UCSF Action Research Center for Health

Daryl Norcott, AMEND at UCSF’s Director of Strategy & Innovation, highlighted AMEND’s work with California Dept. of Corrections & Rehabilitation to better engage with populations living in isolated prison spaces & to help train staff to interact more effectively with incarcerated individuals.

Thrilled to announce our latest ACP study, conducted across 50 clinics in the UC health systems. We found that adding health navigator outreach to PREPAREforYourCare.org and mailed materials substantially increased AD/POLST documentation for seriously ill patients.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41285010/

Webinar: Understanding Health & Homelessness | Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative People experiencing homelessness in California face high rates of chronic illness and disability, and numerous barriers to care. These health challenges make it harder for people to obtain and retain…

The recording of our latest webinar is now available.
➡️ How are poor health and homelessness connected?
➡️ How are CA systems responding to federal changes?
➡️ What do older adults need?
➡️ How can systems partner with communities?

...Watch the recording to find out!

The UCSF Action Research Center for Health works to give everyone access to live a healthy life.

Visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter to learn more.

lnkd.in/gyyipcAS

A screenshot of the online publication, showing the title: A self-report measure of digital skills needed to use digital health tools among older adults—the Skills Measurement and Readiness Training for Digital Health (SMART Digital Health), and also the author list: Lina Tieu, PhD, Courtney R Lyles, PhD, Hyunjin Cindy Kim, MPH, Isabel Luna, BA, Jeanette Wong, BS, Naomi Lopez-Solano, BS, Junhong Li, BS, Andersen Yang, MPH, Jorge A Rodriguez, MD, Oanh Kieu Nguyen, MD, MAS, Alejandra Casillas, MD, MSHS, Emilia H De Marchis, MD, MAS, Anita L Stewart, PhD, Torsten B Neilands, PhD, Elaine C Khoong, MD, MS

A stellar team from ARC identify a brief scale to accurately assess digital skills among older adults for use in identifying need for support to use digital health tools. Out now in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association: academic.oup.com/jamia/articl...

Homelessness Is a Health Care Issue | Opinion | Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative In this op-ed, Maria Raven, MD, MPH, associate director at the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, explains how homelessness is not just a housing issue, but a health care issue. She…

Healthcare has a crucial role to play in homelessness responses, but it's not enough.

"Treating illness against a background of homelessness feels like a no-win situation," says
Dr. Maria Raven, who has cared for patients experiencing homelessness for two decades.

Learn more:

SF pilot program is 1st in the nation to provide surgical care for the unhoused Project REACH was started a year ago funded by the Health Department and the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, and it has improved the lives of eight people so far.

ARC Mentored Faculty member & Asstnt Prof. in residence Marissa Boeck, MD, MPH, spoke with @abc7.bsky.social about the success of Project REACH, a pilot drop-in clinic supporting unhoused patients at @zsfgcare.bsky.social
See the report here: abc7news.com/post/project...

A visual abstract depicting a man having his blood pressure taken, surrounded by key messages from the cited article.

Visual abstract with key takeaways:

English- and Spanish-Speaking Patient Preferences on Home Blood Pressure Monitors in an Urban Safety Net Setting: Qualitative Study Background: Self-measured blood pressure monitoring is necessary for successful management of hypertension. However, disparities in blood pressure control persist, with low-income patients and racial/...

Out now in JMIR Cardio: English- and Spanish-Speaking Patient Preferences on Home Blood Pressure Monitors in an Urban Safety Net Setting: Qualitative Study, senior authored by ARC Associated Faculty member Elaine Khoong, MD, MS. Check out the visual abstract below... cardio.jmir.org/2025/1/e60196.

From a team including ARC Associate Director & Core Faculty member Urmimala Sarkar, MD, MPH, & ARC Associated Faculty member William Brown, III, PhD, DrPH.

Examining housing insecurity and transportation barriers in pediatric hospital readmissions: insights from structured and unstructured data AbstractBackground. Pediatric hospital readmissions increase healthcare costs and highlight gaps in care. Social determinants of health (SDOH), such as hou

Examining housing insecurity and transportation barriers in pediatric hospital readmissions: insights from structured and unstructured data.

From a team including ARC Associate Director Urmimala Sarkar, MD, MPH, & Associated Faculty member William Brown, PhD, DrPH: academic.oup.com/jamia/articl...

Innovative Approaches to Buprenorphine Initiation Amid the Overdose Crisis Despite promising reductions in overdose-related deaths in 2024, the US is still facing a deadly crisis, in large part due to elevated overdose risks associated with fentanyl use. Buprenorphine remain...

Out now in JAMA Network Open: ARC Mentored Faculty member Leslie Suen, MD, MAS, provides invited commentary with Sarah Rosenwohl-Mack, MD, MPH:

Innovative Approaches to Buprenorphine Initiation Amid the Overdose Crisis

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

"Based at ZSFG, the Acute Care Innovation Center & E*Drive team have developed an innovative, scalable model that has resulted in transformational improvements for both patients & staff. The utility, value, & scalability of E*Drive are truly limitless,” says Hemal Kanzaria, ARC Core Faculty & author

Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Designing Resilient Information-Sharing Systems in Acute Care We describe a human-centered design process of creating a centralized digital information hub for information sharing in the emergency department (ED), called E∗Drive. We assessed its usage during the...

