Our New Name

We Are the UCSF Action Research Center for Health, or ARC for short.

Known as UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (CVP) until September 2024, ARC for Health was founded in 2006 to improve health and reduce disparities through culturally responsive, patient-centered care; rigorous research; program development; and policy solutions. Over the nearly 20 years since, there have been significant changes in best practices in inclusive and patient-centered health communication, including avoiding stigmatizing adjectives such as “vulnerable and “high-risk,” expressions that infer an intrinsic deficit rather than address the challenges and adversity that impact many people's access and opportunities to better health.

The UCSF Action Research Center for Health– ARC for Health (or just ARC), for short – moves us beyond a name that no longer reflects our values, toward one that is as optimistic and inspirational as the work we do and signals our orientation toward collaboration and community action backed by data and research. 

Our goal in becoming ARC is to assert and embrace an identity that is fair, optimistic, and inclusive, while reflecting the community of care we foster.