Kevin Barrows, MD

Kevin Barrows, MD is the Medical Director the Osher Center for IM and an Associate Clinical Professor at UCSF. He graduated from the UCSF School of Medicine in 1993 and completed a family medicine residency in 1996.  He was in the first class of Bravewell fellows (2004-2006), completed the two-year fellowship in integrative medicine through the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, and received board certification through the American Board of Holistic Medicine in 2004.  

Dr. Barrows' primary interest is mind-body medicine, with a special focus on the application of mindfulness practice in health care settings. He is the founder and director of Mindfulness Programs at the Osher Center.  He has been practicing mindfulness since 1991 and teaching since 1999.  He was the principal investigator on a study examining the effects of MBSR on health professional students. He was also a co-investigator in research examining the effects of mindfulness meditation on people with HIV and has been a consultant for other mindfulness-related research.  He lectures frequently on mindfulness in medicine and has published articles on mindfulness and mind-body medicine.

During his tenure as Medical Director the Osher Clinic has achieved its highest patient volume ever, produced record financial performance, added an Integrative Pediatrics program, started an Ayurveda program and established the nation’s first Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting program including a clinical training program to develop future teachers of MBCP.  Dr. Barrows also serves as the PI on multiple clinical grants.

Dr. Barrows actively teaches and mentors students, residents and faculty who are interested in integrative medicine. He has written three book chapters on integrative medicine, one of which appears in the world’s best-selling medical textbook, Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment.  Other chapters include integrative cardiology and integrative mental health.

Dr. Barrows is also an advisory board member and principal seminar leader for the Cancer Awareness, Resources and Education (CARE) Program at San Francisco General Hospital, a Spanish-language program for low-income people with cancer.