Bio

Dr. Hsien-Hwa Alice Cha is a Clinical Assistant Professor of the Division of Hospital Medicine in the School of Medicine. A Bay Area native, she received her undergraduate degree from University of California, Berkeley with Honors in Molecular Cell Biology - Biochemistry. She completed her medical education at New York Medical College and her Internal Medicine Residency at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara in 2016. She joined the Division of Hospital Medicine at Stanford Health-Care in Tri-Valley in 2016 as a hospitalist. She led the Tri-Valley Section as Section Chief from 2020-2023, during which she expanded the section’s clinical capabilities to include orthopedic pre-op care, and dedicated nocturnal care with nocturnists. Her interest in medical education led her to co-found Stanford Health-Care Tri-Valley’s Clinical Academy in 2019, a program designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in exploring medicine as a career. She was the recipient of the Department of Medicine’s Teaching Award for the Tri-Valley Division in 2022. Her other interests include clinical implications of metals, opioid stewardship, bioethics, undergraduate medical education, and physician leadership development.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her two young children, cooking toddler meals, and watching crime dramas.

Clinical Focus

  • Internal Medicine
  • Hospital Medicine

Academic Appointments

  • Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine

Administrative Appointments

  • Section Chief, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, Division of Hospital Medicine (2020 - 2023)

Honors & Awards

  • Physician of the Quarter, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (2024)
  • Department of Medicine Teaching Award, Stanford University Department of Medicine (2022)
  • Professionalism Award, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara (2016)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

  • Member, Association of Chief and Leaders of General Internal Medicine (2022 - 2023)
  • Member, Medication Error Reporting and Prevention Committee (2016 - 2020)
  • Member, Opioid Stewardship Committee (2019 - 2022)
  • Member, Bioethics (2021 - Present)
  • Member, Society of Hospital Medicine (2016 - Present)

Professional Education

  • Medical Education: New York Medical College Registrar (2013) NY
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2016)
  • Residency: Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara (2016) CA

Community and International Work

  • Stanford HealthCare ValleyCare Clinical Academy

    Populations Served

    High school seniors and juniors

    Location

    Bay Area

    Ongoing Project

    No

    Opportunities for Student Involvement

    No

Contact

  • Clinical (Primary)  Stanford Healthcare Tri-Valley Hospital 5555 W Las Positas Blvd Pleasanton, CA 94588 (925) 416-6695 (fax)

Additional Clinical Info

All Publications

  • Impact of Physician Education and a Dedicated Inferior Vena Cava Filter Tracking System on Inferior Vena Cava Filter Use and Retrieval Rates Across a Large US Health Care Region. Journal of vascular and interventional radiology : JVIR Wang, S. L., Cha, H. A., Lin, J. R., Francis, B., Elizabeth, W., Martin, P., Rajan, S. 2016; 27 (5): 740-8

    Abstract

    To evaluate the effects of physician familiarity with current evidence and guidelines on inferior vena cava (IVC) filter use and the availability of IVC filter tracking infrastructure on retrieval rates.Fourteen continuing medical education-approved in-hospital grand rounds covering evidence-based review of the literature on IVC filter efficacy, patient-centered outcomes, guidelines for IVC filter indications, and complications were performed across a large United States (US) health care region serving more than 3.5 million members. A computer-based IVC filter tracking system was deployed simultaneously. IVC filter use, rates of attempted retrieval, and fulfillment of guidelines for IVC filter indications were retrospectively evaluated at each facility for 12 months before intervention (n = 427) and for 12 months after intervention (n = 347).After education, IVC filter use decreased 18.7%, with a member enrollment-adjusted decrease of 22.2%, despite an increasing IVC filter use trend for 4 years. Reduction in IVC filter use at each facility strongly correlated with physician attendance at grand rounds (r = -0.69; P = .007). Rates of attempted retrieval increased from 38.9% to 54.0% (P = .0006), with similar rates of successful retrieval (82.3% before education and 85.8% after education on first attempt). Improvement in IVC filter retrieval attempts correlated with physician attendance at grand rounds (r = 0.51; P = .051). IVC filter dwell times at first retrieval attempt were similar (10.2 wk before and 10.8 wk after).Physician education dramatically reduced IVC filter use across a large US health care region, and represents a learning opportunity for physicians who request and place them. Education and a novel tracking system improved rates of retrieval for IVC filter devices.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jvir.2016.01.130

    View details for PubMedID 27017122