Research in Action

At ARC, research informs action and action informs research.

ARC coordinates, accelerates, and supports the work of 40+ faculty across UCSF. Our rigorous, field-leading research covers a wide range of topics from homelessness, incarceration, and food insecurity to immigrant health and diversity in the health workforce. We design research strategically to understand and eliminate structural and systemic barriers to health equity. And we work in partnership with communities, because the expertise that comes from lived experience is every bit as valuable as the expertise that comes from scholarship. 

We translate our research into action by supporting institutional and community-based interventions and initiatives and by informing policy- and decision-makers about the structural and systemic issues that affect health equity.  

Based at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the public health hospital of the City and County of San Francisco, ARC’s work is deeply connected to patients, community initiatives, and the development of the next generation of medical professionals.

Building On A Legacy of Impact

Inspired by the vision of current School of Medicine Dean, Dr. Talmadge King, ARC was cofounded as the Center for Vulnerable Populations in 2006 by Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo and Dr. Dean Schillinger. In the nearly two decades since, and now under the leadership of Dr. Margot Kushel, our work strives to disrupt inequitable policies and systems that shape health inequities and work toward accessible care and just health for all.