UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity at ZSFG

What UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity at ZSFG does

The UCSF Action Research Center (ARC) for Health Equity is an academic research center within the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine's Department of Medicine, physically based at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG). Founded in 2006 as the Center for Vulnerable Populations (CVP) by Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo and Dr. Dean Schillinger under the vision of Dean Dr. Talmadge King, and rebranded to ARC in 2024 under Director Dr. Margot Kushel, the center coordinates, accelerates, and supports the work of 40+ UCSF faculty across a portfolio that spans homelessness, incarceration and health, food insecurity, immigrant health, and health workforce participation. Its primary outputs are field-leading peer-reviewed research, policy-relevant briefs, and convenings such as the Language Access In Healthcare Symposium West, with dissemination via a Constant Contact newsletter, an ARC Resources Portal, faculty and staff spotlights, and news articles on its website.

ARC has no commercial technology products, no proprietary software platform, and no pricing or licensing model; it is a public state entity governed by The Regents of the University of California and operates as a research coordination and acceleration unit rather than a product company. Its 'core technology' is its research infrastructure — access to ZSFG patient populations, UCSF IRB and data systems, and a coordinated bench of multidisciplinary faculty — and the only flagged AI-adjacent capability is applied work on machine translation in healthcare led by faculty member Elaine Khoong, MD, MS. Revenue mechanics are non-commercial: the unit is funded through research grants, institutional support from the University of California system, and philanthropy (a 'Make a Gift' link routes to UCSF giving). The center's go-to-market motion is community- and stakeholder-led, translating research into institutional and community-based interventions and informing policy- and decision-makers about structural and systemic issues affecting health, rather than selling to customers.

Name

UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity at ZSFG

Legal name

UCSF Action Research Center (ARC) for Health Equity

Website

https://arcforequity.ucsf.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UCSF Action Research Center (ARC) for Health Equity coordinates 40+ UCSF faculty conducting field-leading research on health equity — covering homelessness, incarceration, food insecurity, immigrant health, and health workforce — and translates findings into policy and community-based interventions at ZSFG.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Health Equity Research Services

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (923120)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) (EDAHAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) & Equity Measurement (HLAJAJAI), Health & Biomedical Research Universities (Academic Medical Center–Affiliated) (EDAHABAC), Community Health & Health Equity/Social Determinants Units (HLAJAAAO)

Keywords

• Health equity research
• Academic research center
• Community health interventions
• Health policy research
• Vulnerable populations research

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: As a UCSF academic research center, ARC is funded through research grants and institutional support from the University of California system.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The UCSF Action Research Center (ARC) for Health Equity is a university research center that coordinates, accelerates, and supports the work of 40+ faculty across UCSF. It conducts field-leading research on health equity topics including homelessness, incarceration, food insecurity, immigrant health, and health workforce participation. The center translates research into action by supporting institutional and community-based interventions and by informing policy- and decision-makers about structural and systemic issues affecting health.

Product overview

UCSF Action Research Center (ARC) for Health Equity is a university research center that coordinates, accelerates, and supports research across 40+ faculty members. Rather than a commercial product company, ARC provides research programs, faculty resources, newsletters, and community-focused initiatives addressing health equity topics including homelessness, incarceration, food insecurity, immigrant health, and health workforce participation. The center translates research into action through institutional and community-based interventions and informs policy decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• UCLA Center for Health Equity: UCLA-based research center focused on health equity research, policy analysis, and community engagement. Comparable to ARC as a university research center coordinating faculty across health equity domains with similar translational goals.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity: University-based research center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health focused on health equity research, policy translation, and community-based interventions — directly comparable to ARC in mission, funding model, and faculty coordination structure.
• University of Washington Center for Health Equity: University of Washington research center focused on health equity research and community-based interventions, with similar academic structure and grant-funded operating model to ARC.
• UC Berkeley School of Public Health: UC Berkeley's public health school conducts health equity research on social determinants and structural inequities, with similar UC-system institutional structure to ARC.
• Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences: Stanford School of Medicine center coordinating population health and health equity research across faculty, with similar grant-funded translational research focus to ARC.
• University of Michigan Center for Health Equity: University of Michigan research center coordinating faculty across health equity topics with strong policy and community translation focus. Closely comparable to ARC in operating model and grant-funded research portfolio.
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Health Equity: Harvard Chan School's health equity unit coordinates faculty research on health disparities and structural inequities, with similar academic-to-policy translation focus as ARC and comparable grant-funded operations.
• Northwestern Feinberg School of Public Health: Northwestern University center focused on population health and health equity research with community-based intervention focus. Comparable to ARC in mission and academic research structure.
• Vanderbilt Center for Health Equity: Vanderbilt University Medical Center center focused on health equity research, workforce diversity, and community interventions. Comparable to ARC in mission scope and academic-anchored research model.
• Tulane Center for Health Equity: Tulane School of Public Health research center focused on health equity, structural racism, and social determinants of health. Directly comparable to ARC in research focus and university-anchored grant-funded model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arcforequity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UCSF Action Research Center for Health Equity at ZSFG