Welcoming Four New Faculty to the Division of Geriatrics!

Dr. Anuj Raj Kadel joins the UCSF Division of Geriatrics as an Assistant Professor on September 1, 2026.

Dr. Kadel completed his medical degree from Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital and completed his Internal Medicine Residency and Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He enjoys interdisciplinary Geriatric care and caring for older adults with dementia. He will join our clinician educator faculty as an attending physician working on the UCSF Parnassus Hospital Inpatient Geriatrics Services and our new UCSF Stanyan Hospital Inpatient Geriatrics Services. As Associate Medical Director for Stanyan Hospital Inpatient Geriatrics Services, he will work closely with Dr. Kathryn Eubank, Medical Director for Stanyan Hospital Inpatient Geriatrics Services, and an interdisciplinary team to develop and expand inpatient Geriatrics clinical operations there.

Dr. Kadel is passionate about improving the care of older adults and enhancing Geriatrics education. During his Geriatrics fellowship, he led quality improvement initiatives to improve Geriatrics consultation workflows and memory care services, and he also contributed to the development of educational curricula for trainees. He is excited about diving into projects to improve systems-based care and teaching trainees about Geriatrics. 

Dr. Brittany M. Barba joins the UCSF Division of Geriatrics as an Assistant Professor on September 1, 2026.

Dr. Barba completed her MD from Ross University School of Medicine and her Master of Public Health in Community Health Sciences from UCLA. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Eisenhower Health and completed her Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at UCSF in June. She enjoys interdisciplinary Geriatric care and medical education. She will join our clinician educator faculty as an attending physician working on the UCSF Parnassus Hospital Inpatient Geriatrics Services and the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living (SFCJL) Short-Stay Rehabilitation Unit. She will also work closely with Dr. Michi Yukawa as the Course Director for the Third- and Fourth-Year Medical Student Geriatrics Elective to encourage interest in Geriatrics among UCSF medical students. This is a two-week elective offered throughout the year to increase the number of students learning about Geriatrics.

Dr. Barba is passionate about providing comprehensive care for frail and underserved older adults and supporting their caregivers. Before medical school, she worked with the UCLA Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program, supporting programs to strengthen the Geriatrics workforce. During her Geriatric Medicine fellowship, she has led quality improvement initiatives focused on age-friendly care and taught trainees about dementia. She also taught the Division about how to improve care for older adults with sensory impairments. 

Dr. Marielle Bolaño joins the UCSF Division of Geriatrics as an Assistant Professor Step 3 on September 1, 2026.

Dr. Bolaño completed her MD from UC Davis School of Medicine, completed her Internal Medicine Residency and served as Primary Care Chief Resident at UCLA and completed a combined Geriatrics and Palliative Care Fellowship at UCLA. She was an Assistant Professor in the UC San Diego Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care and worked at the UCSD Geriatrics Clinic, Palliative Care Clinic and Geriatrics Inpatient Service before she moved to San Francisco this summer. She enjoys Geriatric Palliative Care and enhancing medical education in this area. She will join our clinician educator faculty as an attending physician working in the UCSF Care at Home Program and UCSF Symptom Management Service. She will also work closely with Dr. Stephanie Cordonnier to teach St. Mary’s Internal Medicine residents about Geriatric Palliative Care and precept the residents in the Sister Mary Philippa Health Clinic.

Dr. Bolaño is passionate about improving Geriatric Palliative Care for vulnerable older adults. Before medical school, she was a Research Associate in our Division, working in Brie Williams’ lab investigating the health and social challenges of incarcerated and homeless older adults. She has led several quality improvement projects since then, including fall prevention in transitional housing and optimizing medication management for homeless older adults. She also has developed outpatient curricula for UCLA Internal Medicine Residents as well as for UCSD Geriatrics and Palliative Care Fellows.

Dr. Thiago Junqueira Avelino da Silva joins the UCSF Division of Geriatrics as an Associate Professor on September 1, 2026.

‌Dr. Avelino Silva received his MD from the University of São Paulo, where he also completed residency training in Internal Medicine, a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine, and a PhD in Medical Sciences. He served as faculty and co-directed the Geriatric In-Patient Unit at Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, the public teaching hospital of Latin America’s top-ranked university. Outside the university, he also worked as a staff physician in several prominent Brazilian hospitals. He also completed a Visiting Scholar appointment in Aging Research and an Atlantic Fellowship for Brain Health at UCSF and completed his UCSF T32 Aging Research Fellowship with us this summer. He has led practice-changing research and developed innovative education programs focused on reducing the hazards of hospitalization for older adults (e.g., delirium, falls, deconditioning). He will join our clinician investigator faculty as an attending on UCSF Parnassus Hospital Inpatient Geriatrics Services. He will also continue to teach and conduct research to improve hospital care for older adults as a UCSF Pepper Center REC Scholar and UCSF Center for Aging in Diverse Communities Pilot Awardee. 

Dr. Avelino Silva is passionate about improving the hospital experience for older adults, particularly through enhancing their safety and functional outcomes. He views clinical care as not only providing direct treatment but as an opportunity to innovate, collaborate and mentor the next generation of health professionals. He hopes to enhance age-friendly hospital environments that prioritize patient dignity and well-being.