Christopher Peabody, MD, MPH
Associate Clinical Professor
Dr. Christopher (Toff) Peabody is the Founder and Director of the UCSF Acute Care Innovation Center, an initiative of the UCSF Department of Emergency Medicine that applies design and engineering principles to transform acute care delivery. Under his leadership, the Center has developed nationally recognized initiatives such as E*Drive, an award-winning clinical information hub, and has advanced projects in digital health, equity dashboards, and human-centered workflow redesign.
At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), Dr. Peabody serves as the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Performance Excellence, where he helps lead the hospital’s Kaizen Promotion Office in driving system-wide improvement through Lean management. In this role, he partners with executive and frontline leaders to align operational excellence with equity, safety, and patient experience goals across the institution. He previously served as the Director of Quality and Performance Improvement for the ZSFG Emergency Department, where he built and led innovative quality programs including the Equity and Operations Dashboard and the Case Review Committee.
Dr. Peabody is also the Fellowship Director of the UCSF Emergency Medicine Innovation Fellowship and Site Director for the UCSF Clinical Microsystems Clerkship at ZSFG, where he mentors the next generation of clinician-innovators. His teaching and mentorship have been recognized with multiple UCSF awards, including the Excellence in Mentoring Award and the Outstanding Coach Award.
Nationally, Dr. Peabody advises the Emergency Medicine Innovation Collaborative (EMIC), contributes to the ACEP Quality and Patient Safety Committee, and has been recognized with awards from the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Medical Association, and the Academy of Management. He is a practicing emergency physician at ZSFG, where his work is anchored in advancing safe, equitable, and innovative care for San Francisco’s most vulnerable patients.
At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG), Dr. Peabody serves as the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Performance Excellence, where he helps lead the hospital’s Kaizen Promotion Office in driving system-wide improvement through Lean management. In this role, he partners with executive and frontline leaders to align operational excellence with equity, safety, and patient experience goals across the institution. He previously served as the Director of Quality and Performance Improvement for the ZSFG Emergency Department, where he built and led innovative quality programs including the Equity and Operations Dashboard and the Case Review Committee.
Dr. Peabody is also the Fellowship Director of the UCSF Emergency Medicine Innovation Fellowship and Site Director for the UCSF Clinical Microsystems Clerkship at ZSFG, where he mentors the next generation of clinician-innovators. His teaching and mentorship have been recognized with multiple UCSF awards, including the Excellence in Mentoring Award and the Outstanding Coach Award.
Nationally, Dr. Peabody advises the Emergency Medicine Innovation Collaborative (EMIC), contributes to the ACEP Quality and Patient Safety Committee, and has been recognized with awards from the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Medical Association, and the Academy of Management. He is a practicing emergency physician at ZSFG, where his work is anchored in advancing safe, equitable, and innovative care for San Francisco’s most vulnerable patients.
