What’s it like – as a clinician, researcher, student, or hospital staffer – to confront a lethal disease unlike any you’ve seen before? In this special series, professionals across UCSF share first-person accounts of COVID-19 that reveal grit, ingenuity, and resolve in the face of fear.

Portrait of Annie Luetkemeyer.

Frontliners

The Clinical Trial Leader

Annie Luetkemeyer, MD, tests promising therapies for COVID-19 – and soon, a vaccine.
Portrait of Sajan Patel wearing a face mask in the hospital.

Frontliners

The Hospitalist

Sajan Patel, MD, remembers anxieties and revelations while caring for the Bay Area’s first coronavirus patients.
Portrait of Alicia Catanese in nurse’s scrubs.

Frontliners

The Navajo Nation Volunteer

Surgical charge nurse Alicia Catanese, RN, volunteered to help the Navajo Nation cope with its COVID surge.
Portrait of Abie Stillman in his custodial uniform.

Frontliners

The Custodian

Abie Stillman shares his reflections on essential work and what he would like from the public instead of another thank-you.
Portrait of Faranak Fattahi in the lab with a face mask on.

Frontliners

The Stem Cell Biologist

Why are more men than women dying from COVID-19? Scientist Faranak Fattahi, PhD, has found a clue.
Portrait of Joseph Kidane.

Frontliners

The Medical Student

With campuses closed, Joseph Kidane serves with hundreds of his fellow medical students in a volunteer crisis workforce.
Portrait of Kelly Timothy.

Frontliners

The ICU Nurse

Kelly Timothy, RN, cares for some of the Bay Area’s sickest patients – and their families.
Portrait of Maria Raven in the ER, with surgical mask and eye goggles on.

Frontliners

The Emergency Medicine Chief

Maria Raven, MD, takes charge of the hospital’s first line of defense.
Portrait of Kenny Banh in an N95 mask and goggles, inside a tent.

Frontliners

The Fresno ER Doc

Kenny Banh, MD, fights both COVID-19 and inequity in the San Joaquin Valley.
Portrait of Katie Craft with a face mask and protective eyewear on her head.

Frontliners

The Child Life Specialist

Katie Craft helps young patients grapple with new fears.
Portrait of Alex Smith, with his computer in the background.

Frontliners

The Palliative Care Expert

Alex Smith, MD, guides the families of COVID patients through the hardest decisions of their lives.
Portrait of Monique Posey with her headset on and computer in the background.

Frontliners

The Call Navigator

Monique Posey fields questions about the pandemic. She shares her story – and some of her strategies for coping with stress.
Portrait of Katherine Yang with the pharmacy in the background.

Frontliners

The Pharmacist

Katherine Yang, PharmD, raced to get a new, lifesaving drug approved for emergency treatment.
Portrait of Max Rausch in scrubs and a face mask at the hospital.

Frontliners

The Respiratory Therapist

A skilled ventilator operator, respiratory therapist Max Rausch helps keep the sickest patients breathing.
Portrait of Emily Silverman.

Frontliners

The Physician-Storyteller

Between shifts at San Francisco’s public hospital, Emily Silverman, MD, collects audio diaries from health workers.
Cover of UCSF Magazine: Summer 2020. Illustration of health care worker in PPE covering head and face, with only the eyes seen through goggles; a coronavirus symbol is in the middle of the head covering; a labyrinth surrounds the person with coronavirus symbols.

UCSF Magazine

Special Issue: Combating Coronavirus

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