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Ahimsa Sumchai, MD, Emergency Medicine, San Francisco, CA

AhimsaPorterSumchaiMDPD - Stanford Postdoctoral Fellow

Emergency Medicine San Francisco, CA

Sports Medicine (Non-Surgical)

Golden State MD - Clinical Nutritionist, Strength & Conditioning. Director and PI - Hunters Point Biomonitoring Foundation. Advanced Telehealth Services. Certified Nutrition Consultant. NSCA and Silver Sneakers Certified Strength & Conditioning Professional. Health & Environmental Science Editor SF Bayview Newspaper. Stanford Fellowship research consultant, author and public speaker.

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  • Office

    Golden State MD Digital Services
    767 Gonzalez Drive, San Francisco, Ca
    San Francisco, CA 94132
    Phone+1 415-859-5471
    Fax+1 415-988-7595

Summary

  • Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai is founder of Golden State MD and PI & Director of the Hunters Point Biomonitoring Foundation, Inc. Sumchai received an MD degree from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine in 1981, trained in the Departments of Surgery and Neurosurgery and completed a 2 year Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Stanford University School Of Medicine Department of Surgery 1986 - 1988. As a Flight Physician for Stanford Life Flight, Sumchai conducted research on cervical spine stabilization and helicopter transport. Dr. Sumchai is a prolific author and public speaker.

    Dr. Sumchai was appointed to the UCSF Alumni Association Board in 2019 and awarded Alumna of the Year in 2021. Dr. Sumchai is a leader in advanced telehealth services and a HealthTap.com expert physician.

    Dr. Sumchai received a Packard Foundation Grant in 2019 to establish the nations first biomonitoring program offering urinary toxicology screenings to residents and workers at a federal Superfund site. The Hunters Point Biomonitoring Foundation is located at 5021 3rd Street. Dr. Sumchai was awarded the KPIX/CBS Jefferson Award in July of 2020. HP Biomonitoring was awarded a grant from Justice 40 Accelerator in 2021and a CalEPA grant in 2022.

    For over 20 years, Dr. Sumchai has maintained certification as a clinical nutritionist and National Strength & Conditioning Association Strength & Conditioning professional specializing in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Women's upper body strength. A former competitive gymnast and semi professional dancer, Dr. Sumchai created a gymnastics inspired training program in 2000 offered in San Francisco's award winning private studio Laurel Heights

    Dr. Sumchai has authored an archive of PubMed research and journal articles in Medium.com, SF Bayview, Verdict, Westside Observer UCSF Synapse and three books- The 21st Century Upright Woman, Phoenix Free and The Meaning of the Word Ahimsa.
  • OPPENHEIMER...and The Bomb in My Body!

    "The biggest concern was control of the radioactivity the test device would release." Manhattan Project: The Trinity Test - July 16,1945"

    Hunters-Point: Continues to Poison San Francisco Residents

    The shipyard neighborhood was predominantly black because of government forced segregation ... even beyond this invidious distinction ...

    You searched for Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, MD - San Francisco Bay View

    We are all endurance athletes in the human race!" Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, MD - Photo: Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai the most common applications of biomonitoring

    https://ahimsa-porter-sumchai-md-nsca-cpt-mystrikingly.com/

    Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD NSCA-CPT's Personal Website on Strikingly

    Ahimsa Porter P Sumchai MD PD

    UCSF School of Medicine Class of 1981. Stanford Life Flight Postdoctoral Clinical & Research Fellow 1988. Founder & PI Hunters Point Biomonitoring Foundation.

    HUNTERS POINT COMMUNITY TOXIC REGISTRY

    In 2009 a "rag tag" group of scientists who grew up in Bayview Hunters Point - located in heavily industrialized southeast San Francisco - pioneered a quest to

    ABOUT

    Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD, PD (Stanford Postdoctoral Fellow) Founder, medical director and principal investigator of the Hunters Point Community Biomonitoring Pr

    Lifeflight

    Stanford Life Flight is Northern California's premier flight and critical care transport program. We raise the bar for pre-hospital patient care.

    Women in Data Science @Lane Medical Library Virtual Conference

    WiDS Stanford @ Lane Medical Library is an independent event that is organized by Lane Medical Library as part of the annual WiDS Worldwide conference, the WiDS

    City planners targeted a Black community for heavy pollution. Can the damage be

    "It's getting to where we can look at someone's urine and tell they're from Bayview, said Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, a doctor...

