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Geri Spotlight: Josette Rivera and Grisell Diaz-Ramirez
The Geriatrics Spotlight initiative fosters community building within the Division, especially during this age of hybrid/remote work where it can be challenging to find ways to interact with colleagues outside of your immediate teams. This is a way for Division members to learn more about all the wonderful work we’re doing!
This week, we get to know our division members, Josette Rivera and Grisell Diaz-Ramirez.
Role: Professor of Medicine
Joined Division: 2008
Work site: Mission Bay and from home in Mill Valley, CA
Email: Josette.Rivera@ucsf.edu
Interviewed by Grisell Diaz-Ramirez over Zoom.
About Josette’s Role/Ongoing Projects
Her favorite aspect of her position is being part of a community of brilliant, generous, and fun colleagues.
More about Josette
What’s one “fun fact” about you that not many people know? (e.g., hidden talent)
Josette is an analog lover in the digital world. Ask her about her typewriter collection.
She also has a green thumb. She has several orchids over 10 years old she can still coax into blooming multiple times a year.
What are you happiest doing in your free time?
Josette is the happiest when spending time with her children who are growing up too fast.
What is the best advice you've ever heard?
"It's a different bull when you're in the ring." - an old favorite from fellowship, from Tom Finucane
Role: Senior Statistical Scientist
Joined Division: 2015
Work site: from home in Emeryville, CA
Email:Grisell.Diaz-Ramirez@ucsf.edu
Interviewed by Josette Rivera over Zoom.
About Grisell’s Role/Ongoing Projects
Grisell delves into extensive survey data like the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), crafting regression models to deepen our grasp of health risk factors among older adults. Certain projects pose technical hurdles, but I'm eager to explore and innovate solutions to overcome them.
Her favorite aspect of her position is the opportunity to do cutting-edge work alongside brilliant researchers who are truly in love with what they do.
What is a professional goal you would like to accomplish by the end of this year?
Grisell's professional goal for this year is to learn how to implement the Future Elderly Model. A dynamic microsimulation model of health and health-related economic outcomes for the US population.
More about Grisell
What’s one “fun fact” about you that not many people know? (e.g., hidden talent)
In her birthplace of Cuba, Griselle pursued a career as an ecologist. Her research focused on studying the genetic variation of iguana populations. To gather data, she frequented the keys surrounding the island, where she would capture iguanas and meticulously collect blood samples from them. Over time, Griselle mastered the art of drawing blood from these creatures, becoming quite proficient in her field.
UCGC Providers Earned High Ratings For Provider Communications
The patients receiving care from UCSF Center for Geriatric Care have rated overall communication from their providers Butsina Wanjala, NP, Pei Chen, MD, Daniel Pound, MD, Carolyn Welty, MD, and Leah Witt, MD as outstanding, currently at 95%, as compared to the other primary care practices (93%).