Sarah Stella, MD

Professional Titles

• Associate Professor of Medicine

Recognitions

• Bill Burman Community Service Award, Denver Health Medical Staff (2020)
• Advocacy and Community Service Award, Society of General Internal Medicine, Mountain West Region (2020)
• Alumni Inductee, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (2017)

Research Interests

I am passionate about advancing health equity through community-partnered, action-oriented research at the intersection of housing and health. My primary academic interests relate to systems improvement in a vertically-integrated safety-net healthcare system and improving health outcomes among patients experiencing housing instability.

Publications

• Trent S, Skinner A, Salame G, Stella S, Krantz M. Implementation of a Modified HEART Score Pathway in an Urban, Safety-Net Hospital. Accepted for presentation at ACEP 6/1/18.
• Stella SA. Guppies. SGIM Forum. 2017; 40(12).
• Podewils LJ, Farrell E, Loh R, Gray TW, Witzke D, Stella SA. Exploring a shared vision for success in permanent supportive housing: a community-partnered study in Colorado, USA. J Public Health Policy. 2025 Jan 14. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 39806226
• Westfall MY, Padmanabhan P, Wang J, Nall SK, Stella SA, Kushel M, Belcher C, Davis L, Versen E, LeBeouf W, Barocas JA. Youth Homelessness in Denver, Colorado: 2017-2021. Pediatrics. 2025 Feb 1;155(2). PubMed PMID: 39749964
• Habib AR, Stella SA, Farkouh EK, Grenko CM, Hart D, Pasha AS. Recommitting to Housing and Health Care Justice After City of Grants Pass v Johnson. Am J Public Health. 2025 Jan;115(1):18-22. PubMed PMID: 39631088
• Nepal S, Haber LA, Stella SA. Decoding Homelessness: Z-Codes and the Recognition of Homelessness as a Comorbid Condition. J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Nov 7. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 39511118
• Stella SA, Hanratty R, Davidson AJ, Podewils LJ, Elliott L, Keith A, Everhart R. Improving Identification of Patients Experiencing Homelessness in the Electronic Health Record: A Curated Registry Approach. J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Dec;39(16):3113-3119. PubMed PMID: 39285073
• Mistry N, Knoeckel J, McBeth L, Johnson A, Bredenberg E, Raffel K, Cunningham J, Sarcone E, Misky G, Stella SA. Prevalence of homelessness among hospitalized patients: A point-in-time survey. J Hosp Med. 2024 Jan;19(1):45-50. PubMed PMID: 38058085
• Chadha A, Padhi SK, Stella S, Venkataraman S, Saravanan T. Microbial alcohol dehydrogenases: recent developments and applications in asymmetric synthesis. Org Biomol Chem. 2024 Jan 3;22(2):228-251. PubMed PMID: 38050738
• Mistry N, Knoeckel J, McBeth L, Johnson A, Bredenberg E, Raffel K, Cunningham J, Sarcone E, Misky G, Stella SA. Prevalence of homelessness among hospitalized patients: A point-in-time survey. J Hosp Med. 2024 Jan;19(1):45-50. PubMed PMID: 38058085
• Bredenberg EL, Knoeckel J, Havranek K, McBeth L, Stella S, Garcia M, Sarcone E, Misky G. Hospitalization and Housing: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Perspectives of Hospitalized Patients Experiencing Housing Insecurity. Cureus. 2023 Oct;15(10):e46367. PubMed PMID: 37920645
• Stella SA, Lessing J, Saunders M, Fluker, SA. Meeting the promise of tomorrow at the intersection of housing and health. SGIM Forum. March 2023
• Stella SA, Hanratty R, Podewils L, Elliot L, Keith A, Everhart R. Identification of patients experiencing homelessness in the electronic health record—towards a more inclusive definition. Published in: Abstracts from the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. J GEN INTERN MED 38 (Suppl 2), 81–799 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08226-z
• Mistry N, Knoeckel J, Bredenberg E, Johnson A, Misky G, McBeth L, Sarcone E, Raffel K, Cunningham J, Stella S. Prevalence of Homelessness Among Hospitalized Patients: A Point-In-Time Survey. Published in: Abstracts from the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. J GEN INTERN MED 38 (Suppl 2), 81–799 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08226-z
• Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. May 2023. Communicable Disease Emergency Plan and Toolkit for People Experiencing Homelessness.
• Scott E, Rowan S, Chandler K, Fisher A, Hill B, Hill J, Marx GE, Farrell E, Wendel K, Stella SA. Lessons Learned through Implementing SARS-CoV-2 Testing and Isolation for People Experiencing Homelessness in Congregate Shelters. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2022;16(2S):13-22. PubMed PMID: 35912653
• Scott E, Rowan S, Chandler K, Fisher A, Hill B, Hill J, Marx GE, Farrell E, Wendel K, Stella SA. Lessons Learned through Implementing SARS-CoV-2 Testing and Isolation for People Experiencing Homelessness in Congregate Shelters. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2022;16(2S):13-22. PubMed PMID: 35912653
• Cervantes L, Hazel CA, Mancini D, Pereira RI, Podewils LJ, Stella SA, Durfee J, Barshney A, Steiner JF. Perspectives of Latinx Individuals Who Were Unvaccinated And Hospitalized for COVID-19: A Qualitative Study. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Jun 1;5(6):e2218362. PubMed PMID: 35713898
• Cunningham JM, Persoff J, Piper C, Burger A, Shinnar E, Cunnius P, Stella SA, Frank MG. A Framework for Hospital Medicine's Involvement in Disaster Preparedness and Response. Health Secur. 2022 Mar-Apr;20(2):172-176. PubMed PMID: 35333614
• Ramadurai D, Knoeckel J, Stace RJ, Stella S. Feasibility and Impact of Trauma-Informed Care Training in Internal Medicine Residency: A Pilot Study. Cureus. 2022 Feb;14(2):e22368. PubMed PMID: 35321063
• Rowan SE, McCormick DW, Wendel KA, Scott T, Chavez-van de Hey J, Wilcox K, Stella SA, Kamis K, Burman WJ, Marx GE. Lower Prevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection Among People Experiencing Homelessness Tested in Outdoor Encampments Compared With Overnight Shelters: Denver, Colorado, June-July 2020. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 24;75(1):e157-e164. PubMed PMID: 35040947
• Cunningham JM, Persoff J, Piper C, Burger A, Shinnar E, Cunnius P, Stella SA, Frank MG. A Framework for Hospital Medicine's Involvement in Disaster Preparedness and Response. Health Secur. 2022 Mar 24. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 35333614
• Ramadurai D, Knoeckel J, Stace RJ, Stella S. Feasibility and Impact of Trauma-Informed Care Training in Internal Medicine Residency: A Pilot Study. Cureus. 2022 Feb;14(2):e22368. PubMed PMID: 35321063
• Rowan SE, McCormick DW, Wendel KA, Scott T, Chavez-van de Hey J, Wilcox K, Stella SA, Kamis K, Burman WJ, Marx GE. Lower Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among People Experiencing Homelessness Tested in Outdoor Encampments Compared with Overnight Shelters - Denver, Colorado, June - July 2020. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Jan 18. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 35040947
• Stella SA, Balaban E, Sarcone E, Scott E, Rowan SE. We Cannot Address COVID-19 without Addressing Homelessness. SGIM Forum, May 2021.
• Stella SA, Thompson L, Havranek K, Cassie C, Perkins S, Hora T, Loeb R, Nunnaley M, Wessley J, Bellofatto T. Engaging Community Stakeholders to Develop a Peer-Led Care Transitions Intervention for Hospitalized Patients Experiencing Homelessness. SGIM Annual Meeting, 4/21 (Virtual). Published in: Abstracts from the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. J Gen Intern Med DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-06830-5 J Gen Intern Med 36(Suppl 1):S91.
• Sarah Stella, Cassie Chase. Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Unhoused Medicaid Members through a Cross-sector Supportive Housing Partnership: 1-year lessons learned from the Home to Health Pilot. October 20, 2021.
