Helen Kao, MD

Title(s)Professor, Medicine
SchoolSchool of Medicine
Address3333 California Street, #001
San Francisco CA 94118
Phone415-502-8885
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse Education and Training
    University of California, San Francisco Residency School of Medicine
    University of California, San FranciscoM.D.2003School of Medicine
    Collapse Awards and Honors
    Oregon Hospice and Palliative Care Association2020Elizabeth Wessinger Award
    UCSF Department of Medicine2016UCSF Master Clinician
    UCSF Medical Center2013Jane Hirsch Pillar of Comfort Award
    San Francisco Business Times2011Health Care Heroes Award
    Health Resources Services Administration2010  - 2015Geriatric Academic Career Award
    California Council on Gerontology and Geriatrics2010Betty and James E. Birren Emerging Leadership Award
    Alta Bates Medical Center2009Ida Cannon Award
    UCSF Academy of Medical Educators2008Excellence in Teaching Award
    American Medical Directors Association2007Foundation Futures Award
    Health Resources Services Administration2007  - 2010Geriatric Academic Career Award
    UCSF2006Excellence in General Internal Medicine
    UCSF2003Gold-Headed Cane Award

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse Overview
    Dr. Helen Kao is Professor in the Division of Geriatrics, and Medical Director of Clinical Innovations at Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care in Corvallis, Oregon, where she moved in 2016.

    Helen completed both her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Geriatrics at UCSF. She is dedicated to working with vulnerable older adults in both her clinical practice and through her leadership in implementing health systems change. She spearheaded the partnership between UCSF and Lifelong Medical Care, a community health organization, through which she provided primary care, house calls, nursing home and inpatient care, and hospice care through the Over 60 Health Center in Berkeley. While in Berkeley, she co-founded the Over 60 Bridge program to provide palliative care for patients with advanced illness who were not yet eligible or ready for hospice . Her rich experiences at the Over 60 Health Center inspired her current career focus on health systems improvement and development of innovative models of integrated care for older adults. She founded the Geriatrics Transitions, Consultation, and Comprehensive Care (GeriTraCCC) service in 2010 which, in collaboration with UCSF Medical Center and UC Home Health teams, has dramatically improved the well-being for frail older adults with congestive heart failure. GeriTraCCC was renamed Bridges in 2013 and reorganized to provide home-based palliative care. She co-founded the Medical-Legal Partnership for Seniors with Dr Welty and faculty from UC Hastings School of the Law in 2012. This is one of only a handful of medical-legal clinics in the US focused on the needs of older adults.

    Helen served as Medical Director of Geriatrics Clinical Services 2010-2016. Since 2017, she returns to UCSF from Oregon on a part-time basis to attend on the UCSF inpatient geriatrics service (Acute Care for Elders unit, Hip Fracture Co-management service, and Geriatrics Consults). Helen has been recognized with awards of distinction not only for her clinical care but also for her teaching and leadership.

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse Publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
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    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Improvement of hospital care of elderly patients: thinking outside the (hospital) box: comment on "hospital at home for elderly patients with acute decompensation of chronic heart failure". Arch Intern Med. 2009 Sep 28; 169(17):1576-7. Kao H, Walter LC. PMID: 19786676.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
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