Monthly Newsletter | May 2026

We had a great showing from DHM at SHM Converge 2026 in Nashville! More pictures are available in Box.

Brad Sharpe was elected as Master of Hospital Medicine.

There are only 55 MHMs in the history of SHM and UCSF has the largest number of Masters in the country (5!).

DHM faculty received SHM SF Bay Area Chapter Awards of Excellence:

Nancy Choi - Excellence in Teaching Award

Akshar Rambachan - Excellence in Research Award

Andy Lai - Excellence in Clinical Practice Award

Didactics and Workshops

Posters and Oral Abstracts

*Research (R), Innovation (I), Clinical Vignette (V)

Abstracts can be viewed at the Journal of Hospital Medicine Meetings Archive.

Meet DHM

Get to know our division by reading our faculty and staff interviews!

Ritu Bansal, in collaboration with colleagues from UVA Health and the University of Pittsburgh, presented a novel approach to POCUS competency at the 2026 AIMW national meeting. The workshop highlighted a curriculum that moves toward a case-based, patient-centered model grounded in clinical reasoning and longitudinal assessment. This innovative framework has now been implemented in IM residency training at Stanyan and UVA, with growing interest from other programs.

Ashraf Abugroun presented a workshop titled "Decomposition Analysis in Aging Research: From Foundations to Application." The presentation was co-sponsored by CAPS Methods Core and Center for Aging in Diverse Communities Analysis Core.

Community Corner

Welcome to the heart of DHM! This spot is all about keeping you in the loop on all things community — highlights from last month's events, snapshots of fun moments, and a heads-up on what's coming up next month. Keep an eye here for dates, details, and photos that celebrate our DHM community spirit! Reach out to Rosemary Yau to share yours.

Volunteer with DHM at GLIDE's Free Meal Program

Join a meaningful and fun volunteering opportunity at GLIDE's Free Meal Program, where volunteers help serve hundreds of lunches to the Tenderloin community.

This is a great opportunity to volunteer together outside the hospital, and we welcome you to invite colleagues from across UCSF as well as non-UCSF family and friends to join! Sign up here in this Box sheet by adding your name and email to the spreadsheet. If the main slots are full, add your name to the waitlist section — we are often able to request additional volunteer spots.

Join the CBC team or suggest an event here!

Equity & Belonging in Hospital Medicine

We want to share a few opportunities for this month's Equity & Belonging section:

Hospital Medicine Day in Sacramento!

When: Tuesday, May 19 — all day.

Join other hospitalists and staff for a day in Sacramento to learn about the legislative process, and do some advocacy on issues important to hospital medicine and to UCSF. No prior legislative experience necessary! Email Martha to be added to the day's events. Transportation on Amtrak and lunch provided.

Free San Francisco Marin Medical Society (SFMMS) Membership

Join your local branch of the California Medical Association (CMA) and its local component society, the San Francisco Marin Medical Society (SFMMS), for free! A number of membership slots are available, on a first-come/first-served basis for UCSF faculty who want membership. You can sign up here. SFMMS offers opportunities to become involved in local advocacy, leadership development and mentorship, and exclusive events convening and connecting physicians from across the profession.

The DHM PFAC: Updates

At our April Patient and Family Advisory Council meeting, Martha Ockenfels-Martinez presented a plan to partner with the PFAC on a program evaluation of the PFAC, and hosted a brainstorm on the evaluation questions; and Yalda Shahram facilitated a discussion on a flyer for Stanyan PFAC recruitment. 

If you have a project, concept, or product - like communications materials - you'd like to receive patient and family feedback on, email Martha to schedule your visit to the PFAC!

- Signed the PFAC facilitator team, Jeannie, Martha, and Yalda

Anand Habib was an author of an editorial recently published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine in which he discusses the association of medical debt with delayed medical, dental, and mental health care and the political headwinds and policy challenges in improving affordability of healthcare.

James Harrison and Himali Weerahandi co-authored a cohort study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association on discharge appeals in post-acute SNFs. About 10% of patients appealed—often over readiness concerns—with most ultimately losing. The study provides a foundation for broader research on appeals processes and outcomes.