A Monthly Digest of Noteworthy Activities and Achievements

Healthcare is on the brink of a digital revolution, leveraging the transition to EHR systems and advancements in AI to enhance patient care. However, the successful integration of clinical AI into healthcare practice is a complex challenge that calls for a new implementation science. Read Julia Adler-Milstein and Bob Wachter’s thoughts here.

Honors and News

Lewis Blevins received
the AACE Excellence in Humanities Award.

Gabe Ortiz was named
chief medical officer
for ZSFG.

Eric Small was elected president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

DOM Members Elected to AAP

Carolyn Calfee, Javid Moslehi, and Michael Shlipak (pictured left to right) were elected to the Association of American Physicians (AAP).

DOM in the News

Louise Aronson described her bestselling book, Elderhood, about redefining old age. (CBS News)

Alexis Beatty discussed the benefits that patients derive from cardiac rehabilitation. (Health.gov)

Peter Chin-Hong reflected on the state’s new guidelines for people who test positive for Covid. (NPR’s Here and Now; NBC News) He also remarked on how getting access to Paxlovid for Covid should be easier. (LA Times)

Ari Johnson described Muso, a non-profit he co-founded, that supports local healthcare teams in Mali and lowered the child mortality rate by nearly two-thirds. (ABC7)

Margot Kushel questioned whether Medicaid housing assistance is the best use of funds to combat homelessness. (CNN)

Michael Peluso, an investigator in RECOVER, a study exploring the implications of long Covid, voiced concern that there isn't a plan for sustained funding. (NPR)

Michele Pham explained why taking allergy medicine early in the season is beneficial to ward off symptoms. (Today.com)

Neil Powe shared his conclusion that patients feel more at ease with concordant providers. (Harvard Medicine)

Rita Redberg spoke about medical missteps in the care of women with heart disease. (NPR)

Sriram Shamasunder and the UC San Francisco Health, Equity, Action and Leadership (HEAL) Initiative are transforming healthcare in the Navajo Nation. (Mirage News)

Priya Shete discussed why TB cases are rising in California after decades of decline. (Mercury News)

Gina Solomon offered insight and recommendations regarding whether people should test for exposure to "forever chemicals." (San Francisco Chronicle)

Kara Young Ponder reflected on data that finds Black residents overrepresented in homeless population. (KQED)

Bob Wachter commented on how Washington will regulate artificial intelligence in healthcare. (San Francisco Chronicle; Los Angeles Times)

Eric Widera questioned the new plan to radically expand the definition of Alzheimer’s disease to include millions of people with no memory complaints. (Los Angeles Times)

Julie Zikherman reviewed a Stanford study that could explain why women are more prone to autoimmune diseases. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Recent Grants of Note

Timothy Henrich and team: a grant of $5M over three years from the PolyBio Research Foundation for a project entitled, “COVID-19 Post Sudden Death (SCD) Autopsy Study.”

John Gordan and team: a grant of over $3M over five years from the National Cancer Institute for a project entitled, “Targeting Oncogenic PKA signaling mechanisms.”

Benjamin Rosner and team: a grant of $2.5M over three years from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for a project entitled, “Diagnostic performance feedback at scale in routine clinical practice: A demonstration project.”

Recent Publications of Note

Aggarwal R, Heller G, Hillman DW... PRESTO: A phase III, open-label study of intensification of androgen blockade in patients with high-risk biochemically relapsed castration-sensitive prostate cancer (AFT-19). J Clin Oncol. 2024 Jan 23. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Albert MA, Churchwell K, Desai N... Addressing structural racism through public policy advocacy: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2024; 149:e312-e329. Erratum in: Circulation. 2024; 149:e934. PubMed Citation

Durstenfeld MS, Peluso MJ, Lin F... Henrich TJ, Deeks SG, Olgin JE, Pletcher MJ, Beatty AL, Marcus GM, Hsue PY. Association of nirmatrelvir for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection with subsequent long COVID symptoms in an observational cohort study. J Med Virol. 2024; 96:e29333. PubMed Citation

Holmgren AJ, Oakes AH, Miller A, Adler-Milstein J... National trends in billing secure messages as e-visits. JAMA. 2024; 331:526-529. PubMed Citation

Kanaya AM. Diabetes in South Asians: uncovering novel risk factors with longitudinal epidemiologic data: Kelly West award lecture 2023. Diabetes Care. 2024; 47:7-16. Erratum in: Diabetes Care. 2024; 47:7-16. PubMed Citation

Kotwal AA, Hunt LJ, Smith AK. A tale of 2 palliative care trials: developing sustainable and transferable models. JAMA. 2024; 331:196-198. PubMed Citation

Robinson JC, Whaley C, Dhruva SS. Hospital prices for physician-administered drugs for patients with private insurance. N Engl J Med. 2024; 390:338-345. PubMed Citation

Zack T, Lehman E, Suzgun M... Assessing the potential of GPT-4 to perpetuate racial and gender biases in health care: a model evaluation study. Lancet Digit Health. 2024; 6:e12-e22. PubMed Citation

See all 247 DOM-authored publications from last month.

Featured Events

State of the Department: UCSF Health Highlights
Thursday, March 28 | 12-1:00 pm
In-person at N-217 (Parnassus) or join via Zoom
DOM Chair Bob Wachter’s annual address will be delivered in a hybrid format and recorded for later viewing.

Second Annual DEIB Showcase
Tuesday, April 2 | 12-1:00pm
Save the date for the Second Annual DEIB Showcase, which will highlight three programs that have been created in DOM to further DEIB work.

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