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Melanie Molina, MD, MAS

Photo of Melanie Molina, MD, MAS
Title(s)Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine
SchoolSchool of Medicine
Address521 Parnassus Avenue, #7316
San Francisco CA 94117
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0002-0923-9339 Additional info
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    National Clinician Scholars ProgramFellowship2023
    UCSFMAS2023Clinical Research
    UCSF2022Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training
    Harvard, Mass General Brigham Residency2021Emergency Medicine
    Harvard Medical SchoolMD2017Medicine
    The University of Texas at Austin BS, BA2012Biology, Hispanic Studies
    Collapse awards and honors
    National Institutes of Health2024  - 2025NIDA Loan Repayment Award
    National Hispanic Medical Association2024Top 40 Under 40
    University of California, San Francisco 2023John A. Watson Faculty Scholar
    National Institutes of Health 2022  - 2024NIAID Loan Repayment Award
    Academy for Women in Academic Emergency Medicine 2021Outstanding Research Publication Award
    Harvard Medical School 2017Presidential Scholars Public Service Initiative Award

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    As a physician-investigator working at the intersection of emergency medicine, social justice, and clinical informatics, I am dedicated to designing systems that improve care access and make emergency care more responsive, humane, and effective for patients who have historically faced barriers within the healthcare system.

    My work focuses on leveraging digital innovation—particularly EHR-integrated tools and learning health system approaches—to bridge gaps in care, support clinical decision-making, and strengthen the connection between social and medical care in high-acuity settings. As a practicing emergency physician at San Francisco General Hospital and UCSF Medical Center, I see how system design directly affects patient outcomes, fueling my commitment to translating data-driven insights into scalable, real-world solutions.

    Supported by NIDA and foundation funding, I lead research developing and implementing digital tools for identifying social needs, improving linkage to community resources, and expanding access to social risk-informed treatment for opioid use disorder in the emergency department. My work has been published in NEJM Evidence, JAMA Internal Medicine, and other leading journals. I collaborate with interdisciplinary teams spanning human-centered design, data science, implementation science, and policy to rigorously evaluate interventions that can reshape care delivery.

    At UCSF, I serve as Co-Director of the Social Emergency Medicine and Health Equity Section and hold a secondary appointment in the Division of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation. I am also Affiliate Faculty at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and the UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity. I mentor trainees, guide multi-site clinical studies, and work closely with health systems and community partners committed to improving patient and provider experience through thoughtful, human-centered innovation.

    My expertise includes:
    • Clinical informatics and digital health innovation
    • Learning health system design and EHR-integrated interventions
    • Implementation science and multi-center clinical trials
    • Improving care access for populations facing structural barriers
    • Leading and mentoring interdisciplinary research teams

    I am passionate about bridging the space between clinical reality and technological possibility—and about building solutions that make frontline care better for patients and providers alike.
    Collapse Mentoring

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    Developing Electronic Health Record-Enabled Interventions to Overcome Social Risk Limitations in the Emergency Department
    Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 82575Nov 15, 2024 - Nov 14, 2028
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Description: Aims to inform emergency department-based, electronic health record-enabled social risk documentation and interventions to overcome social risk limitations on emergency department clinical care with minimal impact on clinician workflow
    Using Clinical Decision Support to Provide Social Risk-Informed Care for Opioid Use Disorder in the Emergency Department
    NIH/NIDA K23DA060993Jun 15, 2024 - May 31, 2029
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Description: This project proposes to leverage clinical decision support technology to incorporate social care into opioid use disorder medication treatment in the emergency department, toward improving treatment adherence and follow up.
    PROmotion of COVID-19 BOOSTer VA(X)ccination in the Emergency Department (PROBOOSTVAXED)
    UCSF Resource Allocation Program May 24, 2023 - May 31, 2024
    Role: Co-Principal Investigator
    Description: Multi-site randomized controlled trial to address COVID-19 booster hesitancy through ED-based vaccine delivery and messaging measures.
    PROmotion of COVID-19 BOOSTer VA(X)ccination in the Emergency Department (PROBOOSTVAXED)
    Pfizer P0566350 (CA-0210910)May 5, 2023 - May 31, 2024
    Role: Co-Investigator
    Description: Multi-site randomized controlled trial to address COVID-19 booster hesitancy through ED-based vaccine delivery and messaging measures.
    PROmotion of COVID-19 BOOSTer VA(X)ccination in the Emergency Department (PROBOOSTVAXED)
    NIH/NIAID Diversity Supplement R01AI166967Jan 20, 2023 - Apr 30, 2024
    Role: Co-Investigator
    Description: The goals of this research are to characterize and address COVID-19 booster hesitancy in underserved ED populations.

