John H. Fullerton, MD
John H. Fullerton, MD, MRO, CMD, CFP, FACP, AGSF, FAAHPM, FASAM
Founder & President
Internal Medicine/Geriatric Medicine
Dr. John H. Fullerton completed his undergraduate work in Biology at the College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, VA) and graduated with honors in 1980.
He received his Medical Degree from the University of Miami, School of Medicine at Jackson Memorial/VA Hospitals (Miami, FL) in 1985.
His Medical Internship and Medical Residency was completed at Pacific Presbyterian Hospital (currently known as California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA). He was awarded "Resident of the Year."
During his tenure at Pacific Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Fullerton served as Chief Medical Resident in 1988. He is also published in the medical text.
He served as a Medical Teaching, Attending and Vice Chief (and Acting Chief) of Medicine in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from 1989-91. He was a medical consultant to members of the Royal Family (including a past Minister of Health).
Dr. Fullerton is Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and in Geriatrics. He maintains active medical licenses in both California and Florida. He is also Board Certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and holds national certificates of added qualifications as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) at multiple levels of care locally and in Home Care (AAHCP).
In January of 2010, Dr. Fullerton was nominated to be a Fellow with the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (FAAHPM). Additionally, he is Board Certified in Addiction Medicine (ABAM) and in 2011 was among a small number of addiction specialists chosen to sit for the Boards sponsored by the American Academy of Medical Review Officers - (AAMRO) and received his MRO certification from the Medical Review Officers Certification Counsel (MROCC).
In May 2014, Dr. Fullerton took office for a two-year term as President-Elect for the CA Chapter of AMDA (American Medical Directors Association), after serving as Vice-President-Elect for the previous two years.
Dr. Fullerton served as the Certified Medical Director to Aegis of Corte Madera for twelve years where he maintains his Corte Madera practice focusing on geriatric care and preventative medicine in both the Assisted Living and the Alzheimer's Disease (Life's Neighborhood) units.
In November 2014 Dr. Fullerton accepted the appointment as Certified Medical Director to AlmaVia of San Rafael and opened the Hampton Health, Ltd.™ San Rafael practice within the Assisted Living Community. The AlmaVia office has also been deemed a geriatric training site through numerous hospital and university educational affiliation agreements with residents and students training on-site with Dr. Fullerton.
He has many years of clinical and teaching experience in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. He was previously co-founder and manager of an early "hospitalist" physician group in San Francisco, CA. He is credited with inventing the hospitalist business (and clinical) methods of care; submitting the first method patent for hospitalist care-"The Sub-Acute Solution: A Method for Hospital-Based Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Medical Care and Training"-c in 12/93.
He organized geriatric wards and assisted in teaching Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, as well as Hospice & Palliative Medicine at California Pacific Medical Center (San Francisco) and UCSF.
Dr. Fullerton is on the clinical faculty of UCSF, USC and Yale University Medical School(s) in their respective Department(s) of Medicine and has served as a clinical instructor for medical students and residents at the San Francisco Free Clinic (SFFC is an affiliate of UCSF and Yale Medical Schools and the 2013 recipient of the 'University of San Francisco California Prize for Service and the Common Good').
From 1999-2010 Dr. Fullerton served as a clinical preceptor and occasional geriatrics lecturer for the Stanford University School of Medicine Primary Care Associate Program, whose PA-students rotated through his on-site geriatrics office at Aegis of Corte Madera, as do the students of the Physician Assistant Program from Samuel Merritt University currently.
He was named the Director of Geriatric Training for the Internal Medicine Residents at St. Mary's Medical Center (Dignity Healthcare-SF) in 2009 where Internal Medicine medical residents rotated, utilizing the Aegis of Corte Madera and San Rafael medical office sites as a core geriatric teaching sites for their month-long rotation with Dr. Fullerton. He has also served on two hospital-based ethics committees (with an emphasis on geriatrics, long-term care, and medical directorship). Dr. Fullerton remained Director of Geriatric Training at St. Mary's until he retired from his position in October 2016.
December 14th, 1994 is "Dr. John Fullerton Day in San Francisco". Mayor Frank Jordon awarded Dr. Fullerton this proclamation for: "His large body of hospital-based work," teaching and caring for the SF urban under-served; his focus was devoted to caring for geriatric patients, acute rehabilitation patients, organ transplant patients, hospice and palliative care of the terminally ill, and patients with HIV/AIDS; and for "giving them improved quality of life, and when possible, a realistic hope for an independent future."
Honorary Chairman, California Medicare Council 2003.
Awarded the International Organizational Heroes Award from the Berkeley School of Public Health (along with the other key providers and volunteers at the SFFC).
Congressional Award (NRCC)-"2003 California Physician of the Year".
Consumer Reports Award for: "Best Doctor in America" (2007 & 2008 Editions).
Active in the American Medical Association (AMA), American Geriatrics Society (AGS) (where he sits on the Elder Abuse Prevention Task Force), California Medical Association (CMA), Marin Medical Society, Certified by the American Medical Director's Association (AMDA), American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), American Academy of Home Care Physicians (AAHCP), American College of Physicians (ACP-Fellow), San Francisco Medical Society (SFMS).
Dr. Fullerton proudly serves on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine (CALTCM), where he is also Chair of the Legislative Sub-Committee and Member of the Policy and Professional Services Committee and further serves as the AMDA (American Medical Director's Association) Chair of Public Policy for the State of California in Washington, DC.
He maintains Medical Staff Privileges at Marin General Hospital (MGH-Greenbrae) where he is an active member of the Laboratory Liaison Committee and typically utilizes and communicates frequently with the ER and/or the hospitalists. Also a life-time member of the Association of Clinical Faculty (ACF) at UCSF, key clinical faculty at St. Mary's Medical Center (and their hospital-based: Sister Mary Philippa Health Care Center), with additional Active Medical Staff Privileges at St. Mary's Hospital (SF, CA).
John H. Fullerton, MD Curriculum Vitae
San Francisco Medical Society (SFMS) March 2013 Featured Member of the Month