Triveni Defries

Triveni Defries, MD, MPH is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She practices primary care and addiction medicine at San Francisco General Hospital and directs the UCSF Health & Human Rights Initiative in the Institute of Global Health Sciences. She co-leads the national Asylum Medicine Training Initiative, focusing on global health priorities and vulnerable populations.

Education:

• MD, UCSF School of Medicine
• Residency in Internal Medicine, UCSF
• Addiction Medicine Fellowship, UCSF
• MPH, Columbia University

Her research interests span asylum medicine, telehealth equity, substance use disorders, and health disparities affecting immigrant populations. Key initiatives include developing global asylum medicine curricula and trauma-informed care models for asylum seekers. She investigates barriers to alcohol use disorder treatment among marginalized groups and evaluates telemedicine adaptations during public health crises. Her work bridges clinical practice with advocacy, emphasizing human rights in healthcare delivery.

Recent publications address virtual asylum training programs, alcohol use interventions for Latinx populations, and telehealth innovations in safety-net systems. Her studies highlight the intersection of immigration status and health risks, advocating for policies that address structural inequities in healthcare access.

Defries collaborates with multidisciplinary teams across UCSF's global health and internal medicine programs. She contributes to educational initiatives training clinicians to address complex social determinants of health, particularly for vulnerable patients facing systemic barriers.