Lekshmi Santhosh

Lekshmi Santhosh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine and Hospital Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She serves as the inaugural DOM Associate Chair for People Development and Mentorship and Associate Program Director for Internal Medicine Residency. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, she completed residency, chief residency, and fellowship at UCSF, complemented by a Master's in Education from UC Berkeley.

Her research focuses on

• Medical education
• Transitions of care between ICU and ward settings
• Equity in subspecialty career pathways
• Women in medical leadership
• Long COVID clinic development
• Clinical reasoning frameworks

Recent publications highlight ICU-to-ward handoff innovations, implementation science in post-COVID clinics, and strategies to address gender disparities in medical training. As a National Academy of Medicine Scholar in Diagnostic Excellence, she co-created the ICU-PAUSE tool to mitigate diagnostic errors during critical transitions. Her funded projects include grants from AHRQ, ABIM Foundation, and UCSF Academy of Medical Educators.

Awarded 17+ distinctions for teaching and mentorship, including the Gold-Headed Cane Endowed Education Chair, she has mentored over 200 medical students, residents, and fellows. Her OPTIMAL Clinic model for post-COVID care has been replicated nationally, and she leads initiatives to enhance cultural competence in healthcare systems.