Fellow Spotlight: Allison Kratka, MD

Allison Kratka, MD, hails from Eugene, Ore., and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Duke University. As an AmeriCorps volunteer, she helped implement HIV testing in public high schools and worked at a gay men’s clinic in Washington, D.C.

She earned her medical degree at Duke University School of Medicine, researching health care price transparency and patient decision-making. She also served as chapter co-president for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, which focuses on quality improvement. As an internal medicine resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she investigated hospital readmission rates and mortality among heart failure patients. “My overarching interest is how we pay for health care, and how incentives and policies actually affect our patients,” said Dr. Kratka. “I hope to merge that interest with cardiology.”

She chose UCSF for fellowship for the strength of its clinical training, the opportunity to work within three different hospital systems, and the welcoming community. “I had the first weekend call, and everyone was unbelievably supportive,” said Dr. Kratka. “There is also a great representation of women in cardiology at UCSF.”

She plans to combine a career in clinical cardiology with health policy and payment reform research. Besides medicine, Dr. Kratka enjoys running, making sourdough bread, and traveling with her fiancé, Michael Neary, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.