Three photo portraits of a woman are woven together. Portrait 1: the woman wears a face mask and shield. Portrait 2: the woman wears a lab coat. Portrait 3: the woman wears everyday clothes.

Science Winter 2022

The Long Haul

A concerted research effort gave UCSF scientists early insight into long COVID. It also showed patients that they weren’t in the fight alone.

Photo of Kim Rhoads with staff members of Umoja Health Partners at a vaccine clinic.

Ask the Expert Summer 2021

Uniting the Black Community to Defeat COVID

Illustration of three large humans standing on the Earth, pushing back coronaviruses.

Ask the Expert Summer 2021

How Can We Thwart the Next Pandemic?

Illustration of a person using a handheld nebulizer inhaler; SARS-CoV-2 cells are floating in the background and bubble surround some of their ACE2 receptors.

Science Winter 2021

Two Billion Nanobodies. One Global Pandemic. Go.

Illustration of the inside of a body, with coronavirus cells throughout.

Science Summer 2020

We Thought It Was Just a Respiratory Virus

The Latest

Illustration of a woman in a face mask pulling back a dark shroud with SARS-CoV-2 cells on it; peeking behind the shroud is a pink and blue sky with clouds.

Ask the Expert Winter 2021

COVID-19 Predictions for 2021 and Beyond

Will we face a fourth surge? More mutations? A return to the office?
Vintage style illustration of a human heart with SARS-CoV-2 cells floating around it.

Ask the Expert Winter 2021

What Is COVID Doing to Our Hearts?

The disease can affect the heart’s rhythm, impair its ability to pump blood, and much more.
Illustration of two people in a row; one holds an umbrella and one does not; COVID symbols rain down from clouds, hitting the person not holding an umbrella.

Ask the Expert Winter 2021

How Can We Be Sure the New COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe?

Five experts share what will convince them that a vaccine is safe.
Illustration of a group of kids walking; all of the kids have face masks on.

Ask the Expert Winter 2021

Will Kids Be Safe When They Return to School? Will Everyone Else?

The science suggests yes, but only with proper planning and protocols.

Lessons & Reflections

Portrait of Monica Gandhi, MD

Ask the Expert Winter 2022

Five Questions for Monica Gandhi

Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine, has been an ardent voice for science during the coronavirus pandemic.
Vida Ahyong, Joe DeRisi, and Emily Crawford in face masks, lab coats, and gloves.

Human Interest Summer 2020

How to Build a COVID Testing Lab in Eight Days

Scientists at UCSF and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub created from scratch a diagnostic lab that became a model for the nation.
Illustrated portrait of Cleavon Gilman

Alumni Stories Summer 2022

The Man Who Would Not Be Silenced

ER physician Cleavon Gilman, MD ’16, fought – and won – battles against poverty, a speech defect, and Iraq War horrors. He wasn’t going to let COVID beat him.
Robert Wachter, MD, sitting in his home, working on a tablet, with a computer in his lap, and his dog by his side.

Perspectives Summer 2020

Tweeting a Pandemic

How a UCSF leader used social media to advance the public’s understanding.
doctor talks with man in a hotel doorway

Perspectives Summer 2021

Capturing a Pandemic Moment

A photographer reflects on one of her shots from the Navajo Nation.
Portrait of F.T. Kola.

Perspectives Summer 2020

How I Survived COVID-19

Writer F.T. Kola recounts her battle with COVID-19 and its aftermath.
Illustration of a silhouette of a man and a child in a dome shaped bubble; a labyrinth of coronavirus cells and graph-like curves are displayed in the background; a sun and clouds are peaking out from behind.

Human Interest Summer 2020

We Must Learn from Our Past

Insights from the world’s response are already taking shape.
UCSF Nurses gather in Oakland for a Black Health Matters protest; a male Black nurse in a white coat and face mask stands with female nurses, holding a sign that reads “Abolish” in graffiti style; a large mural of George Floyd’s portrait is in the background.

Health Summer 2020

An Epidemic of Inequality

Confronting the root of why people of color have been hit hardest by the coronavirus.
A resident wearing a face mask in Chinatown, San Francisco, is transporting groceries on a bike during the shelter-at-home Covid-19 crisis.

