Himali Weerahandi, MD, MPH

Title(s)Associate Professor, Medicine
SchoolSchool of Medicine
Address521 Parnassus Avenue, #5232
San Francisco CA 94117
PronounsShe/Her/Hers
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0001-9614-345X Additional info
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Collapse Education and Training
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDBA05/2004Neuroscience
Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PAMD05/2009Medicine
New York University Medical Center, New York, NY06/2012Residency: Internal Medicine/Primary Care
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY06/2014Residency: Preventive Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NYMPH06/2014Health Promotion/Disease Prevention
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Collapse Overview 
Collapse Overview
I am a clinician-investigator in the Division of Hospital Medicine at UCSF Health. My areas of expertise include transitions across the continuum of care, care coordination, readmissions, and discharge practices. I conduct translational research targeting systems drivers of adverse outcomes (such as hospital readmission and mortality) with the goal of improving health care quality. In particular, I was awarded a National Institutes of Health/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute K23 Career Development Award examining the transition from skilled nursing facility to home after a heart failure hospitalization.

As a doctor caring for older hospitalized patients, I’ve witnessed a growing need for patients to be discharged to skilled nursing facilities before transitioning home. My research investigates the quality of discharge practices at skilled nursing facilities, along with patient and caregivers’ perspectives on these processes. These lines of inquiry will identify gaps in care that can be improved upon using systems-level interventions. I also examine how patient-level factors, such as frailty and cognitive impairment, should be accounted for when individualizing best practices. The goal of this work is to make transitions safer and improve longitudinal outcomes for older adults.

I also have additional streams of research investigating how to increase use of evidence-based best practices to improve healthcare delivery quality, evaluation of hospital performance on equity and the effect COVID-19 has had on healthcare delivery (particularly during the height of the pandemic) and post-hospitalization outcomes.

Collapse Research 
Collapse Research Activities and Funding
Characteristics of Transitions from Skilled Nursing Facility to Home Following Heart Failure Hospitalization
NIH K23HL145110Aug 1, 2019 - Jun 30, 2024
Role: Principal Investigator

