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 wide participation in the health workforce. We design strategic research to understand and eliminate the challenges and barriers that impede access and opportunities to improve and sustain healthy lives for all people. 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 issues that affect people's health.  

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. Known as the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations until September 2024, and now under the leadership of Dr. Margot Kushel, ARC's work strives to improve the policies and systems that shape access, care, and maximum health for all.