Health Summer 2020

Backlash: Anti-Asian Racism Escalates During COVID-19

The pandemic has led to a sudden rise in discrimination against people of Asian descent.
Portrait of Margot Kushel

Ask the Expert Summer 2020

Homelessness in the Time of COVID-19

What the pandemic reveals about housing and health.
Illustration of silhouettes of two people touching foreheads, with a coronavirus symbol above them.

Human Interest Summer 2020

When Telehealth Came to the Tenderloin

Staying connected helps people struggling with mental illness and poverty survive the pandemic.
Child smiling in a hospital chair, with a medical line in her arm.

Health Summer 2020

Sheltering in Place Is Nothing New for These Families

When your child is seriously ill, social distancing is all too familiar. Five families share advice for the rest of us.
Illustration depicting the search for a coronavirus vaccine.

Ask the Expert Summer 2020

Seeking Immunity Against COVID-19

What will it take to produce a coronavirus vaccine?
Illustration depicting a physician or scientist with a telescope with a coronavirus symbol.

Ask the Expert Summer 2020

Five Big Lessons from the Pandemic

Insights from the world’s response are already taking shape.
Illustrated portrait of Susan Acton with SARS-CoV-2 cells floating in the background.

Human Interest Winter 2021

Pandemic Brings an Unexpected Twist to Alum’s Protein Discovery

First recognized for stabilizing blood pressure, ACE2 also offers a deadly handshake to the coronavirus.

Meeting the Moment

Portrait of Annie Luetkemeyer.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Clinical Trial Leader

Annie Luetkemeyer, MD, tests promising therapies for COVID-19 – and soon, a vaccine.
Portrait of Sajan Patel wearing a face mask in the hospital.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Hospitalist

Sajan Patel, MD, remembers anxieties and revelations while caring for the Bay Area’s first coronavirus patients.
Portrait of Alicia Catanese in nurse’s scrubs.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Navajo Nation Volunteer

Surgical charge nurse Alicia Catanese, RN, volunteered to help the Navajo Nation cope with its COVID surge.
Portrait of Abie Stillman in his custodial uniform.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Custodian

Abie Stillman shares his reflections on essential work and what he would like from the public instead of another thank-you.
Portrait of Faranak Fattahi in the lab with a face mask on.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Stem Cell Biologist

Why are more men than women dying from COVID-19? Scientist Faranak Fattahi, PhD, has found a clue.
Portrait of Joseph Kidane.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Medical Student

With campuses closed, Joseph Kidane serves with hundreds of his fellow medical students in a volunteer crisis workforce.
Portrait of Kelly Timothy.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The ICU Nurse

Kelly Timothy, RN, cares for some of the Bay Area’s sickest patients – and their families.
Portrait of Maria Raven in the ER, with surgical mask and eye goggles on.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Emergency Medicine Chief

Maria Raven, MD, takes charge of the hospital’s first line of defense.
Portrait of Kenny Banh in an N95 mask and goggles, inside a tent.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Fresno ER Doc

Kenny Banh, MD, fights both COVID-19 and inequity in the San Joaquin Valley.
Portrait of Katie Craft with a face mask and protective eyewear on her head.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Child Life Specialist

Katie Craft helps young patients grapple with new fears.
Portrait of Alex Smith, with his computer in the background.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Palliative Care Expert

Alex Smith, MD, guides the families of COVID patients through the hardest decisions of their lives.
Portrait of Monique Posey with her headset on and computer in the background.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Call Navigator

Monique Posey fields questions about the pandemic. She shares her story – and some of her strategies for coping with stress.
Portrait of Katherine Yang with the pharmacy in the background.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Pharmacist

Katherine Yang, PharmD, raced to get a new, lifesaving drug approved for emergency treatment.
Portrait of Max Rausch in scrubs and a face mask at the hospital.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Respiratory Therapist

A skilled ventilator operator, respiratory therapist Max Rausch helps keep the sickest patients breathing.
Portrait of Emily Silverman.

Frontliners Summer 2020

The Physician-Storyteller

Between shifts at San Francisco’s public hospital, Emily Silverman, MD, collects audio diaries from health workers.

Alumni Stories

Read more

Portraits of five UCSF Alumni in face masks and shields.
  • Alumni Stories
  • Summer 2020

UCSF Alumni Confront COVID-19

We asked alumni to share their pandemic stories. Here’s a selection of submissions.

UCSF News

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