Bio
Dr. Emily Boss is a pediatric ear, nose, and throat surgeon, public health researcher, and systems leader at Johns Hopkins Medicine. For nearly two decades, she has studied how patients, families, and clinicians communicate during medical decisions, and how healthcare systems influence patient care.
Through her lab, Dr. Boss has analyzed hundreds of audio-recorded surgical visits and parent interviews to better understand trust, treatment recommendations, shared decision-making, and variation in care. Her research explores why patients with similar conditions may receive very different treatment paths and how communication influences the experience of illness, surgery, and uncertainty. Her work has been federally funded and widely published across surgery, pediatrics, and communication forums.
Dr. Boss is dedicated to improving health outcomes through enhanced doctor-patient communication and organizational change. Across her career, she has led clinical operations, surgical quality, care coordination, and revenue cycle initiatives within a major academic health system. She is particularly interested in how workflow demands, policy, and technology affect both patients and clinicians during the healthcare visit.
She also writes and speaks publicly about children’s health, communication in medicine, healthcare delivery, and navigating medical uncertainty. Her commentary, content expertise, and writing appears in myriad regional and national media outlets.
She is a mother and stepmother of three teens. As a physician and parent, she sits on both sides of the exam table and understands how overwhelming the healthcare system can feel for patients and families trying to make decisions.
Perspectives
Clinical Care
Practicing pediatric ENT surgeon caring for children and families.
Research
Studies clinical conversations, shared decision-making, and drivers of surgical care variation.
Health Systems
Working across clinical operations, revenue cycle management, quality, and healthcare delivery.
Public Engagement
Writing and speaking about children’s health, decision-making, and medical uncertainty. Advising on clinical communication, workflow redesign, and systems change.
Education and Training
- Pediatric Otolaryngology: American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2021
- MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2011
- Otolaryngology: American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2008
- Fellowship: Seattle Children's Hospital, Pediatric Otolaryngology, 2008
- Residency: VCU Health and Hospitals, Otolaryngology, 2007
- MD, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2002
- BA, Premedical Sciences, Northwestern University, 1997