University of California San Francisco

Nichole Starr, MD, MPH

Nicole Starr Headshot 2025
Nichole Starr, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Division of General Surgery
Trauma and Surgical Critical Care
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital

[email protected]

Biography

Dr. Nichole Starr is a trauma and critical care surgeon dedicated to advancing equitable surgical and trauma care globally through innovation, quality improvement, and sustainable partnerships. Her research spans infection prevention, trauma systems strengthening, and perioperative safety, with a particular focus on Ethiopia and other low-income environments.

She co-developed and scaled the Clean Cut surgical infection prevention program, an adaptive WHO checklist-based quality improvement intervention. Clean Cut has been implemented in more than 40 hospitals across 10 countries and recently demonstrated sustainability and scalability in JAMA Surgery (2022, 2023, 2025). This work has informed hospital practice change, national health policy, and global discourse on patient safety in surgery.

In trauma care, Dr. Starr collaborated with the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health and WHO to establish national trauma registries at multiple hospitals and create local trauma quality improvement committees. These initiatives are enabling evidence-driven prevention of injury-related deaths and have led to multiple peer-reviewed publications, including the first large trauma registry analysis from Addis Ababa.

Beyond research, Dr. Starr is deeply committed to mentorship, having supported students and residents across the U.S., Ethiopia, and multiple LMICs in global health research and careers. She co-founded Socially Responsible Surgery at UCSF, embedding equity as a core principle in surgical training and practice.

Education

Institution Degree Dept or School End Date
UCSF Trauma & Acute Care Surgery Fellowship Trauma & Acute Care Surgery 09/2025
UCSF Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Surgical Critical Care 08/2024
UCSF General Surgery Residency General Surgery 06/2023
Boston University School of Medicine MD Medicine 05/2015
Boston University School of Public Health MPH Public Health 05/2008
University of Miami BS Neuroscience 05/2006
University of Miami BA Theatre Arts 05/2006

Awards & Honors

Award Conferred By Date
ACS/Pfizer Resident Surgical Volunteerism Award American College of Surgeons HOPE/Pfizer 2024
Dr. Hilary Sanfey Outstanding Resident Award Association of Women Surgeons 2023
Evan C. Werlin Lodestar Award UCSF Department of Surgery 2023
Haile T. Debas Resident Teaching Award UCSF Department of Surgery 2023
Medical Student Teaching Award UCSF Department of Surgery 2023
William B. Schecter Trauma Resident Award UCSF 2022
Muriel Steele Society Influential Women in Surgery Honor Roll UCSF 2019/2022
Surgical Infections Society Best Oral Presentation, Second Place Surgical Infection Society 2019
Junior Resident Teaching Award UCSF 2018
Department of Emergency Medicine Surgical Consultant of the Year UCSF 2017
Dora Savenor Memorial Prize for Excellence in Surgery Boston University School of Medicine 2015
The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Student Award Boston University School of Medicine 2015

Grants and Funding

  • Global Health Equity Scholars Program - D43 Fogarty Training | NIH | 2017-07-01 - 2022-06-30 | Role: Co-Investigator
  • Research Training in Gastrointestinal Surgery | NIH | 1988-07-01 - 2021-06-30 | Role: Co-Investigator

