Word on the Wards (WoW) is an outstanding interdisciplinary program established by UCSF students in 2014. It is based at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and empowers students from various UCSF professional programs to act as health coaches. The main goal of the program is to provide essential health education, aiming to address common issues such as low health literacy and social isolation. Through their involvement in WoW, students gain valuable experience in health coaching and develop empathy by interacting with patients from marginalized communities. This unique experience not only enhances their academic pursuits but also shapes them into compassionate healthcare practitioners ready to create a meaningful impact in their respective fields.​

This site also features students' experiences and insights during their time with WoW. We heard from many students how much their patient encounters impacted both the patients themselves as well as their own perspectives on healthcare.  We thought it would be a missed opportunity not to captures these meaningful moments. You can find all the stories in the "Stories from our Volunteers" tab.​​​