People Profiles: Dr. Heather Hartman-Hall

Heather Hartman-Hall, PhD (Clinical Psychology) is a Baltimore Orioles fanatic. She almost never misses a game. As a lifelong Marylander, she’s always rooted for the team but really got into the sport when her son started playing and her daughter picked up softball. Dr. Hartman-Hall brings this same level of commitment and dedication to supporting those she cares about to her work as the Clinical Director of Behavioral Health Initiatives at MedStar Health’s Center for Wellbeing and as an Associate Program Director (APD) for the Internal Medicine residency in Baltimore.

“Our residents and fellows are amazing. I’m inspired by them every day. They’re an incredibly bright, dedicated, energetic group of people who have chosen to take care of people for a living. I feel so lucky to get to work with them,” she said.

As the Clinical Director at the Center for Wellbeing, Dr. Hartman-Hall supports the mental health needs of all MedStar Health associates, but she also serves as a liaison to the graduate medical education (GME) community.

“I work closely with GME leadership to make sure we’re being thoughtful about the particular needs of residents and fellows in our system, both from a mental health perspective, but also by helping them thrive,” Dr. Hartman-Hall said.

MedStar Health has long placed a high priority on supporting and encouraging wellbeing, but the COVID-19 pandemic really brought this work into focus. Thus, the Center for Wellbeing was born. This innovative program provides system-wide wellbeing resources, including a wide variety of offerings outside of strictly mental health support, such as financial wellbeing resources, backup childcare resources, coaching, and more.

“We think of [wellbeing] more holistically,” Dr. Hartman-Hall explained. “How do we create a well workplace? How do we make sure that our interactions with each other support wellness? We want to make sure that MedStar is a healthy place to work, as well as helping you be a healthy person at work.”

This is a mission that MedStar Health takes seriously. Especially for residents and fellows.

“One of the reasons we talk so much about wellbeing in healthcare and especially for physicians, especially for those in medical training, is that healthcare systems have not always done it well. Now we’re the culture of medicine, so MedStar recognizes that we must be an organization that promotes wellness and invests in our shared responsibility for wellbeing and professional fulfillment.”

On a local level, Dr. Hartman-Hall gets to put this work into action during her work as an APD. “It’s rewarding to be there in a moment when our residents need something to feel their best or to encourage them and get to watch them shine as they take care of patients.”

Importantly, Dr. Hartman-Hall knows that her colleagues share this dedication to supporting and caring for the wellbeing of residents and fellows – and each other.

“I’ve never felt like I’m doing this work alone.”