Brian Block

Brian Block, MD is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, affiliated with the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. He serves as Associate Director of the Medical ICU and Critical Care Ultrasound Program, while also leading as Assistant Director of Critical Care Medicine for the Pulmonary Fellowship.

• Education:
  • BA in Biology, Oberlin College (2006)
  • MD, Harvard Medical School (2012)
  • Residency & Chief Residency in Internal Medicine, Columbia University (2015-2016)
  • Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care, UCSF (2019)

Research Interests: Dr. Block focuses on medical ethics, communication in critical illness, decision-making in ICU, and AI ethics in healthcare. His work includes studying advance care planning, critical care education, and improving patient-clinician interactions. Publications span Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, and Geriatrics, with a particular emphasis on AI applications in end-of-life care and multidisciplinary approaches to post-COVID-19 treatment.

Scientific Awards:

• 2019 Jeffrey Golden Outstanding Clinical Fellow Award
• 2019 Innovations in Graduate Medical Education Award
• 2016 Herbert S. Waxman Scholarship for Chief Medical Residents
• Multiple teaching awards from Columbia, Harvard, and UCSF
• Phi Beta Kappa member and Jason Chicoine Memorial Prize recipient at Oberlin

Grants: Principal Investigator for a UCSF Innovations in Education grant (2018-2019) to study co-location of medical fellows and residents in enhancing hospital communication.

Clinical Practice: Provides care at the UCSF General Pulmonary Clinic and in ICU settings, with expertise in critical care ultrasound and pulmonary function testing. Specializes in support for patients facing complex medical decisions and outpatient advance care planning.