Adult Critical Care Medicine

Our clinical service continues to flourish with over 30 dedicated anesthesiologist-intensivists providing expert care across all of our intensive care units (ICUs), including the Medical ICU (MICU), Surgical ICU (SICU), Cardiothoracic ICU (CTICU), and Neonatal ICU (NICU). 

Despite a trend of diminishing interest in fellowship training among anesthesiology trainees, our department is experiencing an extraordinary surge of interest from critical care faculty seeking to join our team. This increased interest is a testament to the exceptional quality and strength of our critical care programs, reaffirming our commitment to delivering unparalleled patient care and fostering professional growth and development in our staff. 

We have multiple critical care faculty leading important research initiatives including Matthieu Legrand (NIH R01), Lee-lynn Chen (PCORI grant), Danielle Williamson (completed T32 fellowship; continues on the department’s Pathway to Scientific Independence [PSI]). 

We had several leadership changes and shifts in 2023: Kevin Thornton, MD, was selected as Executive Medical Director for Adult Critical Care at UCSF Health. Matt Aldrich, MD, after serving as the inaugural Executive Medical Director, was named the Senior Physician Executive for Capacity and Throughput at UCSF Health. Anne Donovan, MD, was selected as the Fellowship Program Director for Anesthesia Critical Care Medicine, and Kristine Breyer, MD, was selected as the Co-Medical Director of the Adult Cardiac ICUs.

Kevin Thornton, MD
Medical Director, ICU
Medical Director for Adult Critical Care, UCSF Health