Coaching Program

The School of Medicine Coaching Program is designed to provide academic guidance for students and support their professional and personal development throughout their medical school curriculum. By providing longitudinal coaching for all medical students and robust faculty development for our coaches, we aim to create successful learning communities that support and respond to the needs of our students, coaches, and the patients we serve.

Overview of the Coaching Program:

Coaches are clinician educators who provide advice, assistance, and encouragement in all aspects of our students’ education and professional development. The coaches are a diverse group of faculty from multiple specialties and teaching sites. They are each assigned a small number of students to foster personal and individualized teaching and mentoring relationships.

The coaching program provides:

  • Longitudinal coaching for students
    • Coaches take on 6 first-year students every other year and follow them until they graduate. The goal is to have all students connected with a coach for the duration of their medical school career.
  • Individualized support
    • Coaches regularly review their students’ progress and competency development with them, and guide students in individual learning planning.
    • Coaches meet with their students individually and in small groups.
    • Coaches refer students to the range of learning and career development resources available at UCSF as needed.
  • Formal instruction in clinical skills, including quality improvement and patient safety
    • Coaches are site faculty members in the Clinical Microsystems Clerkship (CMC), teaching clinical skills and overseeing students’ systems improvement learning at clinical sites during the Foundations 1 portion of the Bridges Curriculum.

Coach Competencies

To be eligible to become a coach, you must be a full-time faculty member at one of our UCSF, SFVAHC, or ZSFG clinical sites and be available to teach during specific days. For more information regarding the coaching program, email [email protected]. UCSF does not use race, gender, sex, or other protected categories or proxies for protected categories in the selection process.

Our Coaches:

Anna Meyer

Anna Meyer, MD

Associate Professor

Anna Meyer, MD Profile
Sites
UCSF Health
Department/Division
Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Surgery
Training

UCSF School of Medicine
University of Michigan, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Residency
Children's Memorial (Lurie) Hospital, Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellowship
UCSF Teaching Scholars Program
American Academy on Communication in Healthcare Faculty-In-Training program

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Pediatric Otolaryngologist, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals-Oakland-San Francisco
Program Director, Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellowship
Co-Chair, Education Task Force, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Facilitator, Relationship-Centered Communication for health care providers
Faculty, Academy of Communication in Healthcare

Professional Interests

Diversity, equity, and inclusion education, health disparities, relationship-centered communication, narrative medicine, early surgical resident education, children who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Personal Interests

Creative non-fiction writing, hiking & camping, meditation, reading, podcast listening, dancing.

An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

Trust takes time.

Vivek Murthy

Vivek Murthy, MD, MSc

HS Assoc. Clinical Professor

Vivek Murthy, MD, MSc Profile
Sites
SFVA
Department/Division
Medicine
Training

University of California, San Francisco: Rheumatology Fellowship
University of California, San Francisco: Internal Medicine Residency   
New York University School of Medicine: M.D.
University of Oxford, U.K.: M.Sc. in Pharmacology
Johns Hopkins University: B.A. in Public Health Studies  

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Divisions of Hospital Medicine and Rheumatology
San Francisco VA Medical Center
UCSF School of Medicine

Professional Interests

Rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, IgG4-related disease, general medical and psychosocial care of the hospitalized adult, medical education, cognitive expertise science, clinical excellence research, clinical problem-solving

Personal Interests

Photography, backpacking, hiking, music

An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

The bedside interaction truly matters in clinical medicine. The person who looks and listens carefully, re-visits each assumption, and thinks deeply about the problem, will be the one who solves it. If you find what you’re doing fun, you’re going to get good at it.

Jacqueline Nember

Jacqueline Nemer, MD

Clinical Professor

Jacqueline Nemer, MD Profile
Sites
UCSF Health
Department/Division
Emergency Medicine
Training

Ohio State University
Ohio State University School of Medicine
Cleveland Clinic Foundation- Internship
Christiana Care Health System- Emergency Medicine Residency

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Attending Physician, UCSF Parnassus Emergency Department
Director of Advanced Procedural Skills Education, UCSF Department of Emergency Medicine

Professional Interests

Medical education with a focus on procedural & critical care skills, quality & safety and global health.

Personal Interests
  • Savoring parenthood with my 2 cherished teens as they rapidly approach adulthood and their independence.
  • Home cooking to gather my people
  • Any adventures locally and in travel.
  • And many surprise interests from owning a fixer home such as my affinity for doing demolition work, retiling a bathroom, and my unfounded confidence in using power tools. 
An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

In Chinese writing, "crisis" is comprised of two characters, "danger" and "crucial change point".  When you are in the midst of a crisis, trust your inner strength and find a way to make the crucial change needed.

Leigh Ann O'Banion

Leigh Ann O'Banion, MD

Associate Clinical Professor

Leigh Ann O'Banion, MD Profile
Sites
UCSF Health
Department/Division
Surgery
Training

BS from Louisiana State University
MD from the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Medicine
General surgery residency at UCSF Fresno
Vascular Fellowship at UCSF
Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation (RPVI)

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Dr. O’Banion has been a faculty member in the Department of Surgery since 2017. Dr. O’Banion’s clinical and didactic teaching involves educating, lecturing, mentoring, and supervising medical students and residents that rotate on the vascular surgery service. Trainees represent a wide range of educational levels, including medical students, general surgery residents, as well as critical care and interventional cardiology fellows. She currently serves on the Executive Council and as the Committee Chair for the Vascular Surgery Interest Group (VSIG) of the Western Vascular Society, the Co-Chair of the Society of Vascular Surgery Foundation Gala, the VESS Vascular Research Consortium Committee, as well as the AVF Digital Media Committee, and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Vascular Surgery-CIT.  She is committed to the education and promotion of vascular surgery.

