University of California San Francisco
UCSF School of Medicine UCSF Medical Center

Patient Care Fund

UCSF Patient Care Fund - for Clinical Housestaff

Funded by UCSF Medical Center and supported by the Dean's Office, School of Medicine. Sponsored by the Resident & Fellow's Council.

Background

The Patient Care Fund was established in 2002 in recognition of the special perspective of UCSF resident and clinical fellows in identifying opportunities to enhance the care of UCSF Medical Center patients. Each year, the Patient Care Fund Committee, composed of representatives of UCSF Medical Center, UCSF Office of Graduate Medical Education, and the Resident & Fellow's Council, accept project proposals for review. In total, $50,000 is made available to fund approved projects. Projects are judged based on relative patient care impact, sustainability, and compliance with UCSF policies.

The Patient Care Fund (PCF) provides annual seed funding to trainees to implement projects, which improve the quality of patient health care beyond medical support and meet the following criteria:

  • Patient Care Impact: 
    Only projects focused on improving tangible care for UCSF Health patients will be funded. Please note that ZSFG also has a Patient Care Fund for ZSFG patients. Projects will be assessed for relative direct impact and relative long-term benefits to the patient population. 
     
  • Sustainability: 
    The proposal will be reviewed based on the potential for ongoing sustainable improvement for patients. If applicable, the proposal should demonstrate the source of ongoing funding necessary to sustain the project long-term. Projects with sustained benefits to patients will be given a higher priority. Repeat proposals for projects that have been previously funded will not be considered.
     
  • Budget Criteria: 
    Funds are not intended to provide research, staffing, salary support, entertainment expenses, or other expenses inconsistent with UCSF Health or UCSF campus policies. Projects involving educational materials must also include a Patient Education Committee review and Interpreting and Translation Services if translations are needed (and highly suggested for more inclusive patient outreach). Proposals involving video production should undergo consultation in advance of submission.

How to Apply

Submit your application

All residents and clinical fellows are invited to apply with creative, innovative solutions that improve care for UCSF Medical Center patients! Proposals are reviewed and selected by the Resident & Fellow Council, together with the Office of Graduate Medical Education.

Patient Care Fund FY25 - Summary

The Patient Care Fund (PCF) provides annual seed funding to trainees to implement projects that improve the quality of patient health care beyond medical support. Proposals are reviewed and selected by the Resident & Fellow Council, together with the Office of Graduate Medical Education.

For FY25, the PCF received 15 new applications, and we supported 11 projects ranging from $500 to $7,500, including 2 applications rolled over from FY24.  

Funded projects were diverse in impact, scope, and target audience, and included:

  • Food preparation supplies for pediatric patients with Celiac Disease and food insecurity, led by Pediatric Gastroenterology fellow Telly Cheung, MD
  • Creation of a symptom management supply cart for patients receiving chemotherapy or stem cell transplants, led by Internal Medicine resident Arvind Suresh, MD
  • Robotic stuffed companion pets for patients with dementia admitted to the Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit, led by Geriatrics fellow Mara Rosenberg, MD
  • Therapy lights for patients admitted to the Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit, led by Geriatrics fellows Natalie Tjota, MD and Kathleen Lo, MD
  • Portable power bank stations for patients to charge their devices on adult inpatient units at Parnassus, led by Internal Medicine resident Will Ge, MD
  • Updated patient education packets for pregnant women with heart disease in the PACT Clinic, led by Cardiology Fellow Nicky Herrick, MD
  • Art Day for pediatric patients in the Intestinal Rehabilitation Clinic, led by Pediatric Gastroenterology fellow Susan Gutierrez, MD

    • "We saw one of our patients in clinic this afternoon who attended the Intestinal Rehabilitation Art Day. His mother shared that, after years of homeschooling him, she has enrolled him in school for this upcoming year. In the past, school enrollment felt overwhelming due to the complexity of his medical needs. But at Art Day, she connected with other parents of children with similar medical needs—many of whom had successfully enrolled their children in school, and has since felt empowered to enroll her own son. She credits the connections she made with other parents at our Art Day for motivating this important step. Thanks so much again for the support of this fund! It has clearly made a difference for our patients and their families." 
      --Susan Gutierrez, MD

  • Hanging crane display on the inpatient medicine unit, led by Internal Medicine Resident Audrey Tran, MD
  • Custom communication whiteboards for the Intensive Care Nursery, led by Neonatology fellow Cheryl Hawkins, MD
  • Videos for post-operative pediatric surgery patients, led by General Surgery resident Caroline Stephens, MD
Patient Care Fund FY24 - Summary

For FY24, the PCF received 20 new applications and supported 13 projects ranging from $680 to $10,500, including 3 applications rolled over from FY23.  

Funded projects were diverse in impact, scope, and target audience, and included:

  • Creation of "CARE" carts for adult (geriatric) inpatient units, led by Geriatrics Fellow Ryan McMahan, MD, MAS, collaborating with Sasha Binford, RN
Sasha Binford, RN and Melody Luo with CARE Carts
Sasha Binford, RN and Melody Luo, RN stand with the colorful CARE carts.
  • Pediatric hygiene kits to provide hair and skin care items to patients with curly and/or coiled hair, led by Pediatrics resident Harpinder Dhinsa, MD
Bundled hair products for pediatric patients with coiled and curly hair.
Skin products and hair products for pediatric patients with coiled and curly hair
  • Scales for patients with heart failure, led by Internal Medicine resident Melinda Song, MD
  • Monthly peripheral arterial disease walking event, led by Vascular Surgery resident Colleen Flanagan, MD
  • Home activity monitors for patients undergoing ambulatory urology procedures, led by Urology resident Ashwin Balakrishnan, MD
  • Weighted blankets for patients with congenital heart disease, led by Pediatric Critical Care fellow Stephanie Tsoi, MD
  • CBT - anxiety / depression and DBT workbooks for patients in the Pritzker clinics, led by Psychiatry resident Allison Horan, MD, MSc.
Dr. Allison Horan gives thumbs up in new library
Dr. Allison Horan and the new workbooks for patients in the Pritzker clinics
  • Sticker labels for Topical Medications, led by Dermatology resident Elsy Compres, MD
  • Spanish- and English language Reach-out-and-Read books for the Child Neurology clinic, led by Child Neurology Fellow Greta Peng, MD
Masked doctor holding neurology books for children
Dr. Adriana Morell with books on pain management.
  • Multi-lingual educational resources about breastfeeding and jaundice, led by Pediatrics residents Ursula Griffiths-Randolph, MD, MPH and Sang Nguyen, MD
  • Educational videos for Pediatric Otolaryngology patients undergoing surgery, led by OHNS resident Alexandra Bourdillon, MD

Patient Care Fund team:

  • Darren Fiore, MD, UCSF Health GME Site Director and Patient Care Fund lead
  • Glenn Rosenbluth, MD, Director of Quality and Safety for GME, provides guidance and oversight. 
  • Marisa McFarlane, MA, Strategic Initiatives Specialist for GME, leads the efforts of purchasing and liaising with trainees, vendors, and administrative leadership.
  • Co-Chairs of the Resident and Fellow Council leads the selection process on behalf of the RFC.

SFGH Patient Care Fund - for Clinical Housestaff

Every year a pool of funds exceeding $100,000 is allocated towards the purchase of items that contribute to patient care at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. This money was earmarked towards this purpose years ago as part of the CIR union contract. Funds managed by the DPH Resident Expense Program are available to residents who have or will have at least 90 days of service during each academic year. Fellows are not eligible for this reimbursement. Please contact, [email protected] with any questions.