UCSF School of Medicine Vice Dean's Office at ZSFG

Summer 2022
Advancing health worldwide in the heart of the City
Dear Colleagues,
 
I am honored to address you, the UCSF community at ZSFG, in my new role as School of Medicine Vice Dean at ZSFG. My relationship to the General began in 1986, on the first day of my Pediatric Internship. Over the ensuing 36 years, I’ve been chief resident at the General (during the Loma Prieta earthquake, no less!) and, as a faculty member, have always been based at the General. For the past thirteen years I served as chief of Pediatrics, which introduced me to the richness of our community and the breadth of our collective commitment to caring for the underserved and dedication towards eliminating health disparities. I also served as Vice Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Medicine for ten years, which helped to deepen my understanding of our University and allowed me to build relationships across the school.

As we look to a post-pandemic phase, replete with challenges and opportunities, I look forward to working in partnership with every member of the UCSF at ZSFG community to advance our collective goals. Please reach out to me with your ideas, your concerns, and your hopes.

My vision is that we achieve academic success, coupled with unwavering commitments to equity and innovation, and a new commitment to environmental sustainability in health-care services. I’m excited for the future and welcome your support.

I am pleased to share a poem, Affirmative Action by Lucille Clifton, which has inspired me for many years.

Elena Fuentes-Afflick, MD, MPH
Vice Dean
UCSF School of Medicine, ZSFG
Recognize a UCSF colleague today!
Affirmative Action
Lucille Clifton

Driving through Virginia
we pause at a creek called
Difficult Run.
 
Sunday morning.
we have been here before.
 
we have survived the Mississippi
the Atlantic and the Nile. there we were
bundled into boats and the captain hated us.
 
he still does. he will do
whatever he can to drown us.
 
but we are not surprised
by the captains, the waters, the long
and difficult run. the people
 
can fly if they have to.
we lift ourselves across.
UCSF at ZSFG Affiliation
2022 Trainees at ZSFG (approximate)
Selected Feature Highlights
2022 Krevans Awardees
The Krevans Award honors an intern from School of Medicine departments at ZSFG who has exhibited clinical excellence, professionalism, and commitment to our unique patient population. 
Updates and Events at ZSFG
Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) at ZSFG Update
GME Site Director at ZSFG
This June we welcomed the first group of new UCSF residents onto our campus. This academic year we will onboard and host over 500 new residents and fellows. At the same time we graduate a cohort of residents and fellows who will embark on their new careers and become leaders in their fields. Congratulations to all our graduates!
 
UCSF has one of the nation’s largest and highest ranked graduate medical education programs and ZSFG is one of the primary training sites for these exceptional residents and fellows. While at ZSFG, the residents and fellows learn to provide clinical care for our patients and engage in health systems changes through quality improvement and patient safety initiatives.
Quality improvement and patient safety initiatives this past year focused on working to:
  • Increase naltrexone prescribing for emergency department patients with alcohol use disorder
  • Increase breast cancer screening rates in the Family Health Clinic
  • Increase hepatitis C screening in patients admitted to the Medicine resident teaching services
  • Increase the percentage of postpartum patients with chronic medical conditions and pregnancy complications referred to primary care
  • Improve the patient care experience on the Clinical Cytopathology Service
UCSF School of Medicine Parody
Watch the 2022 School of Medicine traditional video welcoming accepted students to UCSF. Fun parodies of the songs Good 4 U, Positions and I Like It along with impressive choreography.
Construction of the new building remains on schedule, with substantial completion set for the end of this year. Installation of terracotta tiles for the building’s exterior skin began this week. Inside the building, work continues on mechanical and plumbing systems, ceiling grids and surface finishes, and connection of electrical systems. Inspections this week will allow use of the interior elevators in construction activities, enabling the team to remove the external elevator and install windows on the south side of the building.

Monthly project updates from the Vice Dean’s Office at ZSFG have a new 2-page format, including additional details about move planning, governance, and questions from the future occupant community.
Report concerns or ask questions about the project by emailing UCSF-RAB-ZSFG@ucsf.edu or calling 415-514-7661.
Dean's Seminar Series
The ZSFG Dean's Seminar Series offers monthly presentations on first Fridays at noon featuring researchers for those interested in research.
October 6, 2022 Dean's Seminar
The Dean's Seminar is on hiatus until Friday, October 7, 2022 when it will resume with the 2022 ZSFG State of Research.
Fun Fact
La Tortillera and Portrait of Dr. Leo Eloesser
Diego Rivera's La Tortillera and Frida Kahlo’s Portrait of Dr. Leo Eloesser normally hang in the hospital lobby, surrounded by Rupert Garcia’s artwork on the walls and floor. Garcia, a co-founder of the Galería de la Raza in San Francisco, discusses the difference between two other paintings by Kahlo and Rivera in this video.

The paintings are on temporary loan to the SFMOMA for the Diego Rivera’s America exhibit which opens on July 16. There will be a Free Community Day for the exhibit on July 17, 2022, you can reserve tickets in advance.
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