Preparing for the Next Pandemic, out now in @annalsofem.bsky.social.

www.annemergmed.com/article/S019...

“The challenge ahead isn’t just in reducing the use of solitary—it’s in envisioning what justice looks like when cages are not the answer, and when systems are judged not by their ability to punish, but by their capacity to heal.” Out now in @solitarywatch.bsky.social

Photo: A view of Snake River Correctional Facility in Malheur County, Oregon, by Think Out Loud on Flickr.

Your weekend read: After Decades in Solitary, a Sliver of Light, How One Oregon Prison Is Working to Mend the Damage of Long-Term Isolation...ARC affiliated program Amend at UCSF offers opportunities to deprogram & reimagine alternative protocols for safe prisons.
solitarywatch.org/2025/06/24/a...

RUN TIBURON is a fundraiser for UCSFʻs Survivorship and Wellness Health services

We are taking a moment to celebrate the courage of our @ucsfhealth.bsky.social patients, doctors, nurses, researchers, caretakers, friends, and families by participating in the Courage Over Cancer 5K & 10K Run/Walk in beautiful Tiburon! September 7th: calendar.ucsf.edu/event/courag...

⭐ Important report from @capolicylab.bsky.social on pilot data from homelessness prevention project

🔑 to homelessness prevention is ID ppr w highest risk, finding them, using evidence based interventions to as many as possible. They did that! RCT results to come.
⬇️ Read the report!
lnkd.in/gsYMDiEW

Disparities in Patient Portal Messaging Among Oncology Patients Enrolled in the Patient Portal | JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics PURPOSEPrevious studies have consistently reported disparities in electronic health record portal enrollment. Among patients enrolled in a portal, it is less clear whether there are disparities in usa...

@ucsanfrancisco.bsky.social-led study on patient portal messaging to oncology patients | Disparities in Patient Portal Messaging Among Oncology Patients Enrolled in the Patient Portal | JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/...

Evaluation of the accuracy and safety of machine translation of patient-specific discharge instructions: a comparative analysis Introduction Machine translation of patient-specific information could mitigate language barriers if sufficiently accurate and non-harmful and may be particularly useful in healthcare encounters when ...

ARC faculty Alicia Fernández, MD and Elaine Khoong, MD, MS, are part of the team conducting original investigations into the potential roles of AI in bridging language gaps between healthcare providers and patients.

See the research via @bmj.com: qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/earl...

Accuracy and safety of machine translation of patient-specific discharge instructions YouTube video by UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity

UCSF Action Research Center Study Reveals Promise and Perils of AI Translation for Patient Care Instructions.

Watch the video abstract via the link!
youtu.be/VIzDnWQfg6g?...

Check out my mentee Kei Ouchi’s new paper: a randomized trial on serious illness conversations in the ED for older adults with advanced illness, showing how values based talks can lead to better end-of-life care. Read here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40531532/

Rosalind Franklin Society Proudly Announces the 2024 Award Recipient for AIDS Patient Care and STDs | AIDS Patient Care and STDs AIDS Patient Care and STDs

ARC Core Faculty member and Associate Professor of Medicine, @morganphilbin.bsky.social earned the 2024 Annual RFS Award in Science! The award recognizes outstanding contributions across Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. peer-reviewed journals. #AIDS #PatientCare. Congrats!

www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10....

Leslie Suen, MD, MAS and Dr. Alicia Fernandez, MD

Leslie Suen, MD, MAS and Alicia Fernandez, MD, receive 2025 ZSFG Department of Medicine Faculty Awards! The awards acknowledge the extraordinary contributions and dedication of colleagues in various areas of the department.

arcforequity.ucsf.edu/news/leslie-...

Dr. Sudore is revered for her steadfast support of helping patients who have trouble understanding lengthy medical forms. Her goal is to empower every person to have a voice in their health care, no matter their native language or education level. #PrepareForCare

Dr. Sudore, ARC Core Faculty member and Professor of Medicine, received a Chancellor’s Award for Public Service. Through the award, UCSF salutes the exemplary service of faculty, staff, and learners to the university and our community at large as they work to advance health worldwide.

How Promoting Health Worldwide Starts with Better Medical Forms YouTube video by UC San Francisco (UCSF)

UCSF Chancellor Recognizes Rebecca Sudore, MD, with 2025 UCSF Founders Day Award

youtu.be/bxz_IazKgKw?...

Check out ARC's podcast, Research to Action! Hear straight from distinguished faculty about how rigorous research translates into action by supporting & informing interventions & initiatives that affect health. #healthequity #ucsf #research #interventions. arcforequity.ucsf.edu/arc-resource...

“AI is no longer just hype—it's fundamentally transforming the way we deliver healthcare," said Dr. Yazdany, "What excites me most is ensuring we strategically deploy AI tools and evaluate whether they improve patient outcomes and increase the joy of practicing medicine.” 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