Jennifer Needle, MD, MPH, HEC-C, is an Associate Professor in the Center for Bioethics and Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota. She earned her MD from Howard University in Washington DC, and a Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Dr. Needle completed clinical training at the University Hospitals of Cleveland/Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. She completed her fellowship in Biomedical Ethics at the Center for Ethics in Health Care at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Needle joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota in 2013 from Oregon Health & Science University. She is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in Critical Care and the American Board of Pediatrics. She has developed a national reputation as a leading investigator in the field of pediatric palliative care and advance care planning. She has been funded by the Cambia Foundation Sojourn Scholars Palliative Care Leadership Grant, the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society. Her academic focus is on reducing health disparities in pediatric serious illness care in ethnically diverse communities. She is collaborating with the SoLaHmo Partnership for Health and Wellness, through a community-based participatory research approach, to understand barriers and facilitators to pediatric palliative care in the Somali, Latino/a/x, and Hmong communities. Her current work focuses on the impact of language access on trust in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Dr. Needle serves as the co-chair of the University of Minnesota Medical Center Ethics Committee, and co-lead for the clinical ethics consultation service for MHealth Fairview system hospitals.