Professional Interests

Her clinical research focuses on advanced venous disease, vascular trauma, and outcomes based research on vascular amputees. She has presented her research at the local/regional and nation level and published in multiple surgical journals. Her work on traumatic popliteal injuries was awarded the 2020 Western Vascular Society Founder’s Research Award. She was awarded the 2021 UCSF Fresno Faculty Research Award.

Personal Interests

Dr. O’Banion has two young children and enjoys spending time with her family.  She loves cooking and traveling around California.

An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

“Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.  So, love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason.  If you get the chance, take it.  If it changes your life, let it.  Nobody said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.” Dr. Seuss

Meghan O'Brien

Meghan O'brien, MD

Associate Professor

Meghan O'brien, MD Profile
Sites
SF General
Department/Division
Medicine
Training

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
UCSF Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Hospitalist, ZSFG
Medicine attending for inpatient wards, ZSFG
Course co-director for Interprofessional Addiction Medicine Elective on the Addiction Care Team
Regional Director California Bridge Program
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Community Ambassador, ZSFG

Professional Interests

Medical education, health humanities, addiction medicine, diversity in medicine

Personal Interests

Travel, food, dance, pottery, learning to surf.

An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

Partnering with a team is better than going it alone.

Sriranjani Padmanabhan, MD

Associate Professor; School of Medicine Coach

Sriranjani Padmanabhan, MD Profile
Sites
SF General
UCSF Health
Department/Division
Ophthalmology
Surgery
Training

Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine
Internship: Albert Einstein Medical Center
Residency in Ophthalmology: University of Pennsylvania (Scheie Eye Institute)
Fellowship in Glaucoma: Emory University (Emory Eye Center)
Fellowship in International Ophthalmology: University of Nebraska (Truhlsen Eye Institute)

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Attending practices at ZSFG and UCSF and am involved in trainee education at both sites.
Fellowship co-director, Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia at UCSF

Professional Interests

Perioperative best practices in the safety-net; visual health equity; medical education; caring for patients with glaucoma and other eye diseases

Personal Interests

Chasing after my kids, time with family & friends, writing, literature/poetry, travel, awesome vegetarian food.

An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

On surgery: “You won’t always be able to see everything perfectly.  If you are familiar with the anatomy and are careful, you can still get it done.”

Ultimately, it’s about how preparation and good judgement can allow you to navigate unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations.  Advice I come back to in and out of the OR!

Nanah Park

Nanah Park, MD

Professor; School of Medicine Coach

Nanah Park, MD Profile
Sites
UCSF Health
Department/Division
Pediatrics
Training

Chicago Medical School
University of Chicago Pediatrics Residency

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Outpatient General Pediatrics, Pediatric Asthma

Professional Interests

Asthma education and medical education

Personal Interests

Golf, traveling

An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

Holly Humphrey, Dean of Medical Education at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine introduced me to this quote by Dr. Francis Peabody: "For the secret of the care of the patient is in the caring of the patient." It's such a simple quote but so meaningful. I think actually caring for your patient will give you the motivation to go the extra mile for them whether it's finding a different way to communicate and bond with them, reviewing the latest evidence-based literature, or spending the extra time to just listen.

Christopher Peabody

Christopher Peabody, MD, MPH

Associate Clinical Professor

Christopher Peabody, MD, MPH Profile
Sites
SF General
Department/Division
Emergency Medicine
Training

UCSF School of Medicine
University of Southern California and Los Angeles County Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency and Chief Residency
Harvard School of Public Health
Zuckerman Fellowship, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Attending Physician, ZSFG Emergency Department
Director, Acute Care Innovation Center

Professional Interests

Acute care innovations, patient safety and quality improvement, emergency department teamwork, physician mentorship and leadership, caregiver burnout

Personal Interests

Service, politics, east bay hiking

An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

A mentor: is available, trustworthy, interested in your success, has high expectations, actively listens, and connects you to a broader network.

Alissa Peterson, MD

Professor

Alissa Peterson, MD Profile
Sites
SF General
Department/Division
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Training

UCSF School of Medicine
UCSF Psychiatry Residency

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Attending, Inpatient Psychiatry, ZSFG
Associate Program Director, UCSF Psychiatry Residency Training
Site Director Psychiatry Residency Training, ZSFG

Professional Interests

Emergency psychiatry, severe mental illness, women's mental health, trauma, underserved populations, medical student/resident education and well being

Personal Interests

Yoga, musical theater, reading, watching inane TV shows with my husband, being silly with my kids

An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

Do your best to be kind, brave, and confident every day. That's all that matters.

Abbi Phillips, MD

Abigail Phillips, MD

Professor

Abigail Phillips, MD Profile
Sites
SFVA
Department/Division
Medicine
Training

UCSF School of Medicine
UCSF Internal Medicine Residency

Current clinical practice and medical education roles

Primary care physician, San Bruno VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC)
Internal Medicine ward attending, San Francisco VA
Preceptor/clinical supervisor, Medical Practice at SFVA and San Bruno CBOC
Site Director, San Bruno Primary Care Clinic for UCSF Medicine residents

Professional Interests

Interprofessional education (Leadership team for the SFVA Center of Excellence for Primary Care Education), panel management (develop curriculum and facilitate sessions for interprofessional trainees at SFVA), remediation/mentorship (Director of Clinical Skills Guidance Program), primary care administration (Associate Director of Primary Care, SFVA and associated community clinics)

Personal Interests

Family time (young daughter), pet time (chocolate lab), reading, online shopping

An important lesson you have learned from a mentor

Never underestimate the value of truly getting to know everyone you are working with on a personal level.