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Robert Wachter, MD, Internal Medicine, San Francisco, CA

RobertM.WachterMD

Internal Medicine • San Francisco, CA

Hospital Medicine/Hospitalist

Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine, UCSF

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  • Office

    505 Parnassus Ave
    # M-994
    San Francisco, CA 94143
    Phone+1 415-476-7991
    Fax+1 415-502-5869

Summary

  • I am Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. The department is generally ranked among the top handful in the U.S., and is the nation’s leading recipient of NIH grants.

    I am author of 250 articles and 6 books. I coined the term “hospitalist” in 1996 and am often considered the “father” of the hospitalist field, the fastest growing specialty in the history of modern medicine. I'm past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine and past chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

    In the safety and quality arenas, I edit the U.S. government’s leading website on patient safety and have written two books on the subject, including Internal Bleeding and Understanding Patient Safety, the world’s best selling safety primer. In 2004, I received the John M. Eisenberg Award, the nation’s top honor in patient safety. In 2016, Modern Healthcare magazine ranked me as the fourth most influential physician-executive in the U.S., my ninth consecutive year in the top 50 (I was #1 on the list in 2015). I've served on the healthcare advisory boards of several companies, including Google. My 2015 book, The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age, was a New York Times science bestseller. I recently chaired a blue ribbon commission advising England’s National Health Service on its digital strategy.

Education & Training

  • Stanford Health Care-Sponsored Stanford University
    Stanford Health Care-Sponsored Stanford UniversityResidency, Internal Medicine, 1988 - 1990
  • University of California (San Francisco)
    University of California (San Francisco)Residency, Internal Medicine, 1983 - 1986
  • Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
    Perelman School of Medicine at the University of PennsylvaniaClass of 1983
  • University of Pennsylvania
    University of PennsylvaniaBA, Political Science, Magna Cum Laude, 1975 - 1979

Certifications & Licensure

  • CA State Medical License
    CA State Medical License 1984 - 2026
  • American Board of Internal Medicine Internal Medicine

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare (#58, one of only two academic physicians on list, and fourth time on this list) Modern Healthcare magazine, 2016
  • Named the fourth Most Influential Physician Executive in Healthcare (ninth year in a row on the "50 most influential" list) Modern Healthcare magazine, 2016
  • Distinguished Clinical Researcher and Educator in Residence Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2016
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Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Journal Articles

  • Resolving the Productivity Paradox of Health Information Technology  
    Robert Wachter, MD, JAMA
  • Financial incentives and mortality: taking pay for performance a step too far  
    Gupta K, Kachalia A, Wachter RM, BMJ Quality & Safety, 1/1/2016
  • Reimagining electronic clinical communication in the post-pager, smartphone era  
    Khanna RR, Wachter RM, Blum M, Journal of the American Medical Association, 1/1/2016
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Books/Book Chapters

  • The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age 
    Wachter RMMcGraw-Hill, New York2015
  • The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age 
    Wachter RMMcGraw-Hill Professional, New York2015
  • Making Health Care Safer II: An Updated Critical Analysis of the Evidence for Patient Safety Practices 
    Shekelle PG, Pronovost PJAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD2013
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Lectures

  • 16th Annual Management of the Hospitalized Patient 
    University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California - 10/25/2012
  • Hospitalist Mini-College 
    University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California - 10/22/2012
  • Healthcare in the 21st Century 
    University of California, San Francisco, California - 4/20/2012

Other

Authored Content

  • It’s Time to Consider Delaying the Second Dose of Coronavirus VaccineJanuary 2021

Press Mentions

  • In a Time of Two Pandemics, a Recommitment to Work Together
    In a Time of Two Pandemics, a Recommitment to Work TogetherSeptember 14th, 2020
  • Supervisor Friend’s Weekly Tele-Town Hall: August 18
    Supervisor Friend’s Weekly Tele-Town Hall: August 18August 14th, 2020
  • California Poised to Surpass New York as State with Most Coronavirus Cases
    California Poised to Surpass New York as State with Most Coronavirus CasesJuly 21st, 2020
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Professional Memberships

Dr. Robert Wachter, Dr. Robert Wachter, MD, Dr. R Wachter, Dr. Robert M. Wachter