Dear Members of the UCSF Community,
I am writing to share the news that Francesca Vega, vice chancellor of Community and Government Relations, will be leaving UCSF for a new opportunity at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Over the past few years, Francesca has led our community and government relations efforts in support of several of our most important initiatives. These include UCSF’s Comprehensive Parnassus Heights Plan – our 30-year vision for developing a state-of-the-art campus that will enable us to continue driving innovations in research, education, and patient care. She also has helped us lay the community and government relations groundwork for modernizing the century-old UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland as we plan for a new hospital pavilion and clinical facilities.
Under her leadership, the Community and Government Relations team also has expanded our Anchor Institution initiative on both sides of the Bay. Our ambition is to increase the training, hiring, and promotion of individuals from under-resourced communities; direct more of UCSF’s purchasing power toward small, local businesses from those communities; and explore investment options with social impact.
Francesca has played a significant role in garnering the public support we need to continue this vital work, and I am grateful for her efforts. As we conduct a national search for the next vice chancellor of Community and Government Relations, I have appointed Ellie Rossiter, executive director for community relations and strategic partnerships, to lead the office on an interim basis.
Please join me in thanking Francesca for her contributions to UCSF and in wishing her the very best as she...
Dear Colleagues:
I am writing to let you know that Barry Selick, PhD, who has served as vice chancellor for business development, innovation and partnerships at UCSF since 2017, will step down from his post on January 8.
I am deeply grateful for the leadership Barry has demonstrated in his five-plus years as head of Innovation Ventures and the ways it has improved our ability to work with our partners in industry. As a basic scientist who spent many years in biotech, Barry knew that the efforts of our faculty inventors would have a better chance of commercial success if they were more fully developed before we tried to license them.
Under his leadership, Innovation Ventures strengthened and expanded the support provided to our translational research community in funding and helping to manage proof-of-concept studies of drug molecules, device prototypes, digital health applications and more, to gather evidence on which inventions are most likely to help patients and address significant unmet medical needs. This effort has been reflected in the quality of UCSF start-up companies that benefit from both the technology as well as the hands-on support that the Innovation Ventures team provides to our faculty founders.
For example, the Catalyst Program, which has supported 264 projects over the past 12 years, has realized a return of more than 50 times its $10 million in funding, with more than 25 companies having licensed intellectual property. The InVent Fund, which Barry started, has funded 18 projects, all of which remain active. Both programs offer mentoring and access to more than 150 volunteer advisors, who have given our faculty invaluable help. Charles Hart, PhD, and...
Dear UCSF Community:
I am delighted to announce the appointment of Catherine Lucey, MD, as UCSF’s next executive vice chancellor and provost (EVCP). Her depth of experience, leadership savvy, and insight into our mission make her an excellent match for this role.
I recruited Catherine as vice dean for education when I was dean of the School of Medicine, and in the decade since, she has been instrumental in ensuring UCSF’s success. As a practicing physician, an educator, and a key member of the leadership group under Dean Talmadge E. King, Jr., she has helped to oversee every part of UCSF’s mission: education, patient care, research, and public service.
As School of Medicine executive vice dean and vice dean for education, Catherine co-chaired our recent highly successful UCSF: The Campaign, led a redesign of the school’s curriculum, and co-chaired the Differences Matter initiative. When the pandemic struck, she was part of a core group that found ways to sustain our educational mission through the disruption.
Please join me in congratulating Catherine on her new role, which will take effect in the new year. She will be a strong partner to help us continue moving UCSF forward in the years to come.
Read more about Catherine’s career and her aspirations as EVCP.
Sincerely,
Sam Hawgood, MBBS
Chancellor
Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor
Dear UCSF Community:
After a competitive search process, we are thrilled to announce that Tung Nguyen, MD, has accepted the role of associate vice chancellor for Research – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (AVC Research – IDEA). The role of the AVC Research – IDEA is to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are embedded throughout the UCSF research enterprise through policies, practices, and value alignment toward developing a research environment that proactively addresses racism and all aspects of inequity and discrimination. This is an exciting new role that will be a member of the UCSF Office of Research leadership team.
Dr. Nguyen will guide UCSF’s research enterprise in defining its priorities according to these tenets of our university. Reporting to the vice chancellor for Research, with a dotted line to the vice chancellor of the Office of Diversity and Outreach, he also will work closely with the research deans in the schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy as well as the Graduate Division to build on the 2021 recommendations made by the Office of Research Task Force on Equity and Anti-Racism in Research.
A longstanding member of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Community Engagement and Health Policy core, Dr. Nguyen joined CTSI leadership in 2021 as director of the Research Action Group for Equity (RAGE), which aims to increase the participation of racial and ethnic minorities in health research. Dr. Nguyen also serves as a principal investigator of SF BUILD...
Dear Colleagues:
I am delighted to announce that we have selected Harold (Hal) R. Collard, MD, MS, as UCSF’s next vice chancellor for Research.
Hal has served as director of the UCSF Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTSI) and as associate vice chancellor for Clinical Research. He has a deep knowledge of how research is done at UCSF and is well prepared to lead the research enterprise.
A physician-scientist who specializes in pulmonology, Hal also has a degree in health law and policy. He understands the need for partnerships and collaboration in today’s world of advanced biomedical science and will be a strong advocate for UCSF.
Please join me in congratulating Hal on his new position in UCSF’s scientific leadership. You can read more about his background in this story on UCSF.edu.
Sincerely,
Daniel H. Lowenstein, MD
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Dr. Robert B. and Mrs. Ellinor Aird Professor of Neurology
Dear UCSF Community,
We are delighted to announce that Kendra Hypolite, MSW, LSW, joins UCSF today as the inaugural CARE Advocate for Racial Justice. Kendra will serve as Co-Director with Denise Caramagno, MA, LMFT, who has led the UCSF Center for Advocacy, Resources and Education (CARE) program since its inception in 2015.
In this newly appointed position, Kendra will provide confidential support, assistance, and advocacy on behalf of UCSF community members who are experiencing discrimination based on their race, ethnicity and/or national origin, and other protected categories. CARE Advocacy includes assistance in coordinating services on behalf of the survivor in all areas, including Student Services, Faculty and Staff Assistance, UCSF Police, coordination of legal advocacy and medical advocacy, and other assistance and services.
The UC CARE Advocate program was originally established in 2014 by former UC President Janet Napolitano with the goal of helping survivors of interpersonal violence, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. UCSF is the first UC campus to expand the program by hiring a CARE Advocate dedicated to providing confidential support to members of our community who have experienced racial/ethnic harassment or discrimination. This new role was developed as part of the UCSF Anti-racism Initiative, and Kendra’s arrival marks a significant milestone on our path to becoming a more safe, welcoming, and inclusive...
Dear UCSF Community,
I write to announce that Dan Lowenstein, who has served as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (EVCP) since 2015, will step down from that post at the end of the year. I also am pleased to share that he will continue to teach and conduct research at UCSF.
During his tenure as EVCP, Dan has been a reliably enthusiastic and empathetic voice in town halls and through his Expresso newsletter, guiding and comforting our campus community through turbulent times. I am deeply grateful to Dan for his partnership, dedication to our mission, and commitment to social justice issues as well as to the health, wellbeing, and diversity of our campus community.
Dan’s legacy of leadership includes spearheading plans for the transformation of our Parnassus Heights campus, where he first set foot as a resident physician in 1983. Throughout his tenure, Dan has exemplified our PRIDE Values, and I am honored to have served alongside him. You can read more about Dan in this UCSF.edu story.
We are beginning the search for our next EVCP immediately. I will chair the search committee, looking to draw a diverse candidate pool from within our own talented faculty or those who have had significant prior experience at UCSF. The position has been posted for internal and...
Dear UCSF Community,
I am delighted to announce that Erin Hickey has been named Vice Chancellor for University Development and Alumni Relations.
During her 20-year fundraising career, Erin has secured millions of dollars in commitments from some of the nation’s top donors in philanthropy and was part of the team that raised $6.2 billion during UCSF: The Campaign – the largest capital campaign in UCSF’s history.
With a passion and commitment for UCSF’s public mission, Erin is well positioned to lead fundraising efforts to support our highest priorities – the transformation of our Parnassus Heights campus and the rebuild of the Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland.
Please join me in congratulating Erin on this well-deserved appointment. You can read more about her story on UCSF.edu.
Sincerely,
Sam Hawgood, MBBS
Chancellor
Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor
Dear UCSF Community,
I am delighted to announce that after a nationwide search we have selected pharmacist-scientist Kathy Giacomini, PhD, as the new dean of the UCSF School of Pharmacy.
Kathy is a professor in the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, a joint department of the School of Pharmacy and School of Medicine that she chaired for more than a decade. Internationally renowned for her pioneering research on pharmacogenomics—how a person’s genetic makeup affects their response to drugs—Kathy has helped to overturn the one-size-fits-all approach to treating common conditions in the era of precision medicine and biotherapeutics.
A national leader, Kathy co-directs the UCSF-Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Sciences and Innovation, which partners with the Food and Drug Administration to modernize the development and approval of new medical products.
Kathy has won many honors and awards, most recently becoming the first woman to receive the 2021 Distinguished Pharmaceutical Scientist Award, the highest honor given by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. During her 30-year career at UCSF, she has mentored students and championed the advancement of women and underrepresented groups in science.
You can read more about Kathy’s extraordinary career in this UCSF story.
I want to thank Thomas Kearney, PharmD, who has served as interim dean since January 4, and members of the search committee, led by School of...
Dear UCSF Community,
On Tuesday, we welcomed Suresh Gunasekaran as President and CEO of UCSF Health.
In the coming days and weeks, he will be deeply immersed in learning about our organization and the people who comprise it. Suresh will be visiting clinical and non-clinical locations to meet as many of our staff and faculty as possible.
Meanwhile, we send this introductory video in which Suresh shares his thoughts on a number of topics, including why he chose UCSF Health, his commitment to patients, the well-being of our workforce, and teamwork.
I encourage you to scroll to the bottom of his bio page, which includes some fun facts that will help us get to know him better.
You also can read more about his background in this UCSF.edu story.
Suresh brings an impressive track record of health care leadership, and I am looking forward to working with him as our nationally recognized health system continues to evolve.
Sincerely,
Sam Hawgood, MBBS
Chancellor
Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor