Jeff Critchfield, MD

Professor and Interim Vice Dean of the UCSF SOM at ZSFG

Dr. Jeff Critchfield is the Vice-Dean for the UCSF School of Medicine at San Francisco General. I am a Professor of Medicine at UCSF in the Division of Hospital Medicine at the General.

In the initial stages of my career, I focused on the basic science of T-lymphocyte regulation in laboratories at the NIH and UCSF. I then transitioned to a faculty position at the General, where I held leadership roles with trainees, faculty, and SFDPH staff centered on improving the care of hospitalized patients across the care continuum and into the community. During this time, I served as Chief of Staff for the Medical Staff, Medical Director of Risk Management, Chief Medical Experience Officer, and the founding Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine.

In 2025, I accepted the role of Vice-Dean, UCSF School of Medicine at the General. The Vice-Dean’s office is at the center of UCSF’s partnership with the City and County of San Francisco initiated in 1873. I cherish our 150+ year collaboration between a premier academic institution and an iconic public institution, a partnership heralded across the USA and the globe. We have 3,000 UCSF faculty and staff working at the General. We host trainees from all four UCSF Professional Schools, with nearly a third of UCSF’s learners on our campus each day. I have an abiding belief in the ability of the collective to bring forward spirit and action, uplifting patients, their loved ones, and the people here who partner with them. This belief is central to my activities as the Vice-Dean for the UCSF SOM at the General.


Education:
• MD, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 1988-1994
• BAS, Classics, Biology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 1983-1987

Training:
• Internship, Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 1994-1995
• Residency, Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 1995-1996
• Fellowship, Rheumatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 1996-1997
• Chief Residency, Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 1997-1998
• Fellowship, Rheumatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 1998-1999
• Post-doc, Rheumatology University of California, San Francisco, CA 1999-2001

Certification:
• Medical License, Medical Board of California, #A60018, 1996
• Internal Medicine, Recertified, 2012, participant in Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment

Memberships & Affiliations:
• Member, Society for Hospital Medicine
• Member, America's Essential Hospitals
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Education
Clinical Fellowship, 1998 - Rheumatology, University of California, San Francisco
Residency, 1996 - Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
M.D., 1994 - School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
B.A.S., 1987 - Classics, Biology, Stanford
Honors and Awards
  • Eliot Rappaport Award to Outstanding Medical Staff Member, San Francisco General, 2019
  • John Murray Award to Outstanding Faculty in Department of Medicine, San Francisco General, 2018
  • Values in Action, Campus Wide Leadership Award, San Francisco General, 2017
  • Alumnus of the Year, Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, UCSF, 2016
Publications
  1. Hidden
    JAMA internal medicine

    Wheeler M, de Bourmont S, Paul-Emile K, Pfeffinger A, McMullen A, Critchfield JM, Fernandez A. Physician and Trainee Experiences With Patient Bias. JAMA internal medicine 2019. PMID: 31657839


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    BMC health services research

    Chan B, Goldman LE, Sarkar U, Guzman D, Critchfield J, Saha S, Kushel M. High perceived social support and hospital readmissions in an older multi-ethnic, limited English proficiency, safety-net population. BMC health services research 2019. PMID: 31126336


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    MedEdPublish (2016)

    Ratanawongsa N, Cardenas A, Occeña B, Critchfield J, Mercer M, Myers K. Certified Medical Interpreters' Perspectives on Relationship-Centered Communication in Safety-Net Care. MedEdPublish (2016) 2018. PMID: 38074532


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    Journal of general internal medicine

    Chodos AH, Kushel MB, Greysen SR, Guzman D, Kessell ER, Sarkar U, Goldman LE, Critchfield JM, Pierluissi E. Hospitalization-Associated Disability in Adults Admitted to a Safety-Net Hospital. Volume 30 of Issue 12. Journal of general internal medicine 2015. PMID: 25986139


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    Journal of general internal medicine

    Chan B, Goldman LE, Sarkar U, Schneidermann M, Kessell E, Guzman D, Critchfield J, Kushel M. The Effect of a Care Transition Intervention on the Patient Experience of Older Multi-Lingual Adults in the Safety Net: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Volume 30 of Issue 12. Journal of general internal medicine 2015. PMID: 25986136


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    Journal of general internal medicine

    Martin M, Sedighi Manesh R, Henderson MC, Critchfield JM. Diagnostic Scheming. Volume 30 of Issue 12. Journal of general internal medicine 2015. PMID: 26307386


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    Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

    Brown RT, Pierluissi E, Guzman D, Kessell ER, Goldman LE, Sarkar U, Schneidermann M, Critchfield JM, Kushel MB. Functional disability in late-middle-aged and older adults admitted to a safety-net hospital. Volume 62 of Issue 11. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2014. PMID: 25367281


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    Annals of internal medicine

    Goldman LE, Sarkar U, Kessell E, Guzman D, Schneidermann M, Pierluissi E, Walter B, Vittinghoff E, Critchfield J, Kushel M. Support from hospital to home for elders: a randomized trial. Volume 161 of Issue 7. Annals of internal medicine 2014. PMID: 25285540


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    Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

    Greysen SR, Hoi-Cheung D, Garcia V, Kessell E, Sarkar U, Goldman L, Schneidermann M, Critchfield J, Pierluissi E, Kushel M. "Missing pieces"--functional, social, and environmental barriers to recovery for vulnerable older adults transitioning from hospital to home. Volume 62 of Issue 8. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2014. PMID: 24934494


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    Neurology

    Probasco JC, Spudich SS, Critchfield J, Lee E, Lollo N, Deeks SG, Price RW. Failure of atorvastatin to modulate CSF HIV-1 infection: results of a pilot study. Neurology 2008. PMID: 18695163


  11. Hidden

    Hernandez GT, Critchfield JM, Rodriguez RA. Interpretation of serologic tests in an HIV-infected patient with kidney disease. Volume 2 of Issue 12. 2006. PMID: 17124528


  12. Hidden

    May TA, Clancy M, Critchfield J, Ebeling F, Enriquez A, Gallagher C, Genevro J, Kloo J, Lewis P, Smith R, Ng VL. Reducing unnecessary inpatient laboratory testing in a teaching hospital. Volume 126 of Issue 2. 2006. PMID: 16891194


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    The AIDS reader

    Critchfield JM, Deeks SG. Treating the latent reservoir of HIV. The AIDS reader 2004. PMID: 15457601


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    Annals of neurology

    Racke, M; Critchfield, JM; Quigley, L; McFarland, H.; Lenardo, MJ. Intravenous antigen administration as a therapy for autoimmune demyelinating disease Annals of neurology 1996. PMID:


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    Clinical immunology and immunopathology

    Critchfield, JM; Lenardo, MJ. Antigen-Induced Programmed T Cell Death as a New Approach to Immune Therapy Clinical immunology and immunopathology 1995. PMID:


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    Cellular immunology

    Jeffrey M. Critchfield
    Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker
    Michael Lenardo. Parameters controlling the programmed death of mature mouse T lymphocytes in high-dose suppression Cellular immunology 1995. PMID:


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    Science

    J M Critchfield, M K Racke, J C Zúñiga-Pflücker, B Cannella, C S Raine, J Goverman, M J Lenardo. T cell deletion in high antigen dose therapy of autoimmune encephalomyelitis Science 1994. PMID: