Women in Leadership
National Centers of Excellence have been designated across the country to accelerate progress in women's health through innovative breakthroughs in research, clinical care, public health, education and community partnerships. The development and promotion of women in all domains of health and science is essential to our mission. We salute these UCSF women for their contributions as leaders in their professions and their commitment to fostering the success of the next generation.
Nerys Benfield, MD, MPH - Chief Medical Officer for Women's Health
We are thrilled to announce that Nerys Benfield, MD, MPH has accepted the position as UCSF Chief Medical Officer for Women’s Health and Vice Chair for Quality and Safety in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences.
The Covid-19 warriors at UCSF are often female, always fierce and unusually diverse
Dr. Monica Gandhi knows what San Francisco will be remembered for during the pandemic: It’s the city’s low mortality rate, claimed by San Francisco officials as a testament to the wisdom of an early shutdown.
Remembering Jeanette S. Brown, MD
Dr. Brown was a founding member of the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health and the UCSF Women’s Continence Center. She brought women-centered incontinence care to the forefront at UCSF, and pioneered multidisciplinary care by integrating medical, surgical and physical therapy treatments.
Remembering Carolina Braga, MD
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Carolina Augusta Braga, MD, former Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at UCSF. Dr. Braga died peacefully at her home in San Francisco on January 11, 2021.
Physical Therapy at UCSF: Raising the Bar for 75 Years
Today, the UCSF Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science has grown into a clinical department with three faculty practices and more than 30 faculty members. Its three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program – which forms the cornerstone of a pioneering partnership between UCSF and San Francisco State University – welcomes 50 students annually, and its academic enterprise has grown to include a PhD in rehabilitation science, three residencies, and a robust research program. This dramatic transformation can be directly attributed to the women who have led the program for the past 75 years.
Markita Mays honored for contributions to the practice of infant and early childhood mental health
Clinical social worker Markita Mays, LCSW, has been selected as the 2020 recipient of ZERO TO THREE's Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Emerging Leadership Award for Practice.
Dr. Sara Whetstone: Interim Vice Chair of Equity, Inclusion & Structural Change
The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Sara Whetstone as interim Vice Chair of Equity, Inclusion, and Structural Change.
Dr. Andrea Jackson: Interim Director of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Gynecologic Subspecialties Division
The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Andrea Jackson as the Interim Director of the Obstetrics, Gynecology & Gynecologic Subspecialties Division.
Erica Rajabi Vice President for UCSF Women's Health Services
The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Services is pleased to announce that Erica Rajabi has accepted the permanent position for Vice President for UCSF Women's Health Services. Erica joined UCSF in 2017 as the Director of Ambulatory Services for Women's Health after serving as Senior Administrative Director at NYU Langone Medical Center.
Dr. Roxanna Irani Interim Ambulatory Executive Medical Co-Director for Women's Health
The Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences is pleased to announce that Dr. Roxanna Irani is serving as Interim Ambulatory Executive Medical Co-Director for Women’s Health with Dana Gossett.
Diana Laird, PhD Awarded $1 Million Research Grant from W. M. Keck Foundation
Diana Laird, PhD was awarded a substantial grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation for her work into ovarian longevity.
Judy Young, MPH, Appointed As Executive Director of the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health
Please join us in Welcoming Judy Young to her new role as Executive Director of the National Center of Excellence (CoE) in Women’s Health. As an educator and mentor, activist and advocate, and life-long learner, Judy embraces the mission of the CoE and brings a multi-dimensional lens to addressing health inequities, disparities and social change.
Amy Murtha, MD, Appointed Chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
School of Medicine Dean Talmadge E. King, Jr., MD, announced the appointment of Amy P. Murtha, MD, as new chair of the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, effective May 1, 2018. Dr. Murtha is currently a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and in the Department of Pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine. She is the vice chair for research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and served as the department's interim chair from 2016-2017.
Julie Ann Sosa, MD, MA, FACS, Appointed As Chair of Surgery
UCSF School of Medicine Dean Talmadge King today announced the appointment of Julie Ann Sosa, MD, MA, FACS, as the new chair of the UCSF Department of Surgery, effective April 1, 2018. Dr. Sosa is currently a professor of Surgery and of Medicine (Oncology) and chief of Endocrine Surgery at the Duke University School of Medicine.
Jennifer Arnett Named UCSF's Vice Chancellor of University Development and Alumni Relations
Jennifer P. Arnett, a primary architect of UCSF: The Campaign, the University’s recently announced $5 billion fundraising initiative, has been named Vice Chancellor of University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR), effective January 1, 2018.
Anna Maria Napoles Appointed Scientific Director of NIMHD
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) has appointed Anna Maria Nápoles, PhD, MPH, as scientific director of its Division of Intramural Research. Nápoles, a UC San Francisco behavioral epidemiologist, is the first Latina to be named a scientific director at the National Institutes of Health.
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS Appointed as Chair of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Inaugural Vice Dean for Population Health and Health Equity
Dean Talmadge E. King, Jr., MD, announced the appointment of Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, as the new chair of the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, effective October 1, and the inaugural vice dean for Population Health and Health Equity, effective August 1.
Lindsey Criswell Named Vice Chancellor of Research
Lindsey A. Criswell, MD, MPH, DSc, a longtime professor in the School of Medicine, has been named vice chancellor for research for UC San Francisco. Criswell will direct UCSF’s effort to advance innovative, collaborative, and interdisciplinary biomedical research across the University’s professional schools and graduate programs.
Catherine Gillis Named Dean of School of Nursing
A national leader in nursing who served as dean at two top U.S. universities and is a former member of the UCSF faculty, Catherine L. Gilliss, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been appointed dean of the UCSF School of Nursing. She will also serve as associate vice chancellor for nursing affairs. Gillis joins UCSF from Duke University, where she was dean of the School of Nursing (2004-2014). After 10 years as dean and vice chancellor for nursing affairs, she stepped down in August 2014 and was on leave for the 2014-15 academic year to be a fellow in the Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute.
Welcome Kendra Hypolite, UCSF CARE Advocate for Racial Justice
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.
Kroetz named next chair of Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
By Levi Gadye / Wed Sep 29, 2021
When Deanna Kroetz, PhD, first encountered the pharmaceutical sciences in the 1980s as a student, her career path was uncertain. As she bounced from caring for patients as an intern in a hospital pharmacy to studying pharmacology as a research assistant in a laboratory, one question kept gnawing at her: why do people respond so differently to the same medications?
Today, Kroetz, a faculty member in the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, is an expert in pharmacogenomics, a field that uses human genetics to understand why certain drugs can have particularly beneficial or detrimental effects on certain patients.
UCSF Names Nicquet Blake as Vice Provost of Student Academic Affairs
Neuroscientist With Long Record of Advocacy Also Will Serve as Dean of Graