Special Event: A Conversation with David Shulkin

In 2017, DOM launched a new series — Fireside Chats. These events consist of DOM Chair Bob Wachter interviewing a prominent UCSF faculty member (or visiting professor) about her/his life in medicine. In January, Dr. Wachter will interview David Shulkin, MD, following the release of Dr. Shulkin's much anticipated book, It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country: Our Broken Government and the Plight of Veterans.

David Shulkin, MD, a national thought leader on veterans’ health and patient-centered care, was appointed by President Donald Trump as the 9th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and served in the role from February 2017 until March 2018. He also served as the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health under President Barack Obama.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the second largest federal government agency, and the Secretary oversees the National Cemetery Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the Veterans Health Administration. Under Secretary Shulkin’s leadership, the Department streamlined the appeals process for veterans seeking disability benefits, made wait times more transparent, and improved mental health services. 
 
Before his time in government, Dr. Shulkin had a long career of health care leadership and management, including at the University of Pennsylvania Health System (now Penn Medicine), as well as Temple University Hospital, Beth Israel Medical Center, and the Morristown Medical Center. He was also a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at Penn, and has previously been a Penn LDI Senior Fellow as well as Adjunct Senior Fellow.