Combined Internal Medicine – UCSF Public Health and General Preventive Medicine Residency Track (MPH)

Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco Internal Medicine Residency Program
UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health

Highlights

• A partnership between the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
• A four-year program, with the PGY-3 year dedicated to earning a Master of Public Health degree from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Tuition expenses are covered while the resident receives a full PGY-3 salary.
• IM/PM residents serve as chief residents during their PGY-4 year.
• One of only six combined IM/PM programs in the country and the only one in the western United States.
• Graduates are eligible for dual certification in both Internal Medicine and Public Health and General Preventive Medicine, and pursue a wide range of career paths, including clinical practice (general internal medicine or fellowship training), public health, health policy, clinical research, academic medicine, and private industry.

Components

• The First and Second Years: The first two years are very similar to the categorical internal medicine track. Five months of the first two years incorporate aspects of population health. Each PGY-2 resident participates in the Training In Clinical Research training course at UCSF and designs a research project to be completed at UC Berkeley as part of their MPH degree requirements. Other required rotations include infectious diseases, occupational medicine, and an introduction to preventive medicine and quality improvement. Residents are also encouraged to complete the Residency Elective in Health Policy. Preventive medicine elective options include rotations in local public health departments, community clinics, community-based health agencies, and research.
• The Third Year: During this academic year, residents pursue a Master of Public Health degree from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and select one of four areas of study – epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health policy and management, and interdisciplinary. Residents gain hands-on experience at state and local health departments while maintaining their clinical skills through their weekly continuity clinic, two months of inpatient rotations, and optional ambulatory moonlighting.
• The Fourth Year: During this practicum year, residents have a variety of experiences at UCSF-affiliated research institutes and state and local health departments. They complete their remaining requirements for dual board certification in internal medicine and preventive medicine, including 3 months of inpatient rotations and 2-3 months of electives. Fourth-year residents also serve as IM/PM chief residents, lead the Quality Improvement curriculum, and mentor junior IM/PM residents. They may also engage in clinical outcomes and translational research at the KP Division of Research.
• IM/PM residents participate in a monthly Preventive Medicine Journal Club with California Department of Public Health (CDPH) residents. They also participate in twice-monthly Preventive Medicine Residency Seminars led by UCSF and CDPH faculty. Journal Club is required for third- and fourth-year residents. Residency Seminar is required for fourth-year residents; other residents are encouraged to attend when available.
• IM/PM residents have access to all UCSF programs and resources. Specifically, they are encouraged to individualize their residency experience with the UCSF Pathways to Discovery. The available tracks are Global Health, Health Professions Education, Health Equities, Health Systems and Leadership, and Clinical Research.

Skills Acquired

In addition to clinical skills acquired during their internal medicine training, IM/PM residents will learn how to:

• Critically analyze and interpret study design and data in peer reviewed medical journals.
• Independently conduct and lead clinical research, including selection of appropriate study design, data collection and analysis.
• Investigate a disease outbreak.
• Implement innovative programs to reduce the exposure to risk factors for an illness or condition in a population.
• Conduct policy analysis to assess its impact on the health of a population.
• Design and operate a surveillance system to monitor health status of a community.
• Select appropriate, evidence-based, clinical preventive services for individuals and populations.
• Critically assess and respond to individual and population risks for common occupational and environmental disorders.
• Plan and manage emergency preparedness programs.
• Identify and characterize community health problems.
• Design, implement, and evaluate public health programs, laws and regulations to protect health and ensure the safety of populations.

Is the IM/PM program a good fit for me?

The IM/PM program attracts a diverse cohort of residents with common interests in both patient care and population-level research on patterns of disease. Residents in this program are expected to attain equal proficiency in both clinical internal medicine and public health and general preventive medicine. This program is ideal for residents who desire a career that combines the practice of clinical medicine and public health with an emphasis on the management of disease prevention and health promotion in populations.

Examples of IM/PM resident research and career interests include:

Examples of IM/PM resident research and career interests include:

• Global burden of disease, medical relief, and health care in developing countries.
• Designing, leading, and analyzing clinical research using applied training in epidemiology and biostatistics.
• Improving access to health care for underserved populations and addressing population-level determinants of health disparities.
• Improving health care quality and delivery.
• Health care reform and designing equitable health policy.
• Control and prevention of infectious disease, including investigation of epidemics and outbreaks.
• Health literacy, medical journalism, and mass communication of medical information in public health.
• Resident safety and medical education.
• Preventive health screening and prevention of chronic disease.
• Providing clinical care in ambulatory or academic settings.
• Application of preventive health principles in medical practice (as primary care physicians, fellows, and/or specialists).

Research

PM Bibliography

Faculty

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George Rutherford III, MD
Program Director

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George Rutherford III, MD
Program Director

• Website

Overview

Dr. Rutherford is Professor of Epidemiology, Preventive Medicine, Pediatrics and History and Director of the Residency Program in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is also Head of the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Epidemiology in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UCSF, directs the Global Strategic Information Group within UCSF’s Institute for Global Health Sciences, and is Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology and Health Administration at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. Educated at Stanford University and Duke University School of Medicine, he is board certified in pediatrics and in general preventive medicine and public health. He has worked primarily in public health, with an emphasis on the epidemiology and control of communicable diseases, both domestically and internationally. While most of his work has historically focused on HIV and tuberculosis, his more recent work has focused on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, Zika virus, Ebola virus and pandemic influenza.

James Seward, MD, MPP, MMM
Associate Program Director

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James Seward, MD, MPP, MMM
Associate Program Director

• Website

Overview

Dr. Seward is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF and Clinical Professor of Public Health at UC Berkeley. He is Associate Director of the UCSF-UCB Joint Residency Program in Preventive Medicine and Public Health. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Occupational Medicine. A graduate of Harvard and UCSF, Dr. Seward teaches occupational and environmental medicine at UCB. Dr. Seward has an interest in environmental and occupational exposures, chronic disease prevention, global health, and health promotion.

Rosalyn Plotzker, MD, MPH
Core Faculty

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Rosalyn Plotzker, MD, MPH
Core Faculty

• Website

Overview

Dr. Rosalyn Plotzker is an assistant professor in the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Rosalyn completed a fellowship in Sexually Transmitted Diseases at UCSF and the California Department of Public Health where she currently serves as a public health medical officer and clinical lead for congenital syphilis prevention and response. She also serves as clinical faculty for the California Prevention Training Center (CAPTC), which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate providers on best practices in STI diagnosis and treatment. Finally, Rosalyn performs high resolution anoscopy at the UCSF Anal Neoplasia Clinic, Research and Education (ANCRE) Center and is a member of the International Anal Neoplasia Society (IANS) task force on anal cancer screening guidelines. Rosalyn earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and her MD from State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine in 2013. She is board certified in Preventive Medicine and completed her residency and MPH at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York City in 2017.

Jeanna Goo, MD
Core Faculty

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Jeanna Goo, MD
Core Faculty

Overview

Dr. Goo is a hospitalist at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, core faculty in the residency program, and primary advisor for IM/PM residents during their internal medicine training. She leads the quality improvement curriculum for the internal medicine residency. Dr. Goo attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and then completed her residency training in the combined Kaiser San Francisco/UCSF Internal Medicine/Preventive Medicine program. She is board-certified in both internal medicine and preventive medicine.

See profile on My Doctor Online

Current Residents

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What are alumni doing now?

• Asim Alam (2022): Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowship, California Pacific Medical Center
• Jessica Watson (2022): Consultant, World Health Organization, Switzerland
• Brandon Imp (2021): Special Population Team, California Correctional Health Care Services
• Cameron Stainken (2021): Health Officer, California Department of Public Health
• Jocelyn Tseng (2020): Primary Care, TeraPractice, Sutter Health
• Caterina Liu (2020): Health Officer, Immunization Branch, California Department of Public Health
• Ryan Guinness (2019): Primary Care, Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco
• Eric Tang (2018): Health Officer, STD Branch, California Department of Public Health
• Derek Blechinger (2018): Primary Care, Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco
• Christina Armatas (2017): Health Officer, Occupational Health Branch, California Department of Public Health
• Sohrab Sidhu (2017): Medical Officer, Department of Healthcare Services
• Brian Cogburn (2016): Primary Care, One Medical, San Francisco
• Monica Kaitz (2015): Occupation Medicine, Concentra
• Rosemary Ku (2014): Chief Medical Officer, UnitedAg
• Latifat Apatira (2014): Occupational Medicine, Kaiser Permanente, South San Francisco
• Benedict Ancock (2013): Cardiology, Marin General Hospital
• Janani Krishnaswami (2012): Primary Care, Academic Medical Associates, Irving, TX.
• Jeanna Goo (2012): Core faculty and Hospitalist, Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco Internal Medicine Residency Program

How to Apply

The IM/PM residency program accepts two residents per year.

Interested students are invited to apply to the combined IM/PM program as a separate and unique program through the ERAS application website. Applicants will find the combined IM/PM program by selecting “Internal Medicine/Preventive Medicine” (as opposed to “Internal Medicine”) from the drop-down list of Specialties at the NRMP website. The specific ACGME ID number for the combined program is 751-05-44-011.

Applicants may apply to either or both the categorical Internal Medicine and the combined IM/PM programs offered at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. Please note IM/PM applicants will have a separate interview day with each program, one with the internal medicine program at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, and another interview on a separate day with the UCSF Public Health and General Preventive Medicine program. All interviews will be conducted via a virtual format for the upcoming interview season; there will be no in-person interviews or visits. We will host a virtual evening mixer event dedicated to IM/PM track applicants.

Further details about specific program requirements are available at the American Board of Internal Medicine web site and The American Board of Preventive Medicine.

Training at Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco in the combined IM/PM program was the ideal balance of learning clinical internal medicine in a modern, integrated healthcare system while also experiencing the dynamic world of public health in the populous SF Bay Area. The field of preventive medicine is broad, incorporating concepts of clinical disease prevention and public health. Learning to practice internal medicine in a patient-centered medical home with a technology-forward values taught me how to use the power of population health management for a preventive approach to health. The coursework of the MPH was complemented by project engagement in both the local and state health departments which allowed me to actively utilize my learning. Upon completing my combined training, I was well-prepared to sit for both the Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine board exams. The best part of this residency was the encouragement and support by the program leaders to explore my interests and allow for flexibility in crafting rotations and experiences that would prepare me best for a career of my choosing. It’s exciting that all our program graduates find unique ways to employ their combined training in their career paths. My training eventually led me to a position as a public health medical officer for the California Department of Public Health, where I work in occupational health and continue to practice some clinical internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente.
~Christina Armatas, MD, MPH, Class of 2017