UC Davis Health experts set COVID-19 standards at the state and national levels

In addition to being on the frontlines of treating COVID-19 patients in our community, UC Davis Health faculty are setting comprehensive standards for patient care and workforce and student safety during the pandemic. 

“Our responsibilities as a leading academic institution extend well beyond the walls of our hospital and clinics and have far-reaching, long-term implications for addressing this and future emergencies,” said Allison Brashear, dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. “We are deeply proud of our exemplary team for the guidance they are providing throughout our state, the U.S. and beyond to understand, contain and treat and COVID-19.” 

Here are just a few examples of this leadership

Hugh Black, professor of internal medicine, and Nathan Fairman, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, are representing UC Davis on UCOP's Critical Care Bioethics Working Group to develop guidelines for ventilator allocation in the event of a COVID-19 patient surge. 

David Cooke, professor of cardiothoracic surgery, assisted in writing national COVID-19 guidelines for triage of thoracic surgery patients through a collaboration of the American College of Surgeons, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, American Association of Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Surgery Outcomes Research Network. 

Diana Farmer, chair of the Department of Surgery, is on the Board of Regents of the American College of the Surgeons and developing COVID-19 best practices and safety standards for surgeons. 

Gregory Farwell, chair of the Department of Otolaryngology and leader in the American Head and Neck Society, helped establish an online repository for best practices for his colleagues during the rapidly involving pandemic. 

Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center surgeons David Greenhalgh and Tina Palmieri and nurse manager Len Sterling developed a collaborative plan with burn centers throughout the U.S. for continuous, high-level care of burn patients in times of patient surges requiring ICU care.

Robin Hansen and Aubyn Stahmer, professors of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the UC Davis MIND Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, are working with the California Department of Developmental Services to ensure people with developmental disabilities have accurate, clear information about COVID-19 and continue to receive appropriate support. 

Satyan Lakshminrusimha, professor of pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief; Elizabeth Partridge, assistant clinical professor of infectious diseases and hospital epidemiology; Mark Underwood, chief of neonatology; and Jean Wiedeman, associate professor, pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital helped co-author COVID-19 guidelines in the American Journal of Perinatology for managing pregnant mothers and newborns. UC Davis was also invited by the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative to host a statewide webinar on care for pregnant mothers and infants during the pandemic.

Brad Pollock, chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences, leads the University of California team providing systemwide guidance on travel restrictions, the transition to remote learning and working, and hospital resource planning. 

Patrick Romano, professor of general internal medicine and pediatrics, serves on the National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality, a team that is currently providing recommendations on priorities for the national COVID-19 research agenda. 

Christian Sandrock, professor of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine and vice chair of internal medicine, helped develop COVID-19 information and resources for the American College of Chest Physicians, European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and Society of Critical Care Medicine. For the California Department of Public Health, he is working on Crisis Care Guidelines to address the potential for COVID-19 patient surge.

Nam Tran, associate clinical professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and senior director of clinical pathology in charge of COVID-19 testing at UC Davis Health, is a member of Governor Gavin Newsom's Testing Task Force. The task force will ensure California has sufficient capacity and supplies to administer a significantly greater number of tests for the virus.

Shin-Ping Tu, chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, is on the executive committee of the Association of Chiefs and Leaders in General Internal Medicine, which is exchanging innovative approaches and best practices for providing medical care and resident training during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Peter Yellowlees, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is a member an American Psychiatric Association committee focused on COVID-19 issues. The team’s agenda includes the availability of telehealth, reaching underserved populations, protecting those with severe mental illness and mental health care worker well-being.

Heather Young, professor and dean emerita of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, serves on the University of California executive group that is directing clinical care, education and research decisions during the pandemic. She also co-leads a COVID-19 working group on education issues.