Helen Kao is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics. Helen joined the faculty in July 2007 after completing both her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Geriatrics at UCSF. Prior to her medical training, she worked in public health for three years at the Harvard AIDS Institute on projects promoting HIV prevention and treatment for underserved communities. She remains dedicated to working with underserved communities in both her clinical practice and her academic teaching and scholarship. Through a unique agreement between UCSF and Lifelong Medical Care, a community health organization, Helen provides primary care, house calls, and inpatient hospital care through the Over 60 Health Center in Berkeley. She remains actively involved in the UCSF Homeless Clinic and serves as an Ambassador for the National Health Service Corps. Helen has been recognized with awards of distinction not only for her clinical care but also for her teaching. She is supported in part by a Geriatric Academic Career Award.

Helen's clinical work is based at the Over 60 Health Center, a geriatric low-income community health center in Berkeley. Her clinical work is grounded in providing primary care and house calls to seniors. Helen also provides inpatient hospital care on the Over 60 Service at Alta Bates Medical Center. The Over 60 Health Center is one of the few primary care practices which continues to cover their own patients in the acute hospital setting to ensure continuity of care. Additionally, with her interests in palliative care, Helen co-founded the Over 60 Bridge Service to provide greater interdisciplinary care for frail seniors with advanced chronic or terminal illness.

Helen teaches geriatric medicine to learners of all levels and disciplines - both in formal settings and direct preceptorship at the Over 60 Health Center. In her precepting, she teaches communication skills, patient-centered care, how to work with teams, and how to utilize community resources based on a patient's circumstances. To improve geriatric care in the community, Helen also regularly teaches providers in community practices.

Helen's scholarship is focused on geriatric and palliative care curriculum development and evaluation.

Select Publications/Presentations

1. Marlink R, Kao H, Hsieh E,. Clinical care issues for women living with HIV and AIDS in the United States. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses, 2001;17(1):1-33.


2. Berven S, Kao H, Deviren V, Hu S, Bradford D. Treatment of thoracic pseudarthrosis in the adult: is combined surgery necessary? Clin Orthop Relat Res, 2003;(411):25-31.