Leslie Miya, MD

HS Clinical Professor

A UCSF-trained internist who found her calling in emergency medicine, she has spent over 27 years caring for veterans at the San Francisco VA Emergency Department. What began as a clinical position evolved into a career shaped by the patients themselves—veterans navigating acute illness, injury, substance use disorders, and mental health crises who taught her as much as she taught others.

For two decades as a nocturnist, she developed deep expertise in the unique challenges of emergency care, earning recognition as a Master Clinician and appointment as Clinical Professor. She now serves as Associate Chief of the Emergency Department, balancing leadership responsibilities with the bedside teaching that remains central to her work.

**Clinical Interests**

Emergency medicine, acute care of complex patients, substance use disorders, mental health emergencies, geriatric emergency care

**Teaching**

Training the next generation of physicians has been a constant throughout her career. She works closely with UCSF residents rotating through the VA Emergency Department, emphasizing clinical reasoning, compassionate care, and the art of medicine practiced under pressure. Her teaching philosophy is simple: every patient encounter is an opportunity to learn.

**In Her Words**

"It has been a true privilege to work with veterans and my brilliant colleagues and learners. The emergency department can be chaotic, but it's also where medicine feels most human—meeting people at their most vulnerable and doing what we can to help."