Jeff Kohlwes

Jeffrey Kohlwes, MD, MPH is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. He serves as Division Chief of General Internal Medicine at the VA Medical Center in San Francisco and Co-Director of the UCSF-PRIME Residency Program, which provides immersive clinical research training for internal medicine residents. He previously held roles including Chief Resident at UCSF and Medical Director of the Methadone and HIV Clinic at San Francisco General Hospital. Dr. Kohlwes completed the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Washington and has been recognized with numerous awards for teaching, clinical excellence, and leadership, including the Master Clinician Society Inductee (2023-2024) and Federal Employee of the Year (2021).

Education:

• B.S. in Physiology, University of California, Davis (1984)
• M.D., Dartmouth Medical School (1990)
• Residency and Chief Residency in General Internal Medicine, UCSF (1993-1994)
• RWJ Clinical Scholars Program, University of Washington (MPH in Public Health, 1998)

Research Interests: Dr. Kohlwes focuses on graduate medical education, clinical reasoning, residency program development, and evidence-based medicine. He pioneered the PRIME program, which has produced over 300 resident-authored publications. He also co-developed the Exercises in Clinical Reasoning series for the Journal of General Internal Medicine, now a national teaching tool.

Key Contributions: His work bridges clinical practice and education through initiatives like tele-primary care innovation and national clinical reasoning resources. He annually delivers Updates in General Internal Medicine at UCSF since 2004, emphasizing evolving clinical practices and evidence-based updates.

Awards:

• Master Clinician Society Inductee (UCSF, 2023-2024)
• Federal Employee of the Year (VA Healthcare System, 2021)
• Leadership in GIM Award (SGIM, 2020)
• Academic Senate Distinction in Teaching Award (UCSF, 2017-2018)
• Calvin Chou PRIME Teaching Award (UCSF, 2011)
• Honors Graduate (Dartmouth Medical School, 1990)

Advising & Leadership: As PRIME Director, he oversees a program enrolling most UCSF categorical residents, making it the largest residency track. He has mentored over 300 residents in research and collaborates on entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for residency assessment. His work on clinical reasoning and curriculum development influences national medical education standards.

Labs/Teams: Active in UCSF's General Internal Medicine Division and VA Medical Center teams, leading PRIME program operations and editorial work for JGIM. Collaborates with national networks on clinical reasoning education and residency training innovations.