Bongiovanni Lab - Homepage
Opioids and Surgery
Bongiovanni Lab Research
Opioids and Surgery
Bongiovanni Lab Research
Managing Pain
Managing Pain
Tasce Bongiovanni, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Division of General Surgery
Acute Care and Trauma Surgery, Surgical Critical Care
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital
Improving pain management and prescribing for older adults after surgery
Dr. Bongiovanni conducts research aimed at improving surgical care for older adults, a goal informed by her clinical work as a trauma and acute care surgeon as well as personal experiences. Her research has a particular focus on improving pain management and medication prescribing for older adults after surgery, both in the hospital and after discharge. To conduct this work, she draws upon a range of methodologies including implementation science, quantitative methods, and qualitative study, bringing together transdisciplinary frameworks and collaborators.
Local Leadership
- Medical Director, Unit-Based Leadership Team (UBLT) for 13 Long Surgical Unit at Parnassus
- Co-Founder, Collaborative for Surgical Health Outcomes, Research and Equity (C-SHORE)
- Chair, Native American Health Alliance
- Faculty Lead, Association of Native American Medical Students (NAHA/ANAMS) and SRS
National Leadership
- Member, AAST Geriatrics Committee
- Liaison and Member, Geriatrics for Specialists Committee, AGS
- Member, ACS Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Task Force
- Faculty Co-founder, Native American Surgical Society (NASS)
- Member, American College of Surgeons, FACS
Recent Publications
- Loop diuretics and subsequent use of urinary symptom medications in older adults: evaluation of a possible prescribing cascade.
2025 |
PubMed
- Resident Physician Experiences of Discharging Hospitalized Older Adults to Skilled Nursing Facilities.
2025 |PubMed
- 'They Were Talking to Each Other but Not to Me': Examining the Drivers of Patients' Poor Experiences During the Transition From the Hospital to Skilled Nursing Facility.
2025 |PubMed
- Communication After Emergent Surgery by English Proficiency: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.
2025 |PubMed
- Screening for Intimate Partner Violence After Traumatic Injury: A Community-Based Participatory Qualitative Research Study.
2025 |PubMed
Grants & Funding
- K23 National Institute on Aging, NIH | 5/2022-4/2026 | Role: Principal Investigator | The goal of this research is to better understand patterns of prolonged use of postoperative pain medications among older adults and the barriers and facilitators that contribute to this prolonged use in order to refine a targeted, evidence-based intervention to prevent prolonged use of these medication in older adults and then pilot this intervention. Ultimately, this work will lead to the development of clinical interventions to improve the quality of life for older adults in the postoperative period.
- Amos Medical Faculty Development Program, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | 7/2022-6/2026 | Role: Scholar | These four-year postdoctoral research awards are offered to historically disadvantaged physicians, dentists, and nurses who are committed to developing careers in academic medicine. The goal is this research is to better understand and improve in-hospital prescribing practices and medication use for older adults.
- UCSF School of Medicine Dean’s Fund | 7/2019-7/2022 | Role: Scholar | Funded through the John A. Watson Faculty Scholar fund to assist with recruitment and retention of faculty who share commitments to underserved populations.
- AHRQ, UCSF LHS K12. K12HS026383. UCSF Learning Health System K12 Career Development Program | 7/2019-7/2021 | Role: Research Scholar | A two-year mentored research award with salary and research support through AHRQ, the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and CTSI to inform strategic and operational priorities for UCSF and produce rigorous scholarship.
- Delivery of Surgical Care to Vulnerable Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic | CHESA & ADGHE | 2020-09-18 - 2021-09-17 | Role: Co-Investigator
- UCSF Learning Health System K12 Career Development Program | NIH/AHRQ | 2019-07-01 - 2021-07-31 | Role: K Scholar
- Surgical Care for Benign Gallbladder Disease During COVID-19: Operational Barriers and Areas for Intervention at a Safety-Net Hospital | Research and Policy Initiative Award through the UCSF Center for Healthcare Value Grant | 2020-10-01 - 2021-06-30 | Role: Co-Investigator
- Prolonged Use of Pain Medication Past the Postoperative Period in Older Adults | Institution: National Institute on Aging, NIH | Grant number: K23AG073523-04 | Award period: May 2022- April 2026
- Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program | Institution: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Award period: July 2022 – June 2026
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