Ashlea Winfield, MD, MSPH
Ashlea Winfield, MD, MSPH
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Associate Director of Simulation
Cook County Health
Dr. Ashlea Winfield is an Emergency Medicine physician and the Associate Director of the Cook County Health (CCH) Simulation Center in Chicago, IL. She cares for patients at John H. Stroger Jr., Hospital, one of the nation’s largest safety net hospitals, committed to serving all regardless of ability to pay.
Committed to increasing diversity in medicine, specifically the recruitment of historically excluded groups, Dr. Winfield created and now leads the Department of Emergency Medicine’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, spearheading meaningful developments to make CCH a more inclusive and welcoming environment for both patients and staff. Due to her ongoing diversity efforts, she was awarded the Cook County Health Physician of the Year in 2022- a significant achievement for a physician still early in their career.
She is a vocal advocate for change and encourages prospective students and residents to stay true to themselves in this profile for sheMD (https://www.shemd.org/post/lessons-for-the-black-girl-considering-medicine). She wrote “Imagine being told that the way your hair grows out of your head isn’t good enough to take care of patients. This concern is shared every time a medical student asks if they should wear a more natural hairstyle versus a more straightened or Eurocentric look during interview season. If you need to change the way your hair grows out of your head to be accepted, then let it go. It is not the place for you... My hair is natural and so is the way I speak. Being this bold black girl is part of why I [was] a chief resident at one of the toughest programs in the country.”
Dr. Winfield uses her expertise in medical simulation to inspire youth to pursue careers in STEM by partnering with local high schools. She is also a board member of a local nonprofit; the I Am Abel Foundation which helps youth in Chicago reach their dreams by allowing exposure to careers in healthcare and providing resources to achieve their educational goals.
Dr. Winfield earned her Master of Science in Public Health from the Tulane University School of Public Health and medical doctorate from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in New Orleans.