ZSFG Department of Medicine Newsletters

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. 

Main Story: Almost two years into a pandemic of epic proportions, our talented faculty, staff and trainees have shown what dedication, teamwork and caring for each other can yield in fulfilling our mission. Here, we report on the state of the UCSF Department of Medicine at ZSFG. 

Main Story: In this issue, we celebrate ZSFG Department of Medicine programs that illuminate community connection and care. Ignited with a spark of an idea, these initiatives have grown with shining impact, demonstrating our deep commitment to advocacy, empowerment, and access. Featured: Nynikka Palmer, DrPh, MPH; Neeta Thakur, MD; Cindy Curiel, Marina Schechter, Brie Williams, MD.

Spotlight: Nora Goldschlager, MD; Brie Williams, MD

Main Story: The ZSFG Department of Medicine, with $145 million in FY22 awards, is a powerhouse of clinical research. Our extraordinary clinical research coordinators work behind the scenes to enroll patients, coordinate study visits, collect biosamples and qualitative data, and more. Like Swiss Army knives, clinical research coordinators possess a broad range of abilities, including organizational skills, attention to detail, facility with both words and numbers, and the ability to communicate clearly, ethically, and compassionately with patient populations that are underrepresented in research.This month we highlight a few of our outstanding clinical research coordinators: Paul Couey, Shreya Swaminathan, Deanna Lee, Viet Nguyen, Alexandra Velasquez.

Spotlight: Dean Schillinger, MD; Anna Chodos, MD, MPH and Health at Home; Commonwealth Club Distinguished Citizens 2021 - Alicia Fernandez, MD; Margot Kushel, MD; Monica Gandhi, MD; Diane Havlir, MD; Carina Marquez, MD