Eric Widera, MD
Professor
Medicine
School of Medicine

eric.widera@ucsf.edu 415-221-4810 ext. 24614

OVERVIEW:

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Eric Widera is a Professor of Medicine and clinician-educator in the Division of Geriatrics at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). His main goal is to improve the care provided to elderly patients with severe chronic and/or terminal conditions through program development and educational innovations. Dr. Widera is the Director of the Hospice & Palliative Care Service at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, a past Board of Directors member for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), and president of the Association of Directors of Geriatrics Academic Programs (ADGAP). Eric has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards including a Geriatric Academic Career Award (GACA), the Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Award, AAHPM Hospice and Palliative Medicine Leaders Under 40 award, and the AAHPM PDIA Palliative Medicine National Leadership Award. He is also a co-founder of GeriPal, a Geriatrics and Palliative Care blog and podcast, as well as ePrognosis, an online set of prognostic calculators for the elderly.

CLINICAL ACTIVITIES: Dr. Widera's clinical activities are primarily based at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. He attends on and is the Director of the Hospice & Palliative Care Service at the VA. This is a busy and growing service that performs inpatient palliative care consults in the acute hospital setting and the VA Community Living Center (CLC). The Hospice and Palliative Care Service also provides primary care for a 10-bed hospice unit located within the CLC, as well as serves veterans living in the community through an outpatient Palliative Care Clinic.

EDUCATIONAL FOCUS: Dr. Widera's academic focus is on improving the care we give to elderly patients with severe chronic and/or terminal conditions through program development and educational innovations. For nearly a decade he was the director of the Geriatrics fellowship at UCSF. He currently oversees a host of interdisciplinary learners who rotate on the Hospice and Palliative Care Service at the San Francisco VA, including internal medicine residents, social work interns, and nursing students. His other interests include how the use of social media and podcasts, like GeriPal.org, can influence medical education and clinical practice.

Awards

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  • Master Clinician, Council of Master Clinicians, UCSF, 2024
  • Excellence in Teaching Award, Academy of Medical Educators, UCSF, 2022
  • "Visionary in Hospice and Palliative Medicine" Award, AAHPM, 2018
  • AAHPM Hospice and Palliative Medicine Leaders Under 40, AAHPM, 2015
  • UCSF GME Excellence and Innovation Award, UCSF, 2015
  • PDIA Palliative Medicine National Leadership Award, AAHPM, 2014
  • School of Medicine Excellence in Teaching Award for Clinical Faculty, UCSF, 2013
  • Cunniff-Dixon Physician Award, Hastings Center, 2011
  • Center of Excellence Faculty Scholar, Hartford Foundation, 2010-2011
  • Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Excellence in Teaching Award, UCSF, 2009
  • Teacher of the Year, Division of Geriatrics, UCSF, 2009
  • Geriatrics Academic Career Award, HRSA, 2007-2010

Education & Training

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  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training University of California 2019
  • Teaching Scholars University of California, San Francisco 6/2011
  • Geriatric Medicine University of California, San Francisco 06/2006
  • Internal Medicine Mount Sinai Hospital 06/2005
  • M.D. Medicine University of California, San Francisco 2002
  • B.S. Biology University of California, Irvine 06/1997

Interests

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  • Geriatrics
  • Hospice
  • Aging
  • Communication
  • Social Media
  • Palliative Care

Websites

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Publications (61)

Top publication keywords:
Patient ComfortHospice CareDecision MakingHospicesDeglutition DisordersTerminal CareProxyGeriatricsProfessional-Family RelationsKnowledgeSuicide, AssistedCritical IllnessPatient Care PlanningPalliative CareDementia

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