Alicia Fernandez, M.D.
Member
Alicia Fernandez, M.D., is a professor of medicine and associate dean at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). A general internist for more than 25 years, she practices primary care and hospital medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, caring for adults of all ages in out-patient and in-patient settings.
Dr. Fernandez’s research interests are in patient-doctor communication, with a focus on the role of language, literacy, and cultural barriers in cardiometabolic disease care outcomes, patient experience, and patient-clinician trust. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Russell Sage Foundation, and The Greenwall Foundation. She is an editor of the Lange textbook, Medical Management of Vulnerable and Underserved Patients.
Dr. Fernandez’ national service includes current positions on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Board of Governors and the American Board of Internal Medicine Board of Directors, and past positions on NIH and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality study sections, as well as advisory or focused committees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Academy of Medicine, and other national health organizations. In 2024, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Dr. Fernandez earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her residency, chief residency, and fellowship at UCSF.
Dr. Fernandez was appointed to the Task Force due to her particular expertise in clinical prevention and primary care, especially around language and literacy barriers in healthcare, as well as her experience implementing evidence-based recommendations in practice. She joined the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in January 2025.
Dr. Fernandez’s research interests are in patient-doctor communication, with a focus on the role of language, literacy, and cultural barriers in cardiometabolic disease care outcomes, patient experience, and patient-clinician trust. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Russell Sage Foundation, and The Greenwall Foundation. She is an editor of the Lange textbook, Medical Management of Vulnerable and Underserved Patients.
Dr. Fernandez’ national service includes current positions on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Board of Governors and the American Board of Internal Medicine Board of Directors, and past positions on NIH and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality study sections, as well as advisory or focused committees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Academy of Medicine, and other national health organizations. In 2024, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Dr. Fernandez earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed her residency, chief residency, and fellowship at UCSF.
Dr. Fernandez was appointed to the Task Force due to her particular expertise in clinical prevention and primary care, especially around language and literacy barriers in healthcare, as well as her experience implementing evidence-based recommendations in practice. She joined the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in January 2025.