    Collapse ORNG Applications 
    Collapse Clinical Trials
    Collapse Featured Publications
    Collapse Collaboration Interests

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected 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.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    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. Characterizing emergency clinician engagement with social drivers of health data among patients with opioid use disorder. medRxiv. 2025; (2025.12.15). Molina M, Pimentel SD, Fenton C, Adler-Milstein J, Gottlieb LM. View Publication.
    2. Financial Compensation of Academic Emergency Medicine Physicians in the United States. Acad Emerg Med. 2025 Nov 17. Topping CEW, Venkatesh AK, Agrawal P, Raukar NP, Molina MF, Blomkalns AL, Diercks DB, Gettel CJ. PMID: 41249867.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    3. A Double-Edged Sword: A Qualitative Study of the Minority Tax in Academic Emergency Medicine Faculty. Acad Emerg Med. 2025 Nov 11. Ordonez E, Bhananker A, Molina M, Thomas YT, Gallegos M, Owda D, Adesina A, Kuo D, Ramont V, Torres B, Chary A. PMID: 41217099.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    4. Documentation of Adverse Social Drivers of Health in US Emergency Departments. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2025 Dec; 6(6):100272. Molina MF, Cash RE, Espinola JA, Boggs KM, Camargo CA, Samuels-Kalow ME. PMID: 41293637; PMCID: PMC12641213.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    5. COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Messaging in Emergency Departments: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Oct 01; 8(10):e2537655. Molina MF, Eucker SA, Rising KL, Kean ER, Rafique Z, Mesbah H, Glidden DV, Arreguin MI, Alvarez C, Rodriguez RM. PMID: 41091465; PMCID: PMC12529187.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    6. Rates of Recommended Shingles Vaccination and Interest Among Emergency Department Patients: A Multicenter Study. Ann Emerg Med. 2025 Oct 01. Gottlieb M, Slocum G, Sekar S, Chinnock B, Eucker SA, Kumar VA, Molina MF, Rising KL, Torres JR, Rodriguez RM. PMID: 41037039.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    7. Physician- versus Large Language Model-Generated Summaries in the Emergency Department. medRxiv. 2025; (2025.08.13). Golchini NB, Mehandru N, Alaa A, Molina M. View Publication.
    8. When the Domain Expert Has No Time and the LLM Developer Has No Clinical Expertise: Real-World Lessons from LLM Co-Design in a Safety-Net Hospital. arXiv. 2025; (2508.08504). Kothari A, Vossler P, Digitale J, Forouzannia M, Rosenberg E, Lee M, Bryant J, Molina M, Marks J, Zier L, Feng J. View Publication.
    9. Emergency Department Survey of Vaccination Knowledge, Vaccination Coverage, and Willingness to Receive Vaccines in an Emergency Department Among Underserved Populations - Eight U.S. Cities, April-December, 2024. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2025 Aug 07; 74(29):456-462. Rodriguez RM, Torres JR, Chinnock B, Kean E, Rising KL, Conn C, Gottlieb M, Sekar S, Gomez P, Olivera L, Eucker SA, DiFulvio S, Alvarez C, Molina MF, Ge S, Kumar VA. PMID: 40773379; PMCID: PMC12331208.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    10. Physician Perceptions of the Evaluation and Management of Incarcerated Patients in the Emergency Department. J Emerg Med. 2025 Nov; 78:42-48. Suh M, Chary AN, Molina MF, Farrell CM, Mycyk MB, Eswaran V. PMID: 40945397.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    11. ER-REASON: A Benchmark Dataset for LLM-Based Clinical Reasoning in the Emergency Room. arXiv. 2025; (2505.22919). Mehandru N, Golchini N, Bamman D, Zack T, Alaa A, Molina M. View Publication.
