Alicia Fernandez, MD
Professor
Medicine
School of Medicine

alicia.fernandez@ucsf.edu 628-206-5394

Alicia Fernandez, M.D. is Professor of Medicine at UCSF, a general internist at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Associate Dean of Population Health and Health Equity for UCSF SOM. She is the founding Director of the UCSF Latinx Center of Excellence, a HRSA and UCSF funded initiative to increase academic diversity.

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Dr. Fernandez directs the Latinx and Immigrant Health Research Program at the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations. which generates actionable research to increase health equity and reduce healthcare disparities.

Dr. Fernandez' research expertise includes language and literacy barriers in healthcare, health care equity in chronic disease, particularly diabetes, and racism in medicine. Dr. Fernandez has served on the National Academy of Science Roundtable on Health Literacy since 2014. Dr. Fernandez is on the Board of Governors and Chair of the Science Oversight Committee at the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Since 2020, she serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

At UCSF, Dr. Fernandez is a member of the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators. Along with colleagues at UCSF, she edits the textbook, Medical Management of Vulnerable and Underserved Patients (Lange,2nd edition)

Awards

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  • COVID Heroes Award, California Senate District 11, 2021
  • Distinguished Citizen Award, Commonwealth Club, 2021
  • Thomas N. Burbridge Award for Public Service, University of California, San Francisco, 2021
  • Annual John Benson Professionalism Article Prize, ABIM Foundation, 2020
  • Distinguished Professor of Health Equity, Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting, 2020
  • Roundtable on Health Literacy, Institute of Medicine, 2014-now
  • Board of Governors, Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), 2014-now
  • Fellow, American College of Physicians, 2012
  • Arnold P. Gold Professorship Award for Humanism in Medicine, Arnold P. Gold Foundation, 2009-2012
  • Outstanding Research Paper-of-the-Year Award, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, 2005
  • Richard J. Haber, MD Excellence in Outpatient Teaching Award, University of California, San Francisco Department of Medicine, 2004
  • Latino Health Policy Leadership Fellow, National Hispanic Medical Association, 2003
  • Early Career Research Award, Hellman/UCSF, 2001
  • Significant Improvement in Medicine for Immigrant Populations and Urban Poor, Mayoral Achievement Award, City of San Francisco, 2000
  • Kaiser Award for Excellence in Housestaff and Medical Student Teaching, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, 2000
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1993

Education & Training

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  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training University of California 2017
  • Fellowship Health Services Research University of California, San Francisco 1998
  • Residency Internal Medicine Primary Care University of California, San Francisco 1997
  • MD Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine 06/93
  • BA Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Yale College 06/84

Websites

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Grants and Projects

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Publications (143)

Top publication keywords:
PovertyMentorsEmigration and ImmigrationLanguagePrejudiceHungerTranslatingCultural CompetencyCommunication BarriersDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2Students, MedicalMultilingualismPhysician-Patient RelationsPhysiciansCulturally Competent Care

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