Three new faculty members joined the UCSF Dept of Family and Community Medicine (FCM) thus far in 2022, adding further breadth to its collective expertise in providing and improving continuous, whole-person primary care in pursuit of health equity and social justice.
The new joiners (in order of most recent arrival) are:
Steven Nguyen, MD - Assistant Professor, UCSF Health Family Medicine Center at Lakeshore and UCSF Health Gender Affirming Health Program
April J. Bell, PhD, MPH - Assistant Professor in Residence
Sondos Al Sad, MD, MPH, NCMP - Associate Professor, UCSF Health Women's Health Primary Care
Most recently, this August, Steven Nguyen, MD (they/them), joined FCM as an Assistant Professor and will be providing care at UCSF Health Family Medicine Center at Lakeshore and UCSF Health Gender Affirming Health Program. They have particular interests in trauma-informed care, gender-affirming care, health equity, racial justice and reproductive health. They aim to forge partnerships with patients, creating a space where individuals and families feel empowered and heard. Dr. Nguyen earned their medical degree at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. They completed a residency in family medicine at the University of New Mexico, serving as chief resident in their final year. Before joining UCSF, they worked at a federally-qualified health center in Western North Carolina.
In July, FCM welcomed April J. Bell, PhD, MPH, (she/her) who joined as an Assistant Professor in Residence. Dr. Bell was most recently a Postdoctoral Scholar at the UCSF Preterm Birth Initiative. Her research centers Black women and girls and is focused on decreasing reproductive health inequities by addressing the impacts of societal and structural biases on sexual and reproductive health outcomes. She uses intersectional, mixed methods, including digital storytelling, and community-based participatory research approaches in her work. Dr. Bell obtained her PhD in Epidemiology from the Indiana University School of Public Health at Bloomington, her MPH with a dual concentration in Epidemiology and Social & Behavioral Sciences from the Indiana University School of Medicine, and her BA in Human Biology from Stanford University. She has conducted research and evaluated programs in domestic and international settings including 10 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 5 years at AMPATH; and 18 months in Ghana as a Fogarty Research Fellow under the auspices of the University of Michigan. Since 2016, she has focused her work primarily in the United States.
Earlier this year, Dr. Sondos Al Sad (she/her) joined FCM as an Associate Professor based at UCSF Health Women's Health Primary Care. In addition to women's health, Dr. Al Sad has special interests in cognitive behavioral therapy; public health; community medicine; and health equity. As a certified menopause practitioner, she provides up-to-date care for patients transitioning to menopause. Dr. Al Sad believes in patient-centered research, so she actively listens to her patients’ concerns and passionately seeks answers for them. Her current research interests include women's health, soft tissue disorders, holistic care, patient-centered outcomes, and cost-effective interventions. She has presented her research findings nationally at academic and community conferences. Dr. Al Sad earned her medical degree from Jordan University of Science and Technology. She earned her master of public health degree and completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of Kentucky. Prior to UCSF, Dr. Al Sad worked at the Ohio State University's Wexler Medical Center.
We are thrilled to welcome Steven, April, and Sondos to the FCM family. More new faculty members will be joining FCM in the coming months. Watch this space!