    12. Evaluating the Feasibility and Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Verbal De-Escalation and Implicit Bias Check Training for Agitation Management in the Emergency Department. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2025; 18:1355-1366. Carreras Tartak JA, Rodriguez G, Schwid M, Meeker MA, Thomas MD, Roy HJ, Dadabhoy FZ, Molina M, Chary A, Bukhman AK, Im DD, Temin ES, Macias-Konstantopoulos WL. PMID: 40264505; PMCID: PMC12012381.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    13. Screening and Response for Adverse Social Determinants of Health in US Emergency Departments. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 04 01; 8(4):e257951. Molina MF, Cash RE, Loo SS, Swanton MF, Espinola JA, Boggs KM, Chen O, Ardelean AJ, Camargo CA, Samuels-Kalow ME. PMID: 40266614; PMCID: PMC12019523.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    14. Learning From the SIREN 2025 National Research Meeting. Health Serv Res. 2025 Apr; 60 Suppl 1:e14612. Gottlieb LM, Angove R, Cartier Y, Coleman K, Corley A, Petruzzi L, Grevious N, Palakshappa D, Molina M, Fichtenberg C. PMID: 40189403; PMCID: PMC11972780.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    15. Implementing Social Determinants of Health Screening in US Emergency Departments. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 03 03; 8(3):e250137. Loo S, Molina M, Ahmad NJ, Swanton M, Chen O, Boggs KM, Camargo CA, Samuels-Kalow M. PMID: 40048167; PMCID: PMC11886722.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    16. Navigating Nonlinear Pathways: Challenges and Opportunities for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leaders in Academic Emergency Medicine. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2025 Apr; 6(2):100060. Molina MF, Bhananker A, Torres B, Owda D, Ordoñez E, Chary AN. PMID: 40034199; PMCID: PMC11874557.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    17. Pharmacology of Sedating and Anesthetic Agents: A Case-Based Flipped Classroom Exercise for Preclinical Medical Students. MedEdPORTAL. 2024; 20:11462. Nunez D, Suarez RI, Molina M, Athauda G, Toonkel RL, Fortun J, Mendez NV. PMID: 39524136; PMCID: PMC11543632.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    18. Long COVID Illness: Disparities in Understanding and Receipt of Care in Emergency Department Populations. Ann Emerg Med. 2025 Mar; 85(3):230-239. Rodriguez RM, Reyes K, Kumar VA, Chinnock B, Eucker SA, Rising KL, Rafique Z, Gottlieb M, Nichol G, Morse D, Molina M, Arreguin MI, Shughart L, Conn C, Eckstrand S, Mesbah H, Chakraborty L, Welch RD. PMID: 39320278.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    19. Exploration of Electronic Health Record Patterns of Emergency Physicians-Charting the Digital Burden. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 08 01; 7(8):e2429749. Rotenstein LS, Molina M. PMID: 39136950; PMCID: PMC12232996.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    20. Demystifying Hispanic Versus Latino/a Versus Latinx: Which Do Emergency Department Patients Prefer? Ann Emerg Med. 2024 Oct; 84(4):464-467. Molina MF, Chary AN, Reyes K, Ford JS, Chinnock B, Rodriguez RM. PMID: 39023457.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    21. The Rise of the Term "Latinx" in Medical Research. J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Sep; 39(12):2362-2363. Ford JS, Rodriguez RM, Molina MF. PMID: 38831245; PMCID: PMC11347525.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    22. A multi-site assessment of emergency staff knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding care for incarcerated patients. Am J Emerg Med. 2024 08; 82:211-213. Suh M, Molina MF, Chary AN, Farrell CM, Mycyk MB, Eswaran V. PMID: 38849223.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    23. Promotion of Influenza Vaccination in the Emergency Department. NEJM Evid. 2024 Apr; 3(4):EVIDoa2300197. Rodriguez RM, Eucker SA, Rafique Z, Nichol G, Molina MF, Kean E, O'Laughlin KN, Bezek SK, Goicochea K, Ford JS, Morse D, White J, Arreguin MI, Shughart L, Chavez CL, Glidden DV, Rising KL. PMID: 38776635.