Research Interests

Cost-Effectiveness Analyses of Surgical Organizations

Barriers to Accessing Surgical Care

Trauma Care

Research Pathways

Global Surgery & Public Health

Publications

MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 10
  1. Global Scaling of a Surgical Infection Prevention Program to 5 Low-Resource Countries.
    Writing Group for the Clean Cut Investigators Group, Nofal MR, Tesfaye A, Gebeyehu N, Starr N, Arimino S, Chaula D, Harrell-Shreckengost C, Utam T, Ambulkar R, Rocabado K, Taye Haile S, Mammo TN, Weiser TG| | PubMed
  2. Factors associated with successful implementation of Clean Cut: a perioperative surgical site infection prevention quality improvement programme-a cohort study of low-resource hospitals.
    Nofal MR, Gebeyehu N, Starr N, Tesfaye A, Arimino S, Haile ST, Mammo TN, Weiser TG| | PubMed
  3. Impact of WHO's Surgical Safety Checklist-Based Program on Cleft-lip and Palate Repair Outcomes in LMICs-The CLEAN CLEFT Program.
    Alamnie G, Timo M, Arimino S, Eshete M, Gebreegziabher A, Abate F, Kebede H, Mehendale F, Ehua-Koua M, Moulot O, Bankole R, Starr N, Mammo TN| | PubMed
  4. Injury and violence in the context of sustainable development: The first Bethune Round Table in Africa, Bethune Round Table 2024, Conference on Global Surgery, May 16-18, 2024, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
    Lett R, Bartolomeos K, Lett R, Laeke T, Tirsit A, Kassahun A, Boniface R, Munthali V, Razek T, Deckelbaum D, Bracco D, Presser E, Belay E, Kifle F, Weiser TG, Iverson K, Takoutsing BD, Dalle DU, Mbangtang CB, Nyalundja AD, Macaraeg J, Dzirasa I, Kanmounye US, Dovlo D, Koram K, Nyarko E, Jumbam DT, Shimber ET, Jaraczewski T, Sgro M, Basmayor AM, Ergete A, Iverson K, Schroeder M, Dodgion C, Gyedu A, Nakua E, Donkor P, Mock C, Awedew A, Laeke T, Yibeltal M, Ayele M, Melkamu H, Bekele S, Hailemariam B, Shiferaw E, Shiferaw Y, Yirdaw W, Sawhney R, Patel S, Basak D, Veetil DK, Roy N, Wärnberg MG, Rath S, Abdullahi MAS, Mbaya K, Kakasanda A, Danjuma S, Olasoji H, Ameh E, Bedada A, Motsumi MJ, Hamda SG, Ibro S, Amdisa D, Tilahun G, Abeza M, Laeke T, Boroditsky M, Hill M, Hilzenrat R, Livergant R, Adams J, Binda C, Chhor A, Hsiao H, Haji F, Chin E, Oyania F, Stephens CQ, Ullrich S, Kotagal M, Bajunirwe F, Ozgediz DE, Poenaru D, Kravarioti D, Wong LY, Teklemariam TL, Tirsit A, Liyew T, Ferguson M, Plackett T, Henry JC, Dodgion C, Abeza MA, Minas SM, Bouchard M, Tennakoon D, Sawhney R, Burra R, Mathew F, Jones A, Virk S, Patel S, Vaghaiwalla T, Hudspeth J, Rabin T, Rowthorn V, Price RR, Raykar N, Eamer G, Mutiso S, Kisaka Y, Gathecha G, Lett R, Onu C, Ameh E, Igoche M, Anyanwu P, Onuh E, Ojeamen O, Yawe ET, Abubakar A, Ashoms Y, Suleiman H, Musa N, Kyengera DK, Abebe N, Gardener R, Berhanu D, Abebe NS, Zeleke HT, Sawhney R, Proulx KR, Gerk A, Guadagno E, Poenaru D, Kundu S, Laor B, Sawhney R, Wurdeman T, Botelho F, Gerk A, Guadagno E, Poenaru D, Ayele M, Kassahun A, Laeke T, Yibeltal M, Hailu B, Fikru E, Ibro SA, Workineh A, Balcha F, Abamecha F, Shemsi S, Alruwaili AS, Rodriguez G, Jose A, Ebied S, Girma S, Abiy A, Assen HE, Tesfaye K, Demeke K, Yiheyis A, Jemal K, Yilkal D, Amsalu A, Derseh L, W/Gerima Y, Belayneh T, Tiruneh M, Bitew A, Yitayih S, Awoke T, Worku C, Mohammed A, Alemu M, Yesuf M, Mamo F, Shitu K, Liyew B, Gucho A, Tilahun G, Love T, Chew A, Kasagga B, Takoutsing B, Ekwaro O, Elobu E, Mengistu DD, Zhuang A, Shiferew B, Mengistu G, Zewdie A, Tadelle N, Gebreyesus A, Presser E, Iverson K, Dodgion C, Weiser TG, Koch R, Starr N, Lau D, Zivkovic I, Joharifard S, Joos E, Garraway N, Vituci F, O'Flynn E, Péric I, Simon L, Ibbotson G, Seyoum T, Azazh A, Beza L, Onah I, Chukwuma C, Berhanu D, Shenoi J, Sears N, Bedore Y, Caplan R, Shale WT| | PubMed
  5. Needs Assessment for the Development of a Sustainability Curriculum for Surgical Residents.
    Matthys M, Wang J, Sathe TS, Wang K, Gandhi S, Lee H, Alseidi A, Sustainability Curriculum Working Group| | PubMed
  6. A Perioperative Quality Improvement Program for Cesarean Delivery in Ethiopia: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.
    Mammo TN, Feyssa MD, Nofal MR, Gebeyehu N, Shiferaw MA, Tesfaye A, Fikre T, Woldeamanuel H, Alemu SB, Miller K, Haile ST, Weiser TG, Checklist Expansion for Antisepsis and Infection Control in Cesarean Section (CLEAN-CS) Trial Group| | PubMed
  7. A Prospective Quality Improvement Program to Reduce Prolonged Postoperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Ethiopia.
    Nofal MR, Tesfaye A, Gebeyehu N, Masersha MN, Hayredin I, Belayneh K, Getahun B, Starr N, Abebe K, Sebsebe Y, Alemu SB, Mammo TN, Weiser TG| | PubMed
  8. A novel global safe surgery mentorship program using a multidisciplinary team approach.
    Negash S, Starr N, Mesfin S, G Weiser T, Negussie TM| | PubMed
  9. Review of a large trauma registry in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: insights into prehospital care and provider training for trauma quality improvement.
    Starr N, Ayehu M, Zhuang A, Minalu HT, Alemu GK, Fisseha S, Chekol S, Habtemariam A, Hadis M, Alemtsehay B, Mengiste M, Kefeni Bori A| | PubMed
  10. Prehospital balanced resuscitation may mitigate hypofibrinogenemia in traumatic hemorrhagic shock.
    Starr N, Kornblith L| | PubMed