UCSF Department Of Medicine | Division of Geriatrics

Dr. Michael Steinman is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics.

Dr. Steinman received his medical school training at Harvard Medical School and completed a residency in primary care internal medicine at UCSF. He then joined the UCSF Division of Geriatrics for fellowships in the VA National Quality Scholars Program and the UCSF Clinical Geriatrics Fellowship. Dr. Steinman has been a member of the faculty at UCSF since 2004.

Dr. Steinman is a leader in identifying and improving the quality of medication prescribing in clinically complex older adults. He devotes most of his time to research and research training, while also maintaining an active clinical practice at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Dr. Steinman's research program focuses on improving how doctors prescribe medications for older adults, and is supported by grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institute on Aging, and the American Federation for Aging Research. Dr. Steinman also has an active research and educational program to improve understanding of how pharmaceutical industry marketing impacts physician attitudes and behavior. Dr. Steinman holds several leadership positions including Director of the UCSF Research Fellowship Program in Aging Research, UCSF Site Director for the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program, and Director for Comparative Effectiveness Research for UCSF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).

Dr. Steinman's clinical work is principally focused in two areas. He is a primary care physician in the geriatrics clinic at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, where he sees older patients 1/2 day per week. He also serves as an attending physician on the inpatient general medicine service and the Acute Care for Elders unit at the San Francisco VAMC.

Dr. Steinman's research focuses on evaluating and improving the quality of medication prescribing for older adults. Dr. Steinman is principal investigator on a VA-funded grant to investigate why some patients with heart failure are not prescribed guideline-recommended medications. This study involves multiple methods including analysis of national databases, convening focus groups, conducting chart review, and interviewing clinicians. Dr. Steinman is also principal investigator on a Paul Beeson K23 award to evaluate risk factors for adverse drug reactions in elders. He is co-investigator on a NIH-funded study to assess patterns of comorbidity in clinically complex elders and elements of prescribing quality in this population.

Dr. Steinman also has a strong interest in how the pharmaceutical industry markets its products, and the impact of these marketing efforts on physicians. He has published a number of research and perspective pieces in this area, and lectures frequently on the topic. He is also a founding member of the Drug Industry Document Archive, a searchable online archive of thousands of drug industry documents that relate to marketing strategies and tactics.

Dr. Steinman is Director of the UCSF Research Fellowship Program in Aging Research and is UCSF site director for the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program. He also serves as Director for Comparative Effectiveness Research for UCSF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).

Selected Publications

Steinman MA, Handler SM, Gurwitz JH, Schiff GD, Covinsky KE. Beyond the prescription: medication monitoring and adverse drug events in older adults. J Amer Geriatr Soc 2011; 59: 1513-20.
Steinman MA, Lund BC, Boscardin JW, Miao Y, Kaboli PJ. Geriatric conditions, medication use, and risk of adverse drug events in older adults. J Amer Geriatr Soc 2011; 59: 615-621.
Steinman MA, Hanlon JT. Managing medications in clinically complex elders: "There's got to be a happy medium." JAMA 2010; 304:1592-601.
Steinman MA, Goldstein MK. When tight blood pressure control is not for everyone: a model for performance measurement in hypertension. Jt Comm J Qual Pat Saf 2010; 36:164-72.
Williams BA, Baillargeon J, Lindquist K, Walter LC, Covinsky KE, Whitson HE, Murray O, Steinman MA. Medication Prescribing Practices for Geriatric Prisoners in a Large State Prison System. Am J Public Health 2010; 100: 756-761.
Steinman MA, Boscardin CK, Aguayo L, Baron RB. Commercial influence and learner-perceived bias in continuing medical education. Acad Med 2010; 85: 74-79.
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Landefeld CS, Steinman MA. The Neurontin legacy: discovery of how marketing can manufacture misinformation and manipulate physicians. N Engl J Med 2009; 360: 103-6.
Steinman MA, Rosenthal GE, Landefeld CS, Bertenthal D, Kaboli PJ. Are Drugs-to-Avoid Criteria an Accurate Diagnostic Tool for Problem Prescribing? Arch Intern Med 2009; 169: 1326-32.
Steinman MA, Rosenthal GE, Landefeld CS, Bertenthal D, Sen S, Kaboli PJ. Conflicts and concordance between measures of medication prescribing quality. Med Care 2007; 45: 95-99.
Steinman MA, Bero LA, Chren MM, Landefeld CS. The promotion of gabapentin: an analysis of internal industry documents. Ann Intern Med 2006; 145: 284-293.