Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine 

Here is what Jeanne’s nominator had to say about her:  

“Jeanne was recognized last year by the American College of Emergency Physicians with the National Emergency Medicine Excellence in Bedside Teaching Award - one of only 2 faculty in the country to receive this award. Jeanne also volunteered for the Navajo nation treating Covid-19 patients and made significant improvements in the care of Covid-19 patients in the emergency department at Parnassus.” 

- Jeffrey Tabas, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine 

Bio: 

After completing a master’s degree in Latin American Studies at UC Berkeley, I took a USAID-funded research position for the Population Council in Lima, Peru, where I spent two years evaluating the quality of public sector reproductive health services. Witnessing such large gaps in unmet need for quality healthcare led me to change careers, from public health researcher to physician. My life at UCSF began as a medical student in 2000.  I chose to specialize in an area that would allow me to continue to work globally in resource poor settings, and during medical school, I spent elective time volunteering in remote clinics and hospitals in Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador. After completing my emergency medicine residency at ACMC – Highland Hospital, I joined the emergency medicine faculty at UCSF and soon started a resident rotation at Hospital San Carlos in Chiapas, Mexico. For more than a decade, I have returned to that rural hospital, where I teach emergency ultrasound and precept junior physicians. I also serve the dual roles of Residency Director of Emergency Medicine Simulation and Faculty Director of Advanced Procedural Skills which allow me to stay grounded in hands-on training for residents and faculty, helping ensure that we all continually refine our critical care skills. In early 2020, I became Director of COVID Response for the emergency department. Little did I know that this role would take me on all-consuming journey of leading on the frontlines during a global pandemic. I took charge of setting up “Accelerated Care Units” (aka outdoor treatment tents) to provide emergency care to respiratory patients, managed limited supplies of PPE for our ED staff, and worked through ever changing testing algorithms as our access to COVID testing went from non-existent to the universal rapid testing we perform in the ED today. The pandemic also provided urgent impetus for building bridges with outside institutions. I had the privilege of joining a contingent of UCSF providers that deployed to Gallup, New Mexico to help the Navajo Nation during their first COVID surge. I have advised other hospitals, school districts, and public organizations on COVID safety protocols, and have become a frequent writer of OpEds, highlighting both the benefits and harms of COVID restrictive policies. In sum, my perspective from the frontlines at UCSF has never been broader in this most memorable of times to be an emergency physician. 

What’s on your reading list?    

The Premonition by Michael Lewis and Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa 

What do you like to do outside of work? 

Outside of work, I am often feeding my addiction to exercise, trail running, climbing and backpacking. 

What’s your ideal weather?    

My ideal weather is a sunny morning after a big snowstorm, when everything is quiet, new, and unexplored. 

What advice would you give yourself early on in your career? 

Early career advice I would give myself: set personal and professional goals, and choose the training, opportunities, and other personal investments of time that clearly contribute to achieving those goals; don’t jump on new opportunities due to fear of missing out; and remember that nothing is forever – you will continue to define and refine your professional identify as long as you practice medicine. 

Meet other outstanding women of UCSF Health through Our Spotlight.