ZSFG Department of Medicine Newsletters

Main Story: ZSFG cares for residents of San Francisco, many of whom have health and social issues which increase the complexity of their care. Fortunately, ZSFG has a number of interventional specialists who provide potentially life-saving procedures which are less invasive alternatives to surgery. These state-of-the-art approaches require a high level of training, skill and teamwork. In this issue we feature some of the latest innovations in interventional cardiology and endoscopy. Featuring: John MacGregor, MD, PhD; Lukas Zier, MD; Patrick Avila, MD

Spotlight: Native American Heritage Month, ZSFG DOM Clothing Drive, UCSF/ZSFG/OSR Toy Drive

Main Story: Climate change is one of the most important public health crises of our day. The impact of this threat may fall most heavily on populations such as the patients we treat at ZSFG and similar ones globally. This month, the Annals of Internal Medicine highlighted this focus in an American College of Physicians Position Paper on Environmental Health. In this issue we highlight faculty members who are taking leadership roles in addressing this challenge. .Featuring: Sheri Weiser, MD; Neeta Thakur, MD; Anna Chodos, MD

Main Story: Each year, our department honors staff who excel beyond expectations in the areas of Administrative Service, Leadership, Patient Care, and Research. Staff are nominated by colleagues, reviewed by a committee of staff and faculty, and finalized by department leadership. This year's awardees hold a wealth of professional and personal experience in creating compassionate care. All demonstrate a dedication to our mission of serving our community with excellence. We recognized awardees in a virtual ceremony on Friday, September 25, 2022. Featuring: Asher O'Donnell, Rahitha Maria Thomas, Dave Graham-Squire, Ghezal Saffi

Spotlight: Latinx Heritage Month, flu shots and COVID boosters

Main Story: California and the U.S. are becoming increasingly diverse, yet Black and Latinx communities are underrepresented both in medical schools and the health professions. It is vital to have clinicians and researchers who come from the communities most affected by health disparities as illuminated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To meet this challenge, faculty members in the ZSFG Department of Medicine lead several innovative programs which help high school and college students from communities underrepresented in medicine develop science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills and provide early exposure to medicine and research. With their deep lived experience of health inequities, community connections, and cultural wealth, these youth will transform the future of medicine. Featuring: Antonio Gomez, MD; Neeta Thakur, MD; Delphine Tuot, MD; Raymond Hsu, MD; Alicia Fernández

Spotlight: David Chia, MD; Meghan O'Brien, MD; Edgar Pierluissi, MD

Main Story: This month we welcome our new chief residents, who ascended to their new roles after finishing  UCSF’s three-year internal medicine residency program last month. In this 2022-2023 new academic year, these exceptional young physicians will help teach, support and mentor the 180 interns and residents who rotate through the Medicine inpatient and outpatient services at ZSFG.
Our chief residents are Cati Crawford, MD, for ambulatory care, and Jessie Holtzman, MD, and Veronica Manzo, MD, MS, for inpatient care. They bring passion and radiance for caring for vulnerable populations, helping trainees connect with the joy of learning, and transforming systems of care.

Spotlight: Welcome to New ZSFG DOM Faculty

Main Story: In addition to their incredible work in clinical care,research, education and advocacy, the faculty and staff of the ZSFG Department of Medicine have an astonishing wealth of other talents. Some of these talents are in creative artistry in its many forms – painting, crafting, drawing and singing. This month we share the artistic endeavors of four members of our department whose life passions complement and balance the roles for which they are best known at ZSFG.Featuring: Julia Kay; Robert Brody, MD; Constance Wu, MD; Kamran Atabai, MD

Spotlight: Alexandra Velasquez; Mimi Margaretten, MD; Steven Deeks, MD; Priscilla Hsue, MD; Carina Marquez, MD; Nynikka Palmer, DrPH, MPH

Main Story: The Department of Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General celebrates our talented, innovative, and dedicated members through the 2022 ZSFG Medicine Service Awards. These awards are an opportunity to express gratitude for faculty commitment to the hospital and department’s goals. Peers, through comments, provided nominations.Featuring: Vivek Jain, MD; Bethlehem Churnet, MD; Marlene Martin, MD; Soraya Azari, MD; Scott Steiger, MD; Gabe Ortiz, MD; Priya Shete, MD; Surabhi Nirkhe, MD; Courtney Lyles, MD; Barry Zevin, MD; Will Huen, MD; Camille Beaudoy, PharmD; Alan Wu, PhD; Joseph Caballero, PT

Spotlight: STAR Achievement Staff Awards featuring: Melissa Akers, Zahra Atai, Douglas Black, Cissie Bonini, Jennifer Evans, Raeni Miller, Kenny Perez, Kevin Reeder, Francine Rios-Fetchko, Kara Young

Main Story: Last month marked two long years (dos largos años) since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The ZSFG Department of Medicine rose to this unprecedented challenge – discovering more about this mysterious new disease, caring for the patient populations hit hardest, and pioneering new treatments and approaches to care delivery that helped San Francisco achieve among the lowest mortality rates of any American city. This was an enormous team effort, and every person at ZSFG continues to play a vital role in caring for our patients and communities. We invited four members of our Department to reflect on lessons learned, how they can be applied in the future, and what the road ahead might look like. Featuring: Lukejohn Day, MD; Carina Marquez, MD; Vivek Jain, MD; Raeni Miller

Special Section: ZSFG DOM Physician COVID-19 Clinical Service Recognition Awards: Kamran Atabai, MD; Katie Brooks, MD; Judy Cheng, MD; Lukejohn Day, MD; Antonio Gomez, MD; Mary Gray, MD; Carolyn Hendrickson, MD; Mark Jacobson, MD; Vivek Jain, MD; Mandana Khalili, MD; Margot Kushel, MD; Michael Lee, MD; Annie Luetkemeyer, MD; Jaya Mallidi, MD; Mimi Margaretten, MD; Zaw Muang, MD; Lisa Ochoa-Frongia, MD; Anne Rosenthal, MD; Ramin Sam, MD; Justin Sewell, MD; George Su, MD; Vanessa Thompson, MD; Lisa Winston, MD; Christina Yoon, MD

Main Story: During Women's History Month, we honor the extraordinary contributions of all the women in the ZSFG Department of Medicine. This issue features six outstanding women as exemplars who demonstrate remarkable achievements in the area of research, education, administration, clinical care and performance improvement. Featuring: Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, MD; Sarah Goglin, MD; Jep Poon; Michele Tana, MD; Laurae Pearson; Delphine Tuot, MD.

Tribute: Anitha Toke, MD and Teri Liegler, PhD

Spotlight: ZSFG Women in Research - Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigators - Oanh Nguyen, MD, MAS; Isabel Rodriguez-Barraquer, MD, PhD; Sara Suliman, PhD, MPH 

Main Story: A core pillar of the ZSFG Department of Medicine’s mission is to be a trusted authority in the public sphere, particularly to shape policy to promote health equity. Two of our faculty members recently led national efforts to improve the health and healthcare of patients with diabetes and kidney disease, producing landmark reports which will transform lives. Featuring: Dean Schillinger, MD; Neil R. Powe, MD, MPH, MBA; Cynthia Delgado, MD.

Spotlight: Black History Month at UCSF; SFGH Foundation's Hearts in SF honoring Sue Carlisle, MD, and Neil R. Powe, MD, MPH, MBA named as 2022 Hero.