Resident Scholar Spotlight: Meet Dr. Andrea Klein in EM
Research and scholarly activity are vital components of a resident physician’s training. However, it can be tough to squeeze in between seemingly endless shifts, coursework, studying, and rotations in other departments. Dr. Andrea Klein, a third-year resident in the Department of Emergency Medicine (EM), makes striking that balance look effortless. Dr. Klein always possessed a passion for research and medicine that has translated into an already impressive list of publications and presentations, the majority focusing on advancing care in the neurosciences.
As a resident, Dr. Klein has sought to help her peers ‘genuinely enjoy’ engaging in research the way she does. She is the education chair for the department of emergency medicine, was the co-chair of her residency’s journal club for the 2024-2025 academic year, and she worked closely with EM Core Faculty to develop an Evidence Based Medicine lecture series as part of the residency curriculum. During her time at Carilion, she has been selected as the Annals of Emergency Medicine Resident Editorial Fellow, was accepted into the University of Michigan’s NIH Neuro-EM Scholar K12 Pipeline program, was selected as a participant in the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s (SAEM) Advanced Research Methodology Evaluation and Design 2025-2026 cohort with a full scholarship from the SAEM Academy for Women in EM, and was selected as a participant in SAEM’s Resident Medical Education Fellowship 2024-2026 cohort .
Dr. Klein’s current research focuses on identifying and addressing disparities in stroke risk - specifically the relationship between geography, social determinants of health, and stroke outcomes. In collaboration with faculty, she is developing an ED-based transient ischemic attack identification and stroke risk mitigation pathway to improve early risk factor detection and stroke prevention. A passionate advocate for enhancing stroke education among emergency physicians, Dr. Klein is also a prolific invited writer and national speaker in this area.
After completing her residency at VTC, Dr. Klein will continue her medical education and research training as a Critical Care Fellow in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego. Through a T32-funded clinical and research dual fellowship, she will expand her work in stroke systems of care and prepare to sit for board certification in Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, and Neurocritical Care - continuing her mission to bridge research, education, and clinical excellence in the care of critically ill neurological patients.