Brian Block, MD

HS Asst Clinical Professor

Brian Block is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, the Associate Director of the Medical ICU, and the Associate Director of Critical Care Ultrasound at UCSF, and the Assistant Director of Critical Care Medicine for the Pulmonary Fellowship.

Dr. Block has interests in medical ethics, communication, and decision-making during critical illness. He is also a recognized educator with experience developing and studying novel curricula. He sees patients in the UCSF General Pulmonary clinic and attends in the intensive care unit as well as the pulmonary function lab.

Dr. Block graduated from Harvard Medical School, completed Internal Medicine training at Columbia University, and was also a Chief Medical Resident at Columbia. He then came to UCSF to complete fellowship training in Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine. During his research fellowship, he studied advance care planning among patients with critical illness. He also earned grant funding to study an intervention aimed at enhancing communication between general internists and medical subspecialty services, to improve teaching and patient care.

Education
2019 - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training, University of California
Fellowship, 2019 - Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of California
Chief Resident, 2016 - Internal Medicine, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University
Residency, 2015 - Internal Medicine, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University
MD, 2012 - , Harvard Medical School
BA, 2006 - Biology, Oberlin College
Honors and Awards
  • John N. Stern Merit Scholarship in the Natural Sciences, Oberlin College, 2002-2006
  • Innovations in Graduate Medical Education Award, UCSF, 2019
  • Jeffrey Golden Outstanding Clinical Fellow Award, UCSF, 2019
  • Herbert S. Waxman Scholarship Award for outstanding Chief Medical Residents, American College of Physicians, 2016
  • Department of Medicine House Staff Award in Clinical Teaching, Columbia University, 2014
  • Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, Arnold P. Gold Foundation, 2013
  • Department of Medicine House Staff Award in Clinical Teaching, Columbia University, 2013
  • Dean’s Community Service Award, Harvard Medical School, 2010
  • Jason Chicoine Memorial Prize in Biology, Oberlin College, 2006
  • Member, Phi Beta Kappa, 2006
  • Jason Chicoine Memorial Prize in Biology, Oberlin College, 2005
Publications

  1. Brender TD, Smith AK, Block BL. Can Artificial Intelligence Speak for Incapacitated Patients at the End of Life? JAMA internal medicine 2024. PMID: 39037787


  2. Beagle AJ, Sunwoo BY, Olin RL, Schwartz BS, Block BL. It's All in the Timing. The New England journal of medicine 2023. PMID: 37672698


  3. Levan S, Mourad M, Block B, Shah R, Santhosh L. Impact of a Multidisciplinary Post-COVID-19 Clinic on Hospital Admissions and ED Visits. Chest 2023. PMID: 36610666


  4. Santhosh L, Block B, Kim SY, Raju S, Shah RJ, Thakur N, Brigham EP, Parker AM. Response. 2022. PMID: 35000721


  5. Langer AL, Block BL, Schwartzstein RM, Richards JB. Building upon the foundational science curriculum with physiology-based grand rounds: a multi-institutional program evaluation. 2021. PMID: 34114945


  6. Leba CT, Seeley EJ, Bhakta NR, Block BL. A Woman with One Year of Cough Presumed to Be Asthma. Annals of the American Thoracic Society 2021. PMID: 34596494


  7. Block BL, Martin TM, Boscardin WJ, Covinsky KE, Mourad M, Hu LL, Smith AK. Variation in COVID-19 Mortality Across 117 US Hospitals in High- and Low-Burden Settings. Journal of hospital medicine 2021. PMID: 33734977


  8. Shaw JA, Sethi N, Block BL. Five things every clinician should know about AI ethics in intensive care. 2020. PMID: 33078241


  9. Gantzer HE, Block BL, Hobgood LC, Tufte J. Restoring the Story and Creating a Valuable Clinical Note. 2020. PMID: 32658567


  10. Block BL, Anderson D, O'Brien B, Babik J. Getting Neighborly in 2030: A Shared Fellow Workspace Improves Communication, Teaching, and Burnout. Journal of graduate medical education 2020. PMID: 32595866


  11. Block BL, Smith AK, Sudore RL. During COVID-19, Outpatient Advance Care Planning is Imperative: We need All Hands on Deck. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2020. PMID: 32359075


  12. Block BL, Jeon SY, Sudore RL, Matthay MA, Boscardin WJ, Smith AK. Patterns and Trends in Advance Care Planning Among Older Adults Who Received Intensive Care at the End of Life. JAMA internal medicine 2020. PMID: 32119031


  13. Block BL, Matthay M. Could Decisions to Limit Treatment Contribute to Mortality Differences between Patients with Different Presepsis Trajectories? Volume 16 of Issue 4. Annals of the American Thoracic Society 2019. PMID: 30495973


  14. Brian L. Block, Alexander K. Smith, Rebecca L. Sudore. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics Universal Advance Directives--Necessary but not Sufficient 2019. PMID:


  15. Block BL. Does the Term Intensive Care Unit Promote Aggressive Treatment? Volume 178 of Issue 12. JAMA internal medicine 2018. PMID: 30422219


  16. Arielle L Langer, Samuel Bernard, Brian L Block. Two-Week Resident-As-Teacher Program May Improve Peer Feedback and Online Evaluation Completion Medical Science Educator 2018. PMID:


  17. Block BL, Mehta T, Ortiz GM, Ferris SP, Vu TH, Huang L, Cattamanchi A. Unusual Radiographic Presentation of Pneumocystis Pneumonia in a Patient with AIDS. Case reports in infectious diseases 2017. PMID: 29362681


  18. Nouri SN, Block BL. Triple Oral Antithrombotic Therapy: A Teachable Moment. Volume 176 of Issue 10. JAMA internal medicine 2016. PMID: 27532936


  19. Laracy JC, Regalbuto R, Block BL. Massive Rectal Hemorrhage After Prostate Biopsy: A Teachable Moment. Volume 176 of Issue 8. JAMA internal medicine 2016. PMID: 27322720


  20. Block BL, Bernard S, Schwartzstein RM. Hypo-Hypo: A Complex Metabolic Disorder. Volume 13 of Issue 1. Annals of the American Thoracic Society 2016. PMID: 26730868


  21. Brumme ZL, Li C, Miura T, Sela J, Rosato PC, Brumme CJ, Markle TJ, Martin E, Block BL, Trocha A, Kadie CM, Allen TM, Pereyra F, Heckerman D, Walker BD, Brockman MA. Reduced replication capacity of NL4-3 recombinant viruses encoding reverse transcriptase-integrase sequences from HIV-1 elite controllers. Volume 56 of Issue 2. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2011. PMID: 21124229


  22. Folcik VA, Broderick G, Mohan S, Block B, Ekbote C, Doolittle J, Khoury M, Davis L, Marsh CB. Using an agent-based model to analyze the dynamic communication network of the immune response. Volume 8. Theoretical biology & medical modelling 2011. PMID: 21247471


  23. . The major genetic determinants of HIV-1 control affect HLA class I peptide presentation. Volume 330 of Issue 6010. Science (New York, N.Y.) 2010. PMID: 21051598


  24. Miura T, Brumme ZL, Brockman MA, Rosato P, Sela J, Brumme CJ, Pereyra F, Kaufmann DE, Trocha A, Block BL, Daar ES, Connick E, Jessen H, Kelleher AD, Rosenberg E, Markowitz M, Schafer K, Vaida F, Iwamoto A, Little S, Walker BD. Impaired replication capacity of acute/early viruses in persons who become HIV controllers. Volume 84 of Issue 15. Journal of virology 2010. PMID: 20504921


  25. Pereyra F, Palmer S, Miura T, Block BL, Wiegand A, Rothchild AC, Baker B, Rosenberg R, Cutrell E, Seaman MS, Coffin JM, Walker BD. Persistent low-level viremia in HIV-1 elite controllers and relationship to immunologic parameters. Volume 200 of Issue 6. The Journal of infectious diseases 2009. PMID: 19656066


  26. Arbelaez C, Block B, Losina E, Wright EA, Reichmann WM, Mikulinsky R, Solomon JD, Dooley MM, Walensky RP. Rapid HIV testing program implementation: lessons from the emergency department. Volume 2 of Issue 3. International journal of emergency medicine 2009. PMID: 20157472


  27. Chen H, Piechocka-Trocha A, Miura T, Brockman MA, Julg BD, Baker BM, Rothchild AC, Block BL, Schneidewind A, Koibuchi T, Pereyra F, Allen TM, Walker BD. Differential neutralization of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in autologous CD4 T cells by HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Volume 83 of Issue 7. Journal of virology 2009. PMID: 19158248


  28. Miura T, Brumme CJ, Brockman MA, Brumme ZL, Pereyra F, Block BL, Trocha A, John M, Mallal S, Harrigan PR, Walker BD. HLA-associated viral mutations are common in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 elite controllers. Volume 83 of Issue 7. Journal of virology 2009. PMID: 19153230


  29. Miura T, Brockman MA, Schneidewind A, Lobritz M, Pereyra F, Rathod A, Block BL, Brumme ZL, Brumme CJ, Baker B, Rothchild AC, Li B, Trocha A, Cutrell E, Frahm N, Brander C, Toth I, Arts EJ, Allen TM, Walker BD. HLA-B57/B*5801 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 elite controllers select for rare gag variants associated with reduced viral replication capacity and strong cytotoxic T-lymphocyte [corrected] recognition. Volume 83 of Issue 6. Journal of virology 2008. PMID: 19116253


  30. Miura T, Brockman MA, Brumme ZL, Brumme CJ, Pereyra F, Trocha A, Block BL, Schneidewind A, Allen TM, Heckerman D, Walker BD. HLA-associated alterations in replication capacity of chimeric NL4-3 viruses carrying gag-protease from elite controllers of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Volume 83 of Issue 1. Journal of virology 2008. PMID: 18971283


  31. Walensky RP, Arbelaez C, Reichmann WM, Walls RM, Katz JN, Block BL, Dooley M, Hetland A, Kimmel S, Solomon JD, Losina E. Revising expectations from rapid HIV tests in the emergency department. Volume 149 of Issue 3. Annals of internal medicine 2008. PMID: 18678842


  32. Brumme ZL, Brumme CJ, Carlson J, Streeck H, John M, Eichbaum Q, Block BL, Baker B, Kadie C, Markowitz M, Jessen H, Kelleher AD, Rosenberg E, Kaldor J, Yuki Y, Carrington M, Allen TM, Mallal S, Altfeld M, Heckerman D, Walker BD. Marked epitope- and allele-specific differences in rates of mutation in human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) Gag, Pol, and Nef cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitopes in acute/early HIV-1 infection. Volume 82 of Issue 18. Journal of virology 2008. PMID: 18614631


  33. Miura T, Brockman MA, Brumme CJ, Brumme ZL, Carlson JM, Pereyra F, Trocha A, Addo MM, Block BL, Rothchild AC, Baker BM, Flynn T, Schneidewind A, Li B, Wang YE, Heckerman D, Allen TM, Walker BD. Genetic characterization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in elite controllers: lack of gross genetic defects or common amino acid changes. Volume 82 of Issue 17. Journal of virology 2008. PMID: 18562530


  34. Beckstead JA, Block BL, Bielicki JK, Kay CM, Oda MN, Ryan RO. Combined N- and C-terminal truncation of human apolipoprotein A-I yields a folded, functional central domain. Volume 44 of Issue 11. Biochemistry 2005. PMID: 15766290