I am a practicing general internist and investigator in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. My overall research program aims to reduce health disparities and promote health equity among multiethnic and linguistically diverse older adults by developing and evaluating innovative, patient-centered interventions. I serve as the Co-Director of the Multiethnic Health Equity Research Center and Research Director of the Asian American Research Center on Health. In addition to research, I also engage in clinical teaching and research mentoring of residents and students. I served as the Associate Director for the Pathway to Discovery in Health & Society.

My current research focuses on:
a) the influence of contextual factors (e.g. race/ethnicity, language, culture, health behaviors, patient preferences and goals) on chronic disease self-management, particularly among patients with multiple chronic conditions;
b) patient-provider communication about contextual factors with particular interest in unmet health-related social needs (e.g. food insecurity);
c) use of photos as a tool to communicate about contextual factors important in chronic disease self-management. This work is based on the premise that photos can promote efficient information exchange and activate patients to communicate their complex lived experiences, including their goals and preferences that may otherwise be difficult to elicit or challenging to discuss in current clinical practice.