Meg McNamara, MD: SFMS October 2013 Member of the Month November 13, 2013 Member of the Month, SFMS Member Foundations of Patient Care and Preceptorships, Meg McNamara, SFMS Member of the Month 0 Dr. Meg McNamara is Professor of Pediatrics at UCSF School of Medicine, Co-Director of the UCSF School of Medicine’s Foundations of Patient Care and Preceptorships, and Director of Preceptor Outreach for the UCSF Office of Medical Education. Dr. McNamara has extensive background as a general pediatrician and primary care provider, both in private and academic practice settings. Over the past seven years, her academic focus has been concentrated on undergraduate and graduate medical education, and her clinical interest is oriented toward care of the under-served. She serves on the Advisory Committee for PRIME-US (Program In Medical Education Urban Under-Served), a State of California initiative to increase the workforce of physicians dedicated to care of vulnerable populations. She also serves as a mentor for the Pediatric Leadership for the Under-Served (PLUS) program. In these roles, she works with community physicians and organizations to support the educational needs of trainees while addressing the service needs of the community. Click here to learn more about the UCSF volunteer teaching opportunities/medical student preceptorship program. I am a SFMS member because I love the principles on which SFMS was founded and continues to act—to be an advocate for patients’ as well as physicians’ rights, and to work together toward improving the health of our community. I think the most helpful SFMS member resource is the vast network of SFMS physicians. As a clinician educator, I especially appreciate the ready network of local colleagues to whom I’ve been introduced so that we can work together to train the next generation of physicians. My greatest achievement outside of practicing medicine is—as trite as it may sound—I am most excited about having three children and keeping lots of balls in the air even beyond a demanding professional life. The most important things I learned in residency is realizing what an immense privilege it is to care for the health and well-being my patients and their families. Like most people who enter medical school, I wanted to become a physician because I wanted to do something to help other people. What I did not fully appreciate beforehand is what a gift it is to have meaningful work through I derive so much joy and satisfaction, and to have a profession that offers endless new challenges and lessons to learn. What are some of the biggest opportunities or challenges you see in health care within the next five years? A major challenge will be to improve access to primary care, and to effectively adopt the use of team-based care to achieve this. Our biggest opportunity is for physicians to jump in now and take the lead as the health care system changes—because if we do not, others will do it for us, and we need to have a place at the table. I love being a generalist (pediatrics) because I see so many different things every day I am in clinic. No two days are ever the same. It is also wonderful to work with children—they have such a will to get better, and their resilience is gratifying. Another major portion of my work is as a medical educator in the UCSF School of Medicine. I find it both inspiring and humbling to work with students and residents. It really helps keeps things fresh, and pushes me to keep up to date. What is your favorite restaurant in San Francisco? La Ciccia is a charming little Sardinian restaurant in my neighborhood. The food is exquisite, and I love the feel of the place—intimate and vibrant. If I wasn't a physician, I would like to be a college professor of Latin American literature. I wrote my Honors thesis in Spanish as an undergraduate, and also studied Quechua in Peru, so it would be exciting to get back into that more creative world. If we’re talking another profession that is unrelated to my real-life skill set, then I would be a flamenco dancer. As I’ve told my children, though, if I had to do it all over again, I would still be a doctor. Comments are closed.