• Nepal S, Keniston A, Indovina KA, Frank MG, Stella SA, Quinzanos-Alonso I, McBeth L, Moore SL, Burden M. What Do Patients Want? A Qualitative Analysis of Patient, Provider, and Administrative Perceptions and Expectations About Patients' Hospital Stays. J Patient Exp. 2020 Dec;7(6):1760-1770. PubMed PMID: 33457641
• Trent SA, Stella S, Skinner A, Salame G, Hanratty RL, Prandi-Abrams M, French A, Krantz MJ. Improving Atraumatic Chest Pain Evaluation in an Urban, Safety-net Hospital Through Incorporation of a Modified HEART Score. Crit Pathw Cardiol. 2020 Dec;19(4):173-177. PubMed PMID: 33009073
• Stella SA, Stace RJ, Knepper BC, Reese SM, Keniston A, Burden M, Young HL. The effect of eye images and a social norms message on healthcare provider hand hygiene adherence. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2019 Jul;40(7):748-754. PubMed PMID: 31072412
• Stella SA, Thompson LM, Bellofatto T, Leslie SE, Sarcone EE, Bredenberg E, Cervantes L. Building a Partnership to Improve Hospital Care and Care Transitions for Persons Experiencing Homelessness. Presented at SGIM Annual Meeting, 5/2019. Retrieved from: Abstracts from the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine. J Gen Intern Med. 2019 May;34(Suppl 2):99-867
• Skinner A, Munoa AM, Rao H, Indovina KA, Shaffie R, Scaletta N, Stella SA. In the Literature: Physician reviews of HM-centric research. The Hospitalist, April 2018.
• Stella SA. Capsule Commentary on Dalal et al., The Impact of Automated Notification on Follow-up of Actionable Tests Pending at Discharge: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Jul;33(7):1139. PubMed PMID: 29667087
• Palabindala V, Sehgal R, Stella S. Concerns Regarding Resource Use and Outcomes in Subsets of Clinicians. JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Apr 1;178(4):579-580. PubMed PMID: 29610876
• Takahashi J, Frank M, Dill S, Stella SA. Nobody makes me bleed my own blood. Nobody! Evans syndrome in Lupus and is implications. J Gen Intern Med 2018; 33(Suppl2):567.
• Stella SA, Prandi-Abrams M, Moldenhauer K, Abdelhamid S, Lyden J, Sarcone S, Babbitt L, Smith SK, Lynn-Lee V, Goetz K, Wise S, Albrecht K, Vlasimsky TB, Sarcone E. Building a Better Discharge: utilizing Lean to develop structured interdisciplinary discharge rounds and an electronic discharge readiness tool. J Gen Intern Med 2018; 33(Suppl2):765-766.
• Knoeckel J, Sarcone S, Stella SA. The Health Equities Pathway: Development of a novel curriculum addressing the health. J Gen Intern Med 2018; 33(Suppl2):739.
• Zoucha J, Hull M, Keniston A, Mastalerz K, Quinn R, Tsai A, Berman J, Lyden J, Stella SA, Echaniz M, Scaletta N, Handoyo K, Hernandez E, Saini I, Smith A, Young A, Walsh M, Zaros M, Albert RK, Burden M. Barriers to Early Hospital Discharge: A Cross-Sectional Study at Five Academic Hospitals. J Hosp Med. 2018 Dec;13(12):816-822. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3074. PMID: 30496327.
• Sarah Stella. Homelessness: Whose job is it? The Hospitalist. Dec 2017.
• Knepper B, Miller A, Reese S, Kurtz J, Stella S, Young H. Electronic hand hygiene monitoring: a tool to drive improvement and measure impact. Presented at ID Week 2017.
• Scott E, Rowan S, Chandler K, Fisher A, Hill B, Hill J, Marx G, Farrell E, Wendel K, Stella SA. Lessons Learned through Implementing SARS-CoV-2 Testing and Isolation for People Experiencing Homelessness in Congregate Shelters. Progress in Community Health Partnership, Accepted 11/7/2021.

Practice Locations

Denver Health
777 Bannock St
Denver, CO 80204
303-436-6000

Hospital Affiliation

• Denver Health Medical Center

Specialty Information

Specialties

• Hospital Medicine, Board Certification
• Society of General Internal Medicine Leadership in Health Policy (LEAHP) Scholar, Specialized Training (2020)
• Fellow of the Society of Hospital Medicine, Certificate (2016)
• Editorial Fellow, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Specialized Training (2022)