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    24. Racial Disparities in Emergency Department Physical Restraint Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2023 11 01; 183(11):1229-1237. Eswaran V, Molina MF, Hwong AR, Dillon DG, Alvarez L, Allen IE, Wang RC. PMID: 37747721; PMCID: PMC10520842.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 9     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    25. Assessing Implementation of Social Screening Within US Health Care Settings: A Systematic Scoping Review. J Am Board Fam Med. 2023 08 09; 36(4):626-649. Marchis EH, Aceves BA, Brown EM, Loomba V, Molina MF, Gottlieb LM. PMID: 37468216.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 14     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    26. COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Hesitancy in the Emergency Department. Ann Emerg Med. 2023 10; 82(4):509-516. Molina MF, Nichol G, Eucker SA, Addo N, Rising K, Arreguin M, Morse D, Pauley A, Chavez CL, O'Laughlin KN, Duber H, Rodriguez RM. PMID: 37178104; PMCID: PMC10181915.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    27. Patient and Patient Caregiver Perspectives on Social Screening: A Review of the Literature. J Am Board Fam Med. 2023 02 08; 36(1):66-78. Brown EM, Loomba V, De Marchis E, Aceves B, Molina M, Gottlieb LM. PMID: 36759136.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 15     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    28. Contingency management to promote smoking cessation in people experiencing homelessness: Leveraging the electronic health record in a pilot, pragmatic randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2022; 17(12):e0278870. Molina MF, Hall SM, Stitzer M, Kushel M, Chakravarty D, Vijayaraghavan M. PMID: 36525405; PMCID: PMC9757562.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    29. 2021 SAEM Consensus Conference Proceedings: Research Priorities for Developing Emergency Department Screening Tools for Social Risks and Needs. West J Emerg Med. 2022 Oct 10; 23(6):817-822. Furbacher J, Fockele C, Buono BD, Janneck L, March C, Molina M, Duber HC, Doran KM, Lin MP, Cooper RJ, Modi P. PMID: 36409957; PMCID: PMC9683763.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    30. Social Risk Factor Documentation in Emergency Departments. Ann Emerg Med. 2023 01; 81(1):38-46. Molina MF, Pantell MS, Gottlieb LM. PMID: 36210245.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    31. Analysis of Emergency Department Encounters Among High Users of Health Care and Social Service Systems Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 10 03; 5(10):e2239076. Molina M, Evans J, Montoy JC, Cawley C, Graham-Squire D, Perez K, Raven M, Kanzaria HK. PMID: 36306131; PMCID: PMC9617170.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 9     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    32. New-Onset Pediatric Diabetes Complicated By Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Invasive Rhinocerebral Mucormycosis With Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion. J Emerg Med. 2022 01; 62(1):95-100. Mahan KM, Molina MF, Coffey ECC, Manchanda ECC. PMID: 34509337.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    33. Applying crisis standards of care to critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: Does race/ethnicity affect triage scoring? J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2021 Aug; 2(4):e12502. Molina MF, Cash RE, Carreras-Tartak J, Ciccolo G, Petersen J, Mecklai K, Rodriguez G, Castilla-Ojo N, Boms O, Velasquez D, Macias-Konstantopoulos W, Camargo CA, Samuels-Kalow M. PMID: 34278377; PMCID: PMC8275820.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3  
