About Dr. Goitein

Dr. Goitein is a pulmonary and critical care physician, an author, and an expert in healthcare quality improvement.

She grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and attended Harvard Medical School. She did her internal medicine residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and her pulmonary and critical care fellowship at University of Washington Seattle. During her fellowship she was the recipient of an award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to study burnout among physicians-in-training.

After completing her training, Dr. Goitein worked at healthcare organizations including Intermountain Healthcare, Group Health/Kaiser Permanente, and Presbyterian Healthcare. From 2010-2020 she worked at a community hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico, first as a pulmonary and critical care physician, and later as the founding medical director of a hospital quality improvement program called Clinician-Directed Performance Improvement. She also instructed the organization’s performance improvement course, and served as vice president of the medical staff. She is committed to empowering frontline physicians and nurses to improve healthcare, as well as to better communication with patients.

Dr. Goitein is on the editorial review board of JAMA Internal Medicine. She writes frequently in that and other medical journals, as well as in the lay press, about topics including healthcare quality improvement, physician burn-out, medical education, and ICU and other end-of-life issues. She is author of the book, The ICU Guide for Families: Understanding Intensive Care and How You Can Support Your Loved One.

Dr. Goitein lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband and two sons, and enjoys rafting, hiking, and camping in her beautiful New Mexico backyard.

Dr Lara Goitein photo

Education

College: Harvard College, B.A. in English and American Literature

Medical School: Harvard Medical School

Internal Medicine Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital

Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship: University of Washington Seattle

Quality improvement: Intermountain Advanced Training Program in Healthcare Delivery Improvement