“Humility, grace, the ability to freely give compassion, to see goodness in ourselves and others, to accept and receive unmerited forgiveness, these are hard lessons to learn. But my experience at Heights gave me a solid foundation in these lessons, offering the richness of diversity, the power of kindness and the aspiration to follow a path of learning and service. Heights profoundly influenced my journey, and it is an immeasurable honor to be inducted into the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.”
Vanessa Maier, MD, MPH is a Family Physician at MetroHealth Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Named one of Cleveland’s Best Doctors in 2022 by Cleveland Magazine, she sees patients in her primary care clinic at MetroHealth’s Beachwood Health Center and in the Heights Wellness Center, in her alma mater, Cleveland Heights-University Heights High School. She serves as the Medical Director of MetroHealth’s School Health Program, a collaboration between MetroHealth and local school districts to increase access to school-based primary care. This work was highlighted in the PBS documentary “Healthy Students = Strong Learners” She also serves as the Director of Health for the City of Shaker Heights.
Dr. Maier is passionate about the intersection of clinical medicine and public health, promoting collaboration between healthcare systems and educational systems and expanding access to school-based health centers. She is the Primary Investigator on a National Institute of Health randomized clinical trial in partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Environmental Health Watch and The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, to understand community partnerships in the care of students with asthma. She is a Co-Investigator on a National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences study to evaluate factors associated with absenteeism in students with asthma, in collaboration with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District, the American Lung Association, University Hospitals Rainbow Center for Child Health and Policy and Case Western Reserve University Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
Dr. Maier is also a passionate educator and recipient of several teaching awards including the prestigious Kaiser Permanente Excellence in Teaching Award. She serves as the Director of the Advocacy and Public Health Pathway at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, an interdisciplinary student-driven initiative developed in partnership with the School of Law and School of Applied Social Sciences, where students learn to support the social, economic and political change necessary to improve the health of populations.
Case Western Reserve University – Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine – Medical Doctorate
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine – Masters in Public Health
Physician