University of California San Francisco

Understanding and addressing variation in healthcare.

Another component Dr. Bongiovanni’s contribution to science focuses on disparities among vulnerable populations within and outside of the field of surgery. She is passionate about vulnerable communities and excited to focus her efforts on improving care for Native populations. In one such project, Dr. Bongiovanni conducted a study using Community Based Participatory Research to examine barriers to organ donation. At her local county hospital, she conducted a study examining factors associated with delays in discharge on the trauma surgery service. At Harvard, Dr. Bongiovanni worked with a Native American tribe in Oklahoma evaluating their healthcare delivery system in comparison to other new models of healthcare delivery in Indian Country. She learned about the incredibly complex relationship the federal government has with Indian Tribes and published on this effect on behalf of the tribe and the Native Nation Institute. Dr. Bongiovanni been involved in leadership roles in Native communities where she has lived, including student, faculty and staff groups at UCSF, Yale, Harvard and the Inter-Tribal Council in New Haven, CT and with the Navajo Nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has engaged deeply with vulnerable populations, working directly with communities to develop and conduct much of this research.

Relevant publications: