Andrew B. Bindman Professorship in Health Policy and Primary Care Investiture

Dr. Schwarz is a general internist and health services researcher whose work centers on harm reduction and health promotion. She has a particular interest in identifying ways to better meet the needs of diverse, vulnerable populations, including women with chronic medical conditions and other underserved populations. She also is an award-winning mentor, working closely with a range of junior faculty and students.

Dr. Bindman has spent 30 years on the UCSF faculty and established the California Medicaid Research Institute while he was with the UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. He has a long-standing interest in health policy informed by his many years as a primary care physician at Zuckerberg San Francisco General and through several roles he held within the federal government. He currently serves as the co-editor in chief of the journal Health Services Research.

Dr. King began his career at UCSF in 1997 as chief of medical services at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. A physician-scientist, his research has focused on inflammatory and immunologic lung injury. Dr. King is best known for his pioneering work in management of interstitial pneumonias, a scarring process that often leads to death. His bibliography comprises more than 300 publications, and he has co-edited eight books, including the acclaimed reference book Interstitial Lung Disease, now in its fifth edition.

Dr. Lurie has extensive experience in health services research and previously served as assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the US Department of Health and Human Services where she led numerous public health emergencies. Her work has focused on access to and quality of care, health system redesign, equity, mental health, public health, and preparedness. Her leadership roles include professor of medicine and public health at the University of Minnesota and principal deputy assistant secretary for health with the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Schillinger is a primary care physician, scientist, author, and public health advocate. He is an internationally recognized expert in health communication and has been widely recognized for his work related to improving the health of vulnerable populations. He is credited with a number of discoveries in primary care and health communication and is considered one of the founders of the field of health literacy.

Dr. Spetz’s research focuses on the economics of the health care workforce, organization of health care services, and quality of health care. She directs the UCSF Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care and is an internationally known expert on the nursing workforce, leading studies of nurse supply, demand, education, earnings, and contributions to the quality of care across health care settings.

In 1996, Dr. Wachter coined the term “hospitalist” to describe a physician who cares for hospital inpatients, and he often is considered the founder of the hospitalist field. He is a past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine, a past chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the author of two books on health care safety and quality. From 2020 to 2023, Dr. Wachter took to Twitter, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers and becoming one of the country’s most trusted sources of information on the clinical, public health, and policy issues of the COVID-19 pandemic.