Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Geriatrics
Director, UCSF-Mt. Zion Center on Aging
Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics & Extended Care (SFVAMC)

Contact Information

Office Address:
UCSF
3333 California Street, Suite 380
UCSF Box 1265
San Francisco, CA 94143-1265

SFVAMC
4150 Clement Street  
UCSF Box VA-181G
San Francisco, CA 94121

Phone: 415-476-0605
Fax: 415-514-0702
Email: sethl@medicine.ucsf.edu

Click here to download Curriculum Vitae (pdf)

Areas of Specialization & Scholarly Interest

Improving functional outcomes of hospitalized older persons

Pharmacotherapy in older persons

Financial conflicts of interest

Faculty development

The effectiveness and efficiency of health care

Selected Publications/Presentations

Improving Health Care

1. Landefeld CS, Chren MM, Myers A, Geller R, Robbins S, Goldman L. Diagnostic yield of the autopsy in a university hospital and a community hospital. N Engl J Med 1988; 318:1249-1254.

2. Landefeld CS, Goldman L. Major bleeding in outpatients treated with warfarin: Incidence and prediction by factors known at the start of outpatient therapy. Am J Med 1989; 87:144-152.

3. Landefeld CS, McGuire E, Rosenblatt MW. A bleeding risk index for estimating the probability of major bleeding in hospitalized patients starting anticoagulant therapy. Am J Med 1990; 89:569-78.

4. Landefeld CS, Anderson PA: Guideline-based consultation to prevent anticoagulant-related bleeding: A randomized, controlled trial in a teaching hospital. Ann Intern Med 1992; 116:829-37.

5. Rosenthal GE, Halloran EJ, Kiley M, Pinkley C, Landefeld CS. Development and validation of the Nursing Severity Index: A new method for measuring severity of illness using nursing diagnosis. Med Care 1992; 30:1127-1141.

6. Landefeld CS, Palmer RM, Kresevic D, Fortinsky RH, Kowal J. A randomized trial of care in a hospital medical unit especially designed to improve the functional outcomes of acutely ill older patients. N Engl J Med 1995; 332:1338-1344.

7. Covinsky KE, Landefeld CS. Using the biopsychosocial model in practice: Improving the care of patients with late-life depression (editorial). J Gen Intern Med 1996; 11:249-250.

8. Covinsky KE, Fortinsky RH, Palmer RM, Kresevic DM, Landefeld CS. The relationship of depressive symptoms to health status outcomes in acutely ill hospitalized elders. Ann Intern Med 1997; 126:417-425.

9. Landefeld CS, Chren MM, Preventing disability in older people with chronic disease: what is a doctor to do? J Am Geriatr Soc 1998;46:1314-6.

10. Beyth RJ, Quinn LM, Landefeld CS. Prospective evaluation of an index for predicting the risk of major bleeding in outpatients treated with warfarin. Am J Med 1998;105:91-9.

11. Covinsky KE, Kahana E, Chin MH, Palmer RM, Fortinsky RH, Landefeld CS. Depressive symptoms and 3-year mortality in older hospitalized medical patients. Ann Intern Med 1999;130:563-9.

12. Fortinsky RH, Covinsky KE, Palmer RM, Landefeld CS. Effects of functional status changes before and during hospitalization on nursing home admission of older adults. J Gerontology 1999; 54: M521-6.

13. Beyth RJ, Quinn L, Landefeld CS. A multicomponent intervention to prevent major bleeding complications in older patients receiving warfarin. A randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2000; 133: 687-95.

14. Counsell SR, Holder CM, Liebenauer LL, Palmer RM, Fortinsky RH, Kresevic DM, Quinn LM, Allen KR, Covinsky KE, Landefeld CS. Effects of a multicomponent intervention on functional outcomes and process of care in hospitalized older patients: a randomized controlled trial of Acute Care for Elders (ACE) in a community hospital. J Am Geriatr Soc 2000; 48:1572-81.

15. Walter LC, Brand RJ, Counsell SR, Palmer RM, Landefeld CS, Fortinsky RH, Covinsky KE. Development and validation of a prognostic index for 1-year mortality in older adults after hospitalization. JAMA 2001; 285: 2987-94.

16. Sands LP, Yaffe K, Covinsky K, Chren MM, Counsell S, Palmer RM, Fortinsky RH, Landefeld CS. Cognitive screening identifies trajectories of functional recovery from admission to three months after discharge in hospitalized elders. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2003;58: 37-45.

17. Covinsky KE, Palmer RM, Fortinsky RH, Counsell SR, Stewart AL, Kresevic D, Burant CJ, Landefeld CS. Loss of independence in activities of daily living in older adults hospitalized with medical illnesses: Increased vulnerability with age. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003; 51: 451-8.

18. Landefeld CS. Improving health care for older persons. Ann Intern Med 2003; 139:421-4.

19. Steinman MA, Gonzales R, Linder JA, Landefeld CS. Changing use of antibiotics in community-based outpatient practice: 1991-1999. Ann Intern Med 2003; 138: 525-33.

20. Pierluissi E, Fischer MA, Campbell AR, Landefeld CS. Discussion of medical errors in Morbidity and Mortality Conference. JAMA 2003; 290: 2838-42.

21. Li AK, Covinsky KE, Sands LP, Fortinsky RH, Counsell SR, Landefeld CS. Reports of financial disability predict functional decline and death in older patients discharged from the hospital. J Gen Intern Med 2005;20:168-74.

22. Sands LP, Landefeld CS, Moody-Ayers S, Yaffe K, Palmer R, Fortinsky R, Counsell S, Covinsky KE. Disparities between black and white patients in functional improvement after hospitalization for an acute illness. J Am Geriatr Soc 2005; 53: 53:1811-6.

23. Steinman MA, Landefeld CS, Rosenthal GE, Berthenthal D, Sen S, Kaboli PJ. Polypharmacy and prescribing quality in elders. J Am Geriatr Soc 2006; 54:1516-23.

24. Lindner SA, Davoren JB, Vollmer A, Williams B, Landefeld CS. An electronic medical record intervention increased nursing home advance directive orders and documentation. J Am Geriatr Soc 2007; 55: in press.

Informing Health Policy

25. Chren MM, Landefeld CS, Murray TH. Doctors, drug companies, and gifts. JAMA 1989; 262:3448-3451.

26. Youngner SJ, Landefeld CS, Coulton CJ, Juknialis BW, Leary M. ‘Brain death’ and organ retrieval: A cross-sectional survey of knowledge and concepts among health professionals. JAMA 1989; 261:2205-2210.

27. Rosenthal GE, Landefeld CS. Do older Medicare patients cost hospitals more? Evidence from an academic medical center. Arch Intern Med 1993; 153:89-96.

28. Chren MM, Landefeld CS. Physicians’ behavior and their interactions with drug companies; A controlled study of physicians who requested additions to a hospital drug formulary. JAMA 1994; 271:684-689.

29. Chren MM, Landefeld CS. A cost analysis of topical drug regimens for dermatophyte infections. JAMA 1994; 272:1922-1925.

30. Landefeld CS, Chren MM. Drug companies and information about drugs: recommendations for doctors. J Gen Intern Med 1996; 642-4.

31. Covinsky KE, King, Jr. JT, Quinn L, Siddique R, Palmer R, Kresevic D, Fortinsky RH, Kowal J, Landefeld CS. Do Acute Care for Elders Units increase hospital costs?: A cost analysis using the hospital perspective. J Am Geriatr Soc 1997; 45:1-6.

32. Rosenthal GE, Chren MM, Lasek RJ, Landefeld CS. What patients should ask of “consumers’ guides” to health care quality. Eval Health Prof 1998; 21: 316-331.

33. Sobecks NW, Justice AC, Hinze S, Chirayath HT, Lasek RJ, Chren MM, Aucott J, Juknialis B, Fortinsky R, Youngner S, Landefeld CS. When doctors marry doctors: a survey exploring the professional and family lives of young physicians. Ann Intern Med 1999;130:312-9.

34. Chuang KH, Covinsky KE, Sands LP, Fortinsky RH, Palmer RM, Landefeld CS. Diagnosis related group adjusted hospital costs are higher in older medical patients with lower functional status. J Am Geriatr Soc 2003; 51: 1729-34.

35. Landefeld CS, Callahan CM, Woolard N. General internal medicine and geriatrics: Building a foundation for sustained improvement in the training of general internists in the care of older adults. Ann Intern Med 2003; 139: 609-14.

36. Landefeld CS. Commercial support and bias in pharmaceutical research: An independent National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research is needed. Am J Med 2004; 117:876-878.

37. Steinman MA, Bero LA, Chren MM, Landefeld CS. The promotion of gabapentin: An analysis of internal industry documents. Ann Intern Med 2006; 145: 284-93.