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. Measuring Equity in Readmission as an Assessment of Hospital Performance-Reply. JAMA. 2024 05 21; 331(19):1677-1678. Weerahandi H, Nash KA, Bernheim SM. PMID: 38648068; PMCID: PMC11528418.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  2. Incorporating Anti-racist Principles Throughout the Research Lifecycle: A Position Statement from the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM). J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Aug; 39(10):1922-1931. Gonzalez CJ, Krishnamurthy S, Rollin FG, Siddiqui S, Henry TL, Kiefer M, Wan S, Weerahandi H. PMID: 38743167; PMCID: PMC11282034.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
  3. Measuring Equity in Readmission as a Distinct Assessment of Hospital Performance. JAMA. 2024 01 09; 331(2):111-123. Nash KA, Weerahandi H, Yu H, Venkatesh AK, Holaday LW, Herrin J, Lin Z, Horwitz LI, Ross JS, Bernheim SM. PMID: 38193960; PMCID: PMC10777266.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  4. The Risk Factor for Maternal Morbidity is Racism, not Race. Am J Perinatol. 2024 05; 41(S 01):e3241. Rollin FG, Krishnamurthy S, Weerahandi H. PMID: 37951221.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  5. Characteristics of Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy Received by COVID-19 Patients in a Skilled Nursing Facility: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2023 04; 24(4):459-461. Canter BE, Raschen L, Reinhardt JP, Weerahandi H, Mak W, Burack OR, Escher A, Boockvar KS. PMID: 36822236; PMCID: PMC9884616.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  6. "I Am Not the Same as I Was Before": A Qualitative Analysis of COVID-19 Survivors. Int J Behav Med. 2023 Oct; 30(5):663-672. Duan E, Garry K, Horwitz LI, Weerahandi H. PMID: 36227557; PMCID: PMC9559269.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
  7. Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in nursing homes: Do not forget the most vulnerable. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022 05; 70(5):1352-1354. Weerahandi H, Rao M, Boockvar KS. PMID: 35323991; PMCID: PMC9106869.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
  8. Development of an Electronic Trigger to Identify Delayed Follow-up HbA1c Testing for Patients with Uncontrolled Diabetes. J Gen Intern Med. 2022 03; 37(4):928-934. Knoll B, Horwitz LI, Garry K, McCloskey J, Nagler AR, Weerahandi H, Chung WY, Blecker S. PMID: 35037176; PMCID: PMC8904310.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  9. When silence is not golden: Crying and other responses to microaggressions and implicit bias in academic medicine. J Hosp Med. 2022 02; 17(2):136-137. Weerahandi H. PMID: 35504545.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  10. A library of induced pluripotent stem cells from clinically well-characterized, diverse healthy human individuals. Stem Cell Reports. 2021 12 14; 16(12):3036-3049. Schaniel C, Dhanan P, Hu B, Xiong Y, Raghunandan T, Gonzalez DM, Dariolli R, D'Souza SL, Yadaw AS, Hansen J, Jayaraman G, Mathew B, Machado M, Berger SI, Tripodi J, Najfeld V, Garg J, Miller M, Surlyn CS, Michelis KC, Tangirala NC, Weerahandi H, Thomas DC, Beaumont KG, Sebra R, Mahajan M, Schadt E, Vidovic D, Schürer SC, Goldfarb J, Azeloglu EU, Birtwistle MR, Sobie EA, Kovacic JC, Dubois NC, Iyengar R. PMID: 34739849; PMCID: PMC8693622.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 12     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
  11. Co-Occurring Dehydration and Cognitive Impairment During COVID-19 in Long-Term Care Patients. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2021 Nov; 22(11):2270-2271. Boockvar KS, Mak W, Burack OR, Canter BE, Reinhardt JP, Spinner R, Farber J, Weerahandi H. PMID: 34599885; PMCID: PMC8429357.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
  12. Disease Management in Skilled Nursing Facilities Improves Outcomes for Patients With a Primary Diagnosis of Heart Failure. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2022 03; 23(3):367-372. Weerahandi H, Chaussee EL, Dodson JA, Dolansky M, Boxer RS. PMID: 34478693; PMCID: PMC8885787.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  13. Six-Month Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized with Severe COVID-19. J Gen Intern Med. 2021 12; 36(12):3772-3777. Horwitz LI, Garry K, Prete AM, Sharma S, Mendoza F, Kahan T, Karpel H, Duan E, Hochman KA, Weerahandi H. PMID: 34355349; PMCID: PMC8341831.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 22     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
  14. Discharge processes in a skilled nursing facility affected by COVID-19. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 09; 69(9):2437-2439. Weerahandi H, Mak W, Burack OR, Canter BE, Reinhardt JP, Boockvar KS. PMID: 33955557; PMCID: PMC8242513.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
  15. Goals of Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implementing DNI, DNR, and DNH Orders in a Skilled Nursing Facility. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2021 Mar; 22(3):B21. Canter B, Burack O, Reinhardt J, Mak W, Weerahandi H, Canter B, Boockvar K. PMID: 34287168; PMCID: PMC7902239.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:HumansCellsPHPublic Health
  16. Hospitalizations for Chronic Disease and Acute Conditions in the Time of COVID-19. JAMA Intern Med. 2021 02 01; 181(2):269-271. Blecker S, Jones SA, Petrilli CM, Admon AJ, Weerahandi H, Francois F, Horwitz LI. PMID: 33104158; PMCID: PMC7589070.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 75     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
