Publications
Ayeni C, Branch-Elliman W, Foster M, Higgins MCSS, Hederstedt K, Bart N, Mull HJ. Potentially Preventable Adverse Events in Ambulatory Interventional Radiology: Results from a National Multisite Retrospective Medical Record Review. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2024 Nov 16. PMID: 39799069.
Published on 10/30/2024Al Lawati HJ, Harvey KL, Shin M, Mull H, Lamkin RP, Golenbock S, Basnet-Thapa D, Strymish JM, Lee M, Gold H, Bidwell Goetz M, Branch-Elliman W. Operationalizing an adverse event detection surveillance system to support antimicrobial stewardship activities: perceptions and insights from the SHEA research network. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Oct 30; 1-4. PMID: 39473228.
Published on 10/25/2024Kwon JH, Advani SD, Branch-Elliman W, Braun BI, Cheng VC, Chiotos K, Douglas P, Gohil SK, Keller SC, Klein EY, Krein SL, Lofgren ET, Merrill K, Moehring RW, Monsees E, Perri L, Scaggs Huang F, Shelly MA, Skelton F, Spivak ES, Sreeramoju PV, Suda KJ, Ting JY, Weston GD, Yassin MH, Ziegler MJ, Mody L. A call to action: the SHEA research agenda to combat healthcare-associated infections. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Oct 25; 45(9):1-18. PMID: 39448369.
Published on 10/16/2024Branch-Elliman W, Ertem MZ, Nelson RE, Danesharasteh A, Berlin D, Fisher L, Schechter-Perkins EM. Impacts of testing and immunity acquired through vaccination and infection on covid-19 cases in Massachusetts elementary and secondary students. Commun Med (Lond). 2024 Oct 16; 4(1):202. PMID: 39415047.
Published on 7/19/2024Hsu VP, Pergam SA, Shenoy ES, Banach DB, Jones Batshon L, Branch-Elliman W, Dumyati G, Haessler S, Jump RLP, Malani AN, Mathew TA, Murthy RK, Weber DJ. SHEA position statement on pandemic preparedness for policymakers: emerging infectious threats. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Jul; 45(7):818-820. PMID: 39028203.
Published on 6/5/2024Weber DJ, Malani AN, Shenoy ES, Banach DB, Batshon LJ, Branch-Elliman W, Dumyati G, Haessler S, Hsu VP, Jump RLP, Mathew TA, Murthy RK, Pergam SA. Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America position statement on pandemic preparedness for policymakers: mitigating supply shortages. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Jul; 45(7):813-817. PMID: 38835229.
Published on 6/5/2024Shenoy ES, Banach DB, Batshon LJ, Branch-Elliman W, Dumyati G, Haessler S, Hsu VP, Jump RLP, Malani AN, Mathew TA, Murthy RK, Pergam SA, Seeger MW, Weber DJ. SHEA position statement on pandemic preparedness for policymakers: the role of healthcare epidemiologists in communicating during infectious diseases outbreaks. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Jul; 45(7):808-812. PMID: 38836649.
Published on 6/5/2024Banach DB, Mathew TA, Batshon LJ, Branch-Elliman W, Dumyati G, Haessler S, Hsu VP, Jump RLP, Malani AN, Murthy RK, Pergam SA, Shenoy ES, Weber DJ. SHEA position statement on pandemic preparedness for policymakers: building a strong and resilient healthcare workforce. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Jul; 45(7):804-807. PMID: 38835227.
Published on 6/5/2024Hsu VP, Haessler S, Banach DB, Batshon LJ, Branch-Elliman W, Dumyati G, Jump RLP, Malani AN, Mathew TA, Murthy RK, Pergam SA, Shenoy ES, Weber DJ. SHEA position statement on pandemic preparedness for policymakers: introduction and overview. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Jul; 45(7):801-803. PMID: 38835222.
Published on 6/5/2024Branch-Elliman W, Banach DB, Batshon LJ, Dumyati G, Haessler S, Hsu VP, Jump RLP, Malani AN, Mathew TA, Murthy RK, Pergam SA, Shenoy ES, Weber DJ. SHEA position statement on pandemic preparedness for policymakers: pandemic data collection, maintenance, and release. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Jul; 45(7):821-825. PMID: 38835230.
Media Mentions
Published on 1/6/2022
Closing schools again won’t stop omicron. It’ll just hurt kids.
Published on 8/11/2021
Published on 3/15/2021
Researchers say narrowing social-distancing gap in schools is possible
View full list of 3 media mentions.