    34. Ann Emerg Med. 2021 03; 77(3):382-383. Burnett-Bowie SM, Molina MF, Chary AN, Landry AI. PMID: 33618816.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    35. Racial Equity in Crisis Standards of Care-Reassuring Data or Reason for Concern? JAMA Netw Open. 2021 03 01; 4(3):e214527. Cleveland Manchanda EC, Molina MF, Rodriguez RM. PMID: 33739428.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:HumansCellsPHPublic Health
    36. Addressing Racism in Medicine Through a Resident-Led Health Equity Retreat. West J Emerg Med. 2020 Nov 20; 22(1):41-44. Chary AN, Molina MF, Dadabhoy FZ, Manchanda EC. PMID: 33439802; PMCID: PMC7806337.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 14     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    37. Prevalence of Emergency Department Social Risk and Social Needs. West J Emerg Med. 2020 Oct 06; 21(6):152-161. Molina MF, Li CN, Manchanda EC, White B, Faridi MK, Espinola JA, Ashworth H, Ciccolo G, Camargo CA, Samuels-Kalow M. PMID: 33207161; PMCID: PMC7673900.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 25     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    38. Leadership & Professional Development: Breaking the Silence as a Bystander. J Hosp Med. 2020 10; 15(10):598. Molina MF, Burnett-Bowie SM. PMID: 33016863.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    39. An Ominous Rash. J Emerg Med. 2020 Sep; 59(3):435-438. Molina MF, Szyld D, Wilcox SR, Wittels KA. PMID: 32800638.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    40. Patient and Community Organization Perspectives on Accessing Social Resources from the Emergency Department: A Qualitative Study. West J Emerg Med. 2020 Jun 24; 21(4):964-973. Samuels-Kalow ME, Molina MF, Ciccolo GE, Curt A, Cleveland Manchanda EC, de Paz NC, Camargo CA. PMID: 32726271; PMCID: PMC7390556.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 9     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    41. To-go medications as a means to treat discharged emergency department patients during COVID-19. Am J Emerg Med. 2021 Mar; 41:239-240. Molina MF, Chary AN, Baugh JJ, Ludy S, Ginart P, Dadabhoy FZ, Samuels-Kalow ME, Slutzman JE, Raja AS, Hayes BD. PMID: 32505470; PMCID: PMC7836693.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    42. Addressing the Elephant in the Room: Microaggressions in Medicine. Ann Emerg Med. 2020 10; 76(4):387-391. Molina MF, Landry AI, Chary AN, Burnett-Bowie SM. PMID: 32456801.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 24     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    43. Nitrous oxide inhalant abuse and massive pulmonary embolism in COVID-19. Am J Emerg Med. 2020 07; 38(7):1549.e1-1549.e2. Molina MF, Al Saud AA, Al Mulhim AA, Liteplo AS, Shokoohi H. PMID: 32425320; PMCID: PMC7229475.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 9     Fields:    Translation:HumansCellsPHPublic Health
    44. Diagnostic considerations in detecting apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy while utilizing point-of-care ultrasound. Am J Emerg Med. 2019 08; 37(8):1596-1598. Molina MF, Liteplo AS, Huang C, Shokoohi H. PMID: 30765278.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    45. The Patient Perspective: Receiving Care in the Post-ACA Era. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice. 2017; 10(1):238-249. Molina M, Briggs-Malonson M. View Publication.
    46. Decreased expression of ATP6V1H in type 2 diabetes: a pilot report on the diabetes risk study in Mexican Americans. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2011 Sep 09; 412(4):728-31. Molina MF, Qu HQ, Rentfro AR, Nair S, Lu Y, Hanis CL, McCormick JB, Fisher-Hoch SP. PMID: 21871445; PMCID: PMC3176628.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 9     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
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