Dr. Snigdha Jain, an Indian American physician and faculty member at Yale University’s Department of Internal Medicine, has been named a 2025 Scholar in Diagnostic Excellence by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). This prestigious recognition highlights her dedication to enhancing diagnostic precision and minimizing errors in medical care, particularly within critical care environments.
The NAM Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence Program supports healthcare leaders who aim to improve diagnosis quality and address systemic shortcomings. Each recipient receives financial support, mentorship, and the platform to develop a project that focuses on equitable, accurate, and transformative diagnostic practices.
For Dr. Jain, who serves as an assistant professor of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, the honor acknowledges her extensive research into an under-discussed but critical issue in intensive care units (ICUs)—the extended use of sedation and ventilators. According to Jain, nearly 75% of ICU survivors experience long-term deterioration in their physical, cognitive, or psychological health due to both the severity of their illness and the interventions used in treatment, such as prolonged sedation and ventilation.
Her NAM project leverages electronic health records (EHRs) to analyze complex clinical data and automatically alert ICU staff when patients are ready to reduce sedation or begin ventilator weaning. Jain notes that while protocols exist for these steps, they often require significant attention from already overburdened medical teams. Her goal is to streamline these decisions, ensuring patients receive timely, evidence-based care that lowers the risk of death and reduces the chances of long-term complications. Additionally, she hopes her approach will minimize care disparities, promoting equitable health outcomes.
Dr. Jain graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), completed her residency at the University of Iowa, and pursued a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She later joined Yale as a postdoctoral fellow in aging-related epidemiology. Her research is funded by prestigious grants including the GEMSSTAR Award, the Parker B. Francis Fellowship, and the Yale Pepper Center Scholar Award.
Her work has earned multiple accolades, such as the Emerging Career Award from the American Thoracic Society, the New Investigator Award from the American Geriatrics Society, and the Emerging Generations Award from the American Society of Clinical Investigation. Dr. Jain also holds leadership roles in several professional societies and serves as an Associate Editor for Chest Critical Care, further solidifying her impact in the field of critical care medicine.