  17. Post-Discharge Health Status and Symptoms in Patients with Severe COVID-19. J Gen Intern Med. 2021 03; 36(3):738-745. Weerahandi H, Hochman KA, Simon E, Blaum C, Chodosh J, Duan E, Garry K, Kahan T, Karmen-Tuohy SL, Karpel HC, Mendoza F, Prete AM, Quintana L, Rutishauser J, Santos Martinez L, Shah K, Sharma S, Simon E, Stirniman AZ, Horwitz LI. PMID: 33443703; PMCID: PMC7808113.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 96     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  18. Diabetes Phenotyping Using the Electronic Health Record. J Gen Intern Med. 2020 12; 35(12):3716-3718. Weerahandi HM, Horwitz LI, Blecker SB. PMID: 32948954; PMCID: PMC7728952.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  19. Post-discharge health status and symptoms in patients with severe COVID-19. medRxiv. 2020 Aug 14. Weerahandi H, Hochman KA, Simon E, Blaum C, Chodosh J, Duan E, Garry K, Kahan T, Karmen-Tuohy S, Karpel HC, Mendoza F, Prete AM, Quintana L, Rutishauser J, Martinez LS, Shah K, Sharma S, Simon E, Stirniman A, Horwitz LI. PMID: 32817973; PMCID: PMC7430618.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:
  20. A Mobile Health Coaching Intervention for Controlling Hypertension: Single-Arm Pilot Pre-Post Study. JMIR Form Res. 2020 May 07; 4(5):e13989. Weerahandi H, Paul S, Quintiliani LM, Chokshi S, Mann DM. PMID: 32379049; PMCID: PMC7243130.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8  
  21. Hurricanes and healthcare: a case report on the influences of Hurricane Maria and managed Medicare in treating a Puerto Rican resident. BMC Health Serv Res. 2019 Nov 08; 19(1):818. Mellgard G, Abramson D, Okamura C, Weerahandi H. PMID: 31703682; PMCID: PMC6842155.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  22. Home Health Care After Skilled Nursing Facility Discharge Following Heart Failure Hospitalization. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 01; 68(1):96-102. Weerahandi H, Bao H, Herrin J, Dharmarajan K, Ross JS, Jones S, Horwitz LI. PMID: 31603248; PMCID: PMC6964248.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  23. Risk of Readmission After Discharge From Skilled Nursing Facilities Following Heart Failure Hospitalization: A Retrospective Cohort Study. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2019 04; 20(4):432-437. Weerahandi H, Li L, Bao H, Herrin J, Dharmarajan K, Ross JS, Kim KL, Jones S, Horwitz LI. PMID: 30954133; PMCID: PMC6486375.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  24. The Relationship of Illness Beliefs with Hospital and Emergency Department Utilization in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. J Gen Intern Med. 2019 06; 34(6):923-928. Weerahandi H, Wisnivesky JP, O'Conor R, Wolf MS, Federman AD. PMID: 30847827; PMCID: PMC6544700.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  25. Predictors for patients understanding reason for hospitalization. PLoS One. 2018; 13(4):e0196479. Weerahandi H, Ziaeian B, Fogerty RL, Jenq GY, Horwitz LI. PMID: 29702676; PMCID: PMC5922555.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  26. The Relationship Between Psychological Symptoms and Ventricular Assist Device Implantation. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2017 12; 54(6):870-876.e1. Weerahandi H, Goldstein N, Gelfman LP, Jorde U, Kirkpatrick JN, Meyerson E, Marble J, Naka Y, Pinney S, Slaughter MS, Bagiella E, Ascheim DD. PMID: 28807706; PMCID: PMC5705533.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  27. Pain and Functional Status in Patients With Ventricular Assist Devices. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016 10; 52(4):483-490.e1. Weerahandi H, Goldstein N, Gelfman LP, Jorde U, Kirkpatrick JN, Marble J, Naka Y, Pinney S, Slaughter MS, Bagiella E, Ascheim DD. PMID: 27401516; PMCID: PMC5897591.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  28. When practice and policy conflict: blood cultures in community-acquired pneumonia. Am J Emerg Med. 2015 Sep; 33(9):1246-8. Weerahandi H, Poeran J, Nassisi D, Mazumdar M. PMID: 26022752.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  29. Effects of a Psychosocial Transitional Care Model on Hospitalizations and Cost of Care for High Utilizers. Soc Work Health Care. 2015; 54(6):485-98. Weerahandi H, Basso Lipani M, Kalman J, Sosunov E, Colgan C, Bernstein S, Moskowitz AJ, Egorova N. PMID: 26186421.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8     Fields:    Translation:Humans
  30. Effect of an electronic alert on treatment of skin and soft tissue infections. J Med Pract Manage. 2014 Nov-Dec; 30(3):203-7. Weerahandi H, Lurio J, Pichardo M, Duquaine D, Wu W, Calman N, Weiss D, Marx MA, Wang JJ. PMID: 25807626.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  31. Guided ordering: clinician interactions with complex order-sets. Int J Med Inform. 2013 Feb; 82(2):73-9. Shine D, Weerahandi H, Hochman K, Wang L, Radford M. PMID: 22494855.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
  32. Degeneration of myelinated efferent fibers induces spontaneous activity in uninjured C-fiber afferents. J Neurosci. 2002 Sep 01; 22(17):7746-53. Wu G, Ringkamp M, Murinson BB, Pogatzki EM, Hartke TV, Weerahandi HM, Campbell JN, Griffin JW, Meyer RA. PMID: 12196598; PMCID: PMC6757972.
    View in: PubMed   Mentions: 74     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
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