Juliette Fromm Spelman

Juliette Fromm Spelman is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, with a focused role in General Internal Medicine. She serves as Medical Director and Firm Chief for Primary Care at the West Haven VA Medical Center, where she leads clinical operations and quality improvement initiatives for Veteran populations.

• Associate Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine
• Medical Director and Firm Chief, West Haven VA Medical Center
• Board Certified in Internal Medicine (ABIM)

Her research and academic work emphasize quality improvement in primary care delivery for Veterans, particularly those returning from recent conflicts. Key areas include integrating opioid use disorder treatment into primary care, enhancing colorectal cancer screening via mailed FIT kits, improving vaccine acceptance (especially during the pandemic), and facilitating the transition to virtual care models.

The body of her recent publications reveals a strong commitment to population health strategies, health equity, and system-level interventions. Her work frequently addresses disparities—racial, ethnic, and rural—in Veteran healthcare, and she has contributed to understanding and preventing veteran suicide through proactive healthcare models.

• Racial and Rural Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake in a National Sample of Veterans
• Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Within a Large Healthcare System: a Population Health Model
• A Practical Review of Suicide Among Veterans: Preventive and Proactive Measures
• A Model for Rapid Transition to Virtual Care, VA Connecticut Primary Care Response to COVID-19

Dr. Spelman has been recognized with several awards, including the VA Connecticut Innovation Award (2017), the I-CARE Award for Excellence (2017), and the American Medical Women’s Association Citation for Outstanding Academic Achievement (2003). She was also inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society during medical school.

She has played advisory and leadership roles in multiple institutional committees, including the Faculty Advisory Council to the Dean (2017–2020), the Internal Medicine Categorical Residency Selection Committee, and the VA New England Region’s SCOUTT program. Her work bridges clinical leadership, education, and research, with a focus on training future clinicians in Veteran-specific health concerns such as PTSD, mild TBI, and substance use disorders.