    AN ADVANCED AEROMEDICAL TRANSPORT

    The Aeromedical Adaptation of NASA's experimental XV-15 Tiltrotor Research Aircraft - Proposal by Stanford Life Flight and Center for Design Research in 1988.

    This land is whose land? - 48 hills

    Aided by a III. The Transfer (1999- present) USC fellowship , reporter Tom Molanphy and 48hills dug into the overwhelming history of data concerning the Hunters

    SF Lives - Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai

    SF Live Talks Journalist Denise Sullivan in conversation with Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai at Bird & Beckett Books in San Francisco www.birdbeckett.com

    Contagion - Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai cameo appearance Mass Vaccination Scene

    Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to Minneapolis from business in Hong Kong, jet lag takes a virulent turn. Two days later, she's a dead index case. 2011

    Accessing the Contaminated Shoreline - Hunters Point Naval Shipyard - a Federal

    Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai serves as tour guide as we easily access the radiation contaminated shoreline of three federal Superfund properties at HPNS.

    View from a Playground in Hunters Point

    Photo taken from behind the jungle gym facing the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard main gate - 75 Crisp Road at the 1000 block of Palou at Griffith.

    Dr.Ahimsa Porter Sumchai featured in National Environmental Justice Documentary

    Hunters Point Biomonitoring Foundation, Inc. Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai featured as Medical Expert in National EJ Documentary-https://youtu.be/OMF8lv

    Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD - Customized Curated YouTube Channel

    Physician, Researcher, Author, Nutritionist, Fitness Professional & PoliticoMD!

    Rising Seas Could Bring Toxic Chemicals Flooding into San Francisco's Bayview Ne

    Protecting people around San Francisco Bay from sea level rise means thinking about new things. Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai & Hunters Point Biomonitoring.

    HP Biomonitoring Field Survey Western Fence Line Hunters Point Naval Shipyard

    The unfortified western fence line of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and system of federal Superfund sites extends north to Kiska Road to Yosemite Slough.

    Black Money Worldwide

    Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai discusses the award winning ground breaking work of the Hunters Point Biomonitoring Program.
    UCSF-AW-2022-Hewitt-Medicine-Reunion-Dinner-647

    UCSF-AW-2022-Hewitt-Medicine-Reunion-Dinner-647

    Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, MD receives UCSF MAA Alumna of the Year Hyatt Regency Embarcadero San Francisco April 30, 2022

    Never Cease To Explore - Accepting the UCSF MAA Alumna of the Year Award 2021

    Never Cease to Explore - Accepting the UCSF MAA Alumna of the Year Award - Hyatt Regency Embarcadero - YouTube

    "Never Surrender: the Fight for Environmental Justice in Bayview Hunters Point,"

    Sign up for a free viewing of an important new documentary film by Dr. M. Reza Shirazi, followed by a panel discussion with audience Q&A.

    Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai and the Hunters Point Shipyard - Up Close and Personal!

    I walked east on Revere to the unfortified fence of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and it's Parcel E-2 shoreline, industrial landfill and the South Basin o...

    Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai - Westside Observer

    The Navy Uncovered Strontium - 90...and they want you to think it's okay. It's not! It is a rare moment indeed at the Hunters Point Shipyard when the U.S. Navy

    Restoring the Lost Shore of Yosemite Slough

    Virtual Presentation Welcoming the UCSF Medical Alumni Association Insider Tour Class of 2025 on September 15, 2021 at 1pm. Welcome Doctors! Yosemite Slo...

    Doing No Harm: Ahimsa Sumchai - The San Francisco Examiner

    In her studies, Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai maps the residences of people with toxins in their bodies who live near the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. (Kevi

    San Francisco Doctor Researches Impact of Toxic Dump on Hunter's Point

    Sharon Chin reports on the research of Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchia, who's discovered elevated levels of arsenic in Hunter's Point residents. (7-29-20)

    We Can't Breathe! Earth Day 2021

    Coalition of Hunters Point and Treasure Island community leaders, residents, activists, doctors, lawyers and scientists gather at San Francisco City Hall.

    Medicine - UCSF Alumni Weekend 2021

    Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai awarded UCSF Medical Alumni of the Year April 17, 2021 at 5pm... you are welcome to participate!

    Community Healer | UCSF Alumni

    The program occasionally sees a patient whose body is so overwhelmed by toxins that they need immediate care. Those with such serious "body burdens" are referre

    Never cease to explore!

    When a comrade is impassioned, dedicated and committed we notice, and as humans, recognizing the gifts of one that permeate and uplift our community, the desire

    Commonwealth Club Presentation - Climate Justice: Radioactive and Toxic Waste

    Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai - PI & Medical Director of the Hunters Point Community Biomonitoring Program joins panelists for the Commonwealth Club Presentation.

    An insider tour of the Hunters Point Community Biomonitoring Program

    The ongoing reveal of the life-threatening contaminants plaguing the residents of the Bayview Hunters Point community was further enhanced by a recent virtual t

    San Francisco Doctor Researches Impact of Toxic Dump on Hunter's Point

    Sharon Chin reports on the research of Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchia, who's discovered elevated levels of arsenic in Hunter's Point residents. (7-29-20)

    Hunters Point Community Biomonitoring Program - Alignable

    Join Today Residents, workers and businesses located on and within a one mile radius of the Federal Superfund site at the Hunters Point Shipyard located in the

    The Landfill In Our Bodies...

    How Human Biomonitoring Detected Toxins from a federal Superfund site in Residents and Workers Nearby. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD, PD -Medical Director and Princi

    SF Hunters Point Shipyard,The Workers, The Science, The Health Issues & The Cove

    The continuing epidemic of disease and illness at the San Francisco Hunters Point shipyard of residents and workers is examined in an interview with Dr.. Ahi...

    Biomonitoring Measures Pollution in People! - Golden State MD Health & Wellness-

    Have you been exposed to toxic chemicals where you live, work or play? The new science of biomonitoring offers insight into the "body burden" of toxic chemicals

    Golden State MD Health & Wellness- Sports Medicine, Physical Medicine & Rehabili

    Highly Recommended: 6 local business owners recommend Golden State MD Health & Wellness- Sports Medicine, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Clinical Nutrition

    Toxic Land - The Health Impacts of Development on a Federal Superfund Site

    Uploaded by Yutao Chen on 2018-12-06.

    Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD, NSCA-CPT Sports Medicine & Sports Nutrition Consultant

    Highly Recommended: 10 local business owners recommend Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD, NSCA-CPT Sports Medicine & Sports Nutrition Consultant. Visit this page to lear

    Shipyard residents, advocates call for more testing after radioactive discovery

    Alarmed by the discovery of a radioactive object in a residential area of the Bayview Hunters Point Shipyard, homeowners and advocates on Friday called for addi

    YouTube

    Press conference discussing health impacts and risk of community exposure to ionizing radiation compounded by the Tetra Tech fraud at the Hunters Point Shipyard

    Death & Courage at the Hunters Point Shipyard:The Life of Tetra Tech Whi

    Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai is a long time medical doctor from Bayview-Hunters Point community who has been investigating the contamination of workers and health

    Copy of Shoulder dislocations supine profile view

    I was a UCSF/Stanford trained physician and surgeon with an MD/Ph.D equivalent and did not realize the human shoulder was capable of over 300 degrees ROM!

    Cherokee Neurosurgeon

    In memory of Charles Byron Wilson, MD Founding Chair- Neurological Surgery UCSF. Dr. Wilson autographed my copy. It is authored by Brian T. Andrews, my friend,

    I ranked #4 in profile views on the prestigious MD network Doximity

    Offered by Golden State MD Health & Wellness- Sports Medicine, Certified Nutritionist, Strength & Conditioning - Jan 2nd: Doximity ranks it's physicians by spec

Clinical Expertise

  • Neuro-rehabilitation, Nutrition, Sports medicine, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Women's health, Obesity and weight management, Emergency medicine, Cervical spine disorders, Clinical research, Emergency medical services, Telemedicine, Shoulder and elbow sports medicine, Hip and knee sports medicine, Spine traumatology, Shoulder stabilization, Back injuries, Lumbar disk herniation, Physical medicine, Environmental health, Medical photography, Emergency preparedness, Metaboilc syndrome, Complimentary Therapies, Medical Administration

Education & Training

  • Stanford Health Care-Sponsored Stanford University
    Stanford Health Care-Sponsored Stanford UniversityFellowship, Surgical Critical Care, 1986 - 1988
  • University of California (San Francisco)
    University of California (San Francisco)Residency, Neurological Surgery, 1983 - 1984
  • University of California (San Francisco)
    University of California (San Francisco)Residency, Surgery, 1981 - 1983
  • University of California (San Francisco)
    University of California (San Francisco)Internship, Surgery, 1981 - 1982
  • University of California San Francisco School of Medicine
    University of California San Francisco School of MedicineClass of 1981
  • San Francisco State University
    San Francisco State UniversityBA, Biology & Pre-Med Studies with concentration in Physiology, Cum Laude, 1972 - 1976

Certifications & Licensure

  • CA State Medical License
    CA State Medical License 1982 - 2024
  • National Strength and Conditioning AssociationStrength & Conditioning Professional

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Top Emergency Physician - California 2023 Best in California Magazine, 2023
  • UCSF Medical Alumni of the Year Award 2021 UCSF Medical Alumni Association, 2021
  • Jefferson Awards Multiplying Good KPIX 5 CBS SF BayArea, 2020
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Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Journal Articles

  • The Human Spine is like a Precious Strand of Pearls  
    Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, Journal of Womens Health Care, 8/25/2015
  • Perfect Storm: First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic crashes in Southeast San Francisco  
    Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD, PD, San Francisco Bayview Newspaper, 4/27/2020
  • The Landfill in our Bodies  
    Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, MD PD, San Francisco Bayview Newspaper, 4/3/2020
  • Join now to see all

Books/Book Chapters

Lectures

  • Establishing Medical Necessity for Implementation of a Human Biomonitoring Program at the Hunters Point Shipyard - A Federal Superfund Site 
    State of California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment - 3/29/2019

Other

Authored Content

  • The Breast Cancer NecklaceSeptember 2023
  • Hunters Point Continues to Poison San Francisco ResidentsJune 2023
  • The Greatest Story Never Told!May 2023
  • Steatopygia and the Modern VenusMarch 2023
  • Meet the Women Making Environmental Justice HistoryMarch 2023
  • Healing Starts in Hunters PointNovember 2022
  • Advancing Environmental Public Health Through Community Exposure Research and the New Science of Human BiomonitoringJanuary 2019
  • Navigating the Toxic Triangle in BVHP 2023January 2023
  • Mayor Breed's Underwhelming Response to the New Years StormJanuary 2023
  • Gavin Newsom's AlbatrossJanuary 2023
  • Biomonitoring Detects Pollution In People!May 2022
  • HP Biomonitoring Radiogenic Cancer Cluster Update 05/10/22May 2022
  • The Breast Cancer NecklaceApril 2022
  • HP Biomonitoring - Promising Hope for Hunters PointMarch 2022
  • Advocating for Clean-Up of Toxic & Radioactive Waste in BVHPFebruary 2022
  • Cancer Alley at the Hunters Point Shipyard - Black History Month SpecialFebruary 2022
  • Against All Odds...Mamma Mesha Irizarry Lives to Fight Another Year!January 2022
  • Quest to detect PlutoniumDecember 2021
  • Quest To Detect PlutoniumNovember 2021
  • Unraveling the Breast Cancer Conundrum in San FranciscoOctober 2021
  • The Navy Uncovered Strontium - 90 and they want you to think it's OK. It's Not!November 2021
  • Biomonitoring Saves A Life! Prepared for the Scientific Guidance Panel - Biomonitoring CaliforniaOctober 2021
  • Westside/Eastside StoryJuly 2021
  • The Lost Shores of Yosemite SloughJuly 2021
  • Why Critical Race Theory Should Be Taught - in Biology!June 2021
  • Mighty Acorns Grow! BVHP Environmental Justice Leaders Meet with High Ranking EPA OfficialsJune 2021
  • Hey...Let's Talk About Race! Critical Race Theory and the Human GenomeJune 2021
  • Why I am Calling for a Local Health Emergency in San FranciscoMay 2021
  • Human Biomonitoring (HBM) and Geospatial Mapping Applied to Determining Imminent and Proximate Threat to Human Safety at a federal Superfund SystemApril 2021
  • Toxic Genocide in Bayview Hunters PointApril 2021
  • Brain Cancer Biomonitoring in Bayview Hunters PointApril 2021
  • Brain Cancer Biomonitoring in Bayview Hunters PointMarch 2021
  • Eastside/Westside Story - Westside ObserverJanuary 2021
  • Wait for it! The Amazing Parallels Between Flint, Michigan and Bayview Hunters PointJanuary 2021
  • Renewed Call for Shipyard Excavation Moratorium - The Legal Legacy of Harm to the Hunters Point CommunityJanuary 2021
  • Beyond Medical RacismDecember 2020
  • Moratorium. Legal Legacy of Harm to the Hunters Point CommunityDecember 2020
  • The Understanding of ConsequencesNovember 2020
  • Apology Owed to Bayview Hunters Point ResidentsNovember 2020
  • The Iron HummingbirdSeptember 2020
  • The Hunters Point Community Biomonitoring Program is Establishing Cause and Effect RelationshipsMay 2020
  • Establishing Medical Necessity for Implementation of a Human Biomonitoring Program at the Hunters Point Shipyard - a Federal Superfund SiteMarch 2019
  • Why I’m Declaring a Public Health Crisis at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San FranciscoJune 2018
  • The Chicken...or the Egg?April 2009
  • Black Flight - Presentation of UCSF Medical Students February 15, 2008February 2008
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Press Mentions

  • City Planners Targeted a Black Community for Heavy Pollution. Can the Damage be Undone?
    City Planners Targeted a Black Community for Heavy Pollution. Can the Damage be Undone?May 7th, 2023
  • Recology's unpermitted Pier 94 facility ordered shut by Air District
    Recology's unpermitted Pier 94 facility ordered shut by Air DistrictMarch 29th, 2023
  • Is Hunters Point Sick? Meet the Doctor Screening Residents for Toxics in S.F.’s Biggest Development Battle
    Is Hunters Point Sick? Meet the Doctor Screening Residents for Toxics in S.F.’s Biggest Development BattleJanuary 5th, 2022
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Grant Support

  • Environmental Justice Data FundWindward Fund2022–2024
  • CalEPA EJ Small GrantsCalifornia Environmental Protection Agency2022–2023
  • General UnrestrictedBlack Citizen.org2022
  • Justice40 AcceleratorJustice40 Accelerator Core Partners - Elevate, Groundswell, Hummingbird Firm2021
  • Presidents Fund Challenge in GrantmakingDavid & Lucile Packard Foundation2019–2020

Committees

  • National Strength and Conditioning Association, Ad Hoc Committee Clinical Specialist Examination & Certification 2011 - Present
  • Member - Steering Committee, Marie Harrison Bayview Community Air Monitoring Project 2019 - 2021
  • Founding Chair Radiological Subcommittee, Hunters Point Shipyard Restoration Advisory Board 2000 - 2005

Research History

  • Principal InvestigatorHunters Point Community Biomonitoring Program2019 - 2025
  • Founding Chair Radiological Subcommittee Hunter's Point Shipyard Restoration Advisory BoardContributed to Draft Final Historical Radiological Assessment March 29, 2002- Hunter's Point Shipyard Use of General Radioactive Materials 1939-20022001 - 2005
  • Attending PhysicianPersian Gulf, Agent Orange, Ionizing Radiation Registry Palo Alto Veterans Administration Environmental Health Registry for Veterans1997 - 2000
  • Research Consultant-Palo Alto Veterans Administration RR&DResearch Consultant on projects investigating Falls In Elderly, Cervical Spine Traction and Immobilization during Helicopter Transport. Advanced Aeromedical Transport - Eric Sabelman, PhD & Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD1988 - 1999
  • Postdoctoral Fellow - Department of Surgery, Division of Emergency Medicine Stanford University Medical CenterPostdoctoral Clinical and Research Fellow and Flight Physician Stanford Life Flight - Cervical Spine Trauma, Traction and Immobilization during Helicopter Transport. Worked with NASA-Ames Researhc Center and Stanford School of Biomechanical Engineering.1986 - 1988

Professional Memberships

Other Languages

  • Spanish

Industry Relationships

  • Consulting Physician - Independent Contractor, MedCare Staffing, Inc.Provider provides telemedicine consultation for pharmacogenomics and hereditary cancer screenings.Disclosure: None2019 - Present
  • Telemedicine Physician, Doctors 365 Global Telehealth PlatformInternational team of medical doctors based in Switzerland. The "Doctors 365" telemedicine platform offers 24 hour, high quality, global access to treatment world wide.2019 - Present
  • Physician Expert, HealthTap.comOffering expert telemedicine consults and on demand urgent care advice on the advanced global telemedicine platform HealthTap.com2016 - Present
  • Member, National Strength & Conditioning AssociationNSCA Certified Trainer2002 - Present