Dear UCSF Community,

I am writing to share that UCSF has received a gift from San Francisco philanthropists Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao to support critical priorities across our mission, including the modernization of our facilities and advances in research and innovation.

The $100 million in funding offers us significant, flexible resources at a pivotal moment for UCSF. It includes meaningful support for capital projects where most needed across the enterprise, including our Parnassus Heights and Oakland locations. These investments are essential to ensuring that our facilities are able to meet the growing needs of our clinical, research, and educational programs.

The gift also advances our leadership in cancer research through a matching commitment to the Weill Cancer Hub West. This support will accelerate early-stage projects already underway to develop new approaches to preventing and treating cancer, in collaboration with colleagues at Stanford University.

Kathy and Ken have been longstanding partners to UCSF and the University of California, bringing both philanthropy and deep engagement to our work. Ken’s leadership on the UCSF Foundation Board, in particular, has helped guide our efforts during a period of significant change and growth.

We are grateful for their continued confidence in UCSF and the impact of our mission.  

You can read more in the full announcement.

Sincerely, 


Sam Hawgood, MBBS 
Chancellor, UC San Francisco 
Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor