Jeffrey Kohlwes

Jeffrey Kohlwes, MD, MPH is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. He serves as the Division Chief of General Internal Medicine at the VA Medical Center and is the Co-Director of the PRIME Residency program. Dr. Kohlwes has built a distinguished career at the intersection of clinical medicine, medical education, and research training, with particular expertise in clinical reasoning and graduate medical education.

Dr. Kohlwes received his B.S. in Physiology from the University of California, Davis in 1984, followed by his MD from Dartmouth Medical School in 1990. He completed his Internal Medicine residency and served as Chief Resident at UCSF, then pursued the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Washington, earning an MPH in Public Health in 1998. His educational background reflects a strong foundation in both clinical medicine and public health that has informed his career trajectory.

Dr. Kohlwes' research interests focus on graduate medical education, clinical reasoning, professional career development, clinical research training, and professional mentoring. His work has significantly impacted how medical residents develop clinical reasoning skills, with his Exercises in Clinical Reasoning series becoming a national teaching tool. He has published extensively on the PRIME program, which provides immersive clinical research experiences for internal medicine residents, demonstrating that two-thirds of PRIME residents publish their research with over 300 first-author publications in the last 12 years.

His publication record shows consistent contributions to medical education and internal medicine, with a notable increase in output since 2010. His recent work has expanded into areas including telemedicine, artificial intelligence in clinical reasoning, and healthcare access for vulnerable populations. The publications reflect his dual commitment to advancing medical education methodologies while addressing practical clinical challenges in internal medicine practice.

• Dartmouth Medical School 1990 Honors Graduate
• Dartmouth Medical School 1990 Melba Jarrett Service Award
• UCSF Residency 1992 Keith Johnson R2 Award
• UCSF 1993 Resident Teaching Award
• UCSF 2004 Floyd Rector Departmental Teaching Award
• UCSF 2010 Calvin Chou PRIME Teaching Award
• UCSF 2013 Graduate Medical Education Achievement Award
• UCSF 2017-2018 Academic Senate Distinction in Teaching Award
• California-Hawaii Region, SGIM 2020-2021 Leadership in GIM Award
• Veterans Affairs Healthcare System 2021 Federal Employee of the Year Awardee
• UCSF 2023-2024 Master Clinician Society Inductee

As Director of the PRIME program, Dr. Kohlwes has mentored hundreds of internal medicine residents, with two-thirds publishing their research projects. His work with the Exercises in Clinical Reasoning series has created a national teaching resource that promotes evidence-based clinical decision making. He has also served as Associate Editor for Clinical Material for the Journal of General Internal Medicine, further extending his influence on medical education nationally. The PRIME program under his leadership has grown to become the largest residency track at UCSF, incorporating the majority of UCSF categorical residents each year.

Dr. Kohlwes maintains strong connections between clinical practice and education at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, where he serves as Division Chief of General Internal Medicine. His work bridges academic medicine with practical clinical applications, particularly through his annual Updates in General Internal Medicine for UCSF conferences and medical grand rounds, which he has delivered consistently since 2004.