Louise Aronson, MD, MFA

Professor of Medicine, Founder, Integrative Aging practice, Director, AGE SELF CARE program, Director, UCSF Health Humanities

Louise Aronson MD, MFA is Professor of Geriatrics at UCSF where her interests include optimizing healthcare for older adults, medical education, reflective learning, integrative geriatrics, and public medical writing. A graduate of Brown University, Harvard Medical School and the Warren Wilson Program for Writers, Dr. Aronson has served as director of the Northern California Geriatrics Education Center, UCSF's Pathways to Discovery (scholarly concentration) program, and UCSF Medical Humanities. She has received the Gold Professorship in Humanism in Medicine, the California Homecare Physician of the Year award, the AOA Edward D. Harris Professionalism Award, and the American Geriatrics Society Clinician-Teacher of the Year award, as well as numerous awards for her teaching, educational research and writing. Her articles, essays and stories appear regularly in newspapers, literary and medical journals including the New York Times, Washington Post, New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs, and Lancet. As an educator, she has developed innovative programs for geriatrics training for non-geriatricians, interprofessional education, reflection in medical education, and use of writing to harness the expertise and unique experiences of clinicians and medical scientists in service of health and health care.
Education
Residency, - School of Medicine - Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Honors and Awards
  • Fellowship Award, MacDowell Colony, 2017
  • Jordan J Cohen lecture, Association of American Medical Colleges, 2016
  • National Honor Medical Society, Alpha Omega Alpha, 2014
  • Outstanding Mid-Career Clinical Teacher, American Geriatrics Society, 2014
  • Gold Professorship for Humanism in Medicine, Arnold P. Gold Foundation, 2013
  • Lieberman Scholar Award, UCSF Division of Geriatrics, 2012-2014
  • Edward D. Harris Professionalism Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, 2010-2011
  • Writer's Award, Hedgebrook Foundation, 2010-2011
  • Cooke Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, UCSF Academy of Medical Educators, 2010-2011
  • Writer's Award, Ragdale Foundation, 2009-2010
  • Membership, UCSF Academy of Medical Educators, 2009-2010
  • Teaching Award, UCSF Academy of Medical Educators, 2009-2010
  • Mentor Award, UCSF Pathways to Discovery, 2009-2010
  • Poster Award, Western Group on Educational Affairs, 2009-2010
  • Medical Education Research Fellowship, UCSF, 2008-2010
  • Geriatric Academic Career Award, Bureau of Health Professions, 2007-2010
  • Story Prize, Sonora Review, 2007-2008
  • Teaching Scholar, UCSF, 2007-2008
  • Short Fiction Award, New Millennium Writings, 2006-2007
  • Writer's Award, UCross Foundation, 2006-2007
  • Geriatrics Faculty Scholar, Northern California Geriatrics Education Center, 2005-2006
  • Physician of the Year Award, California Association for Health Services at Home, 1997-1998
Websites
  • Homepage
Publications