Ethan A Cowan, MD

Ethan Cowan, MD, MS, is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Director of Research and Community Engagement for the Emergency Department at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital. His research interests are in HIV/HCV/STD testing and substance use interventions, particularly medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.

For over 15 years, Dr. Cowan has used his formal training in clinical research methods to coordinate and conduct randomized controlled trials and cohort studies in the emergency department (ED) setting. He also has formal training in bioethics and frequently performs empirical work to answer challenging ethical questions. Dr. Cowan has investigated capacity to consent to research and informed consent for HIV testing. He has also been actively engaged in conceptual work in ethics, having published ethical analyses of unconsented HIV testing in cases of occupational exposure, allocation of HIV drugs for prevention versus treatment and the ethics of pre-exposure prophylaxis in HIV prevention trials. Dr. Cowan is very familiar with the ethical issues pertaining to research including issues surrounding informed consent, biobanks and bio-specimens, confidentiality, risk-benefit analysis, equipoise, global health research and due and undue inducement. His current funded projects range from empirical studies in the ethics to public health program implementation and evaluation of HIV, HCV and STD testing and treatment in high-risk adult populations.

Currently, his focus is the design, implementation and evaluation of novel interventions in the ED. Dr. Cowan’s current funding as a principal investigator includes a NIDA funded UG3 examining the safety and efficacy of high dose buprenorphine initiation (UG3DA056891) and a NIMH funded R34 investigating HIV PrEP Services in the Emergency Department for Hard-to-Reach Populations (R34MH130267). Dr. Cowan also leads a Public Health Solutions/CDC funded grant for systems level change for normalizing routine HIV testing in high volume settings (22-HRT-602).

Prior to his work at Mount Sinai, Dr. Cowan was the Associate Director of Emergency Medicine at Jacobi Medical Center and on Faculty at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  He has obtained funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Drug Abuse and National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Dr. Cowan has also been frequently supported by funds from State and City Health Departments, Foundations and Industry. As a practicing physician, he has spent his entire professional career committed to providing the highest quality of compassionate care to the most underserved populations of New York City.

Additional Training:

Masters of Clinical Research Methods, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Certificate in Health Policy, Law and Ethics, UnionGraduate College
Research Fellowship, Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bachelor of Arts (History/Biology), Washington University in St. Louis