ARC Leadership & Staff

​​​​​​Margot Kushel, MD is Professor of Medicine and Division Chief at the Division of Health Equity and Society at ZSFG, Director of ARC for Health Equity, Director of UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, and a primary care physician ZSFG’s Richard H. Fine People’s Clinic. Dr. Kushel’s research focuses on reducing the burden of homelessness on health through examining efforts to prevent and end homelessness and mitigating the effects of housing instability on health care outcomes.

​​Urmimala Sarkar MD, MPH is Professor of Medicine at UCSF in the Division of General Internal Medicine at ZSFG, Associate Chair for Faculty Experience for the Department of Medicine, Co-Director of UCSF’s IgNITE Lab (Investigating Novel Interventions using Technology to advance Equity), Associate Director of ARC for Health Equity, and a primary care physician at ZSFG’s Richard H. Fine People's Clinic. Dr. Sarkar’s work centers on innovating for health equity and improving the safety and quality of outpatient care for everyone; her expertise spans topics including medical errors and patient safety, diabetes, and cancer prevention and survivorship.

​​​​​​Brie Williams, MD, MS is Professor of Medicine at UCSF in the Division of Health Equity and Society, Founder and Director of Amend at UCSF, Co-Director of the Aging Research In Criminal Justice Health (ARCH) Network, Associate Director for Policy of the UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity, and a physician trained in internal medicine, geriatrics, and palliative care. Dr. Williams’ work focuses on transforming correctional culture to focus on the health of residents and staff, dignity and humanity, and on bringing the science of geriatrics and palliative care to criminal justice reform.

Alicia Fernández, MD is Professor of Medicine at UCSF in the Division of General Internal Medicine at ZSFG, Associate Dean of Population Health and Health Equity for the School of Medicine, founding Director of the UCSF Latinx Center of Excellence, and a general internist at ZSFG. Dr. Fernandez' research expertise includes language and literacy barriers in healthcare, Latinx health, immigrant health, health care equity in chronic disease, particularly diabetes, and racism in medicine.

Dean Schillinger, MD is Andrew B. Bindman Professor in Primary Care and Health Policy in the Division of General Internal Medicine at ZSFG, directs the UCSF Health Communications Research Program, serves as co-director for an NIDDK Center for Diabetes Translational Research (DREAMS-CDTR), and a general internist at ZSFG. Dr. Schillinger’s expertise includes health literacy, precision communication for reducing health disparities, and developing scalable, innovative health communications to increase public health literacy. Along with Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Dr. Schillinger was founding Co-Director in 2006 of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations (now ARC for Health Equity).

​​​​​​Hilary Seligman, MD, MAS is Professor at the University of California San Francisco with appointments in the Departments of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Director of the CDC’s Nutrition and Obesity Policy, Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN), Director of UCSF’s IMPACT Program, Director of UCSF’s National Clinical Scholars Program, Founder of EatSF, and a physician trained in internal medicine. Dr. Seligman is an expert in food insecurity; her policy and advocacy expertise focus on federal nutrition programs (particularly SNAP), food banking and the charitable food network, hunger policy, food affordability and access, and income-related drivers of food choice.

Ellie Gladstone is Manager of the UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity where she provides strategic direction, develops partnerships, and oversees overall program operations. She brings more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of research, law, policy, and health to her collaborative work with Center faculty and staff.