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UCSF ObGyn&RS

Residency Program

About Me

Why OB/GYN?

As the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, I grew up listening to my mother telling me stories of her childhood, youth, and young adulthood from the time that she lived in Mexico. They were predominantly stories of family, joy, love, and resilience but often these stories interweaved themes of trauma, poverty, violence, immigration, and discrimination, especially as they related to reproductive life and autonomy; narratives not unique to my mother’s that portray the complexity of human life. Her experiences made me passionate about issues related to autonomy, identity, trauma, and the right to be in control of whatever happens to one’s body (the fundamental tenet of reproductive justice)—issues deeply rooted within the field of OBGYN. In medical school, I advocated for high quality birthing care among Black and Latinx birthing people, as well as for violence prevention among survivors of intimate partne violence through research, education, and patient care. Ultimately what drew me to OBGYN is the same thing that brought me to medicine in the first place: being able to provide a sense of safety to people during times of vulnerability.

Why UCSF?

I had the privilege of being a UCSF medical student and witnessing first-hand the OBGYN Department’s commitment to equity, advocacy, and justice, which strongly align with my core values. In addition, the program’s robust focus in caring for underserved communities as well as excellent training in trauma-informed care is of utmost importance and priority to me. I am grateful to continue my training at UCSF and to learn from such an incredible group of faculty and peers who have also selected this institution to be their home.

What I do outside of residency?

When I’m not working, you’ll find me spending time with my partner, family, friends, and my two sweet girl kittens, Blue Bagheera & Anakin Skywalker. I also ground myself by being in nature (especially while hiking, running, and going on long walks), writing poetry, tending to my plant babies, and watching anything Star Wars related.

Jessica Valdez, MD, MPH
Resident Physician - PGY 1

[email protected]

If you are a patient, please do not contact a physician by email without their prior expressed consent due to confidentiality concerns.

Main Address

UCSF OB/GYN&RS Residency Program
490 Illinois Street 
10th Floor, Box 0132
San Francisco, CA 94143

Location Office Phone Fax
Mission Bay (415) 476 - 5192 (415) 476 - 1811
Mount Zion (415) 353 - 9240 (415) 353 - 9509
San Francisco General Hospital (628) 206 - 3061 (628) 206 - 3112

Research/Clinical Interests: violence prevention, trauma-informed care, pelvic pain, reproductive justice, Latinx health, language-concordant care, gynecologic surgery, surgical education, maternal mortality, quality of care

Education/Training

Year

 Institution Degree Field of Study
current University of California, San Francisco Residency Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
2022 University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine MD Medicine
2021 University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health MPH Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health
2015 University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine n/a Pre-Medical Postbaccalaureate Program
2013 University of San Diego BA Biology

Research & Professional Experience

Year  
2020-Present Researcher – Aspire to Realize Improved Safety and Equity (ARISE) study
2020-Present MPH Researcher – UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Maternal Child & Adolescent Health Program
2021-2022 Ambassador – UCSF CARE Ambassador Program
2021 Student Coordinator – UCSF Violence Prevention & Trauma-Informed Care Elective
2021 Teaching Assistant – UCSF School of Medicine Life Stages Curriculum Block
2021 C0-Founder, Mentor, Researcher – UCSF OBGYN Near Peer Mentorship Program
2021 Spanish Translator – UCSF COVID Vaccine Speakers Group
2020-2021 Researcher – UCSF EMBRACE Program: Group Perinatal Care for Black Families, Black Women’s Health & Livelihood Initiative
2020 Translator – COVID-19 Fact Check Website
2017-2022 UCSF Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US)
2017-2018 Community Service Co-Chair – UCSF Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)

Achievements & Recognition

Year Major Honors
2022 Gold Headed Cane Society – Inductee and Recipient of the Gold Headed Cane

Poster Presentations

Valdez, JJ, Jones, M, & Lager, J. Preferences, motivations, expectations of students and residents in a novel near-peer mentorship program–what makes a good fit? 2022 CREOG/APGO Annual Meeting (Virtual). March 2022.

Valdez, JJ & Marshall, C. Primary Spanish language and quality of maternal care among Latinas: secondary analysis of the Listening to Mothers in California survey. APHA 2021 Annual Meeting and Expo (Virtual). October 2022.

Valdez, JJ & Marshall, C. Association between primary Spanish language and quality of maternal healthcare among Latina women in the United States: secondary analysis of the Listening to Mothers in California survey. XXIII FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Virtual). October 2022.

Valdez, JJ, Alexander, S, Sing, A, Fernandez, L, Wortis, N, & Coffa, D. Reducing the risk of opioid overdose deaths through naloxone prescribing at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Family Health Center. FCM 14th Annual Jack Rodnick Colloquium, San Francisco, CA, USA. May 2018.

Valdez, JJ, Alexander, ., Sing, A, Fernandez, L, Wortis, N, & Coffa, D. Reducing the risk of opioid overdose deaths through naloxone prescribing at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Family Health Center. UCSF School of Medicine CMC Health Systems Improvement Symposium, San Francisco, CA, USA. November 2018.

Oral Presentations

Valdez, JJ. Association between primary Spanish language and quality of maternal care among Latina women in California. 2021 UC Berkeley School of Public Health Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Annual Capstone Presentations, Berkeley, CA, USA. April 2021.

Kemet, S, Valdez, JJ, Rhoden, R, Knight, K, & Jackson, A. Bigger than Tuskegee: A Critical Review of the Role of Patient Provider Racial Concordance in Obstetrics to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes. UCSF Deep Explore Virtual Inquiry Symposium, San Francisco, CA, USA. May 2021.

Publications 

Badiee RK, Hernandez S, Valdez JJ, Nnamani Silva ON, Campbell AR, & Alseidi AA. (2021, Aug). Advocating for a New Residency Application Process: A Student Perspective. Journal of Surgical Education, 7204(21), S1931. Cited in PubMed; PMID: 34446382. 

Valdez, JJ. my first patient. UCSF Synapse Magazine. May 2022.

Valdez, JJ. my mother is a doctor. Luna Luna Magazine. November 2020.

Advocacy 

UCSF Aspire to Realize Improved Safety & Equity (ARISE) Project

UCSF Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US)

UCSF Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)