Dr. Megumi Okumura is an internal medicine and pediatric specialist who cares for both children and adults. She is particularly interested in primary care delivery and disease management for adults with chronic conditions that began in childhood.
Okumura's research focuses on how to optimize health care access and delivery during the transition to adult care for adolescents and young adults with chronic conditions, such as sickle cell anemia, diabetes, developmental disabilities and cystic fibrosis.
Okumura earned her medical degree at New York Medical College. She completed a residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Yale New Haven Hospital. To complete a fellowship through the University of Michigan's Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, she studied the quality of care delivery for adults with childhood-onset chronic diseases. She then completed a fellowship at the UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies that focused on policies and systems of care for people with childhood-onset chronic diseases. She also earned a master of advanced study degree in clinical research at UCSF, focusing on how research findings are implemented in patient care and how health information is disseminated.
Okumura directs the Clinical and Translational Science Pathway for the pediatric residency program, teaches in the UCSF course on clinical research design and serves as faculty in the UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. She is on the board of directors for the WITH Foundation, a grant-making organization focused on improving health care for adults with developmental disabilities. She is scientific co-chair of the Healthcare Transition Research Consortium, a network supporting the development of plans based on the best research to move young people with chronic conditions into the adult care arena. She also serves on the UCSF Institutional Review Board, which ensures ethical research involving humans.
Okumura has received many grants for her work and is a member of the Academic Pediatric Association. She has published articles in numerous medical journals.
