As part of an effort to realign our clinical research efforts at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG), we are pleased to announce the launch of the Engaging Communities Through Perioperative Research program, made possible by the generous support of the UCSF Vice Dean’s Office and the UCSF Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at ZSFG. Developed in collaboration with multiple stakeholders, lead authors of the proposal included Romain Pirracchio, MD, PhD, Chief of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at ZSFG and the UCSF Ronald D. Miller Distinguished Professor, as well as Philip Kurien, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at ZSFG.
With a focus on local strengths, skillsets and collaborations, the initiative aims to provide an opportunity for our patient population to participate in perioperative research, while developing new knowledge. Eventually these new insights will facilitate more precise and relevant quality improvement (QI) initiatives, and will be disseminated to our faculty and other safety net hospitals.
Importantly, embedded in this project is a formalization of a mentoring pathway we have had in place to engage post-undergraduate students from under-represented in medicine backgrounds on a pathway to careers in science and medicine.
This initiative aligns with many key aspects of our mission: equity, engagement, public service and collaboration, while pushing to improve knowledge in perioperative medicine in a safety-net environment. We are excited to formally embark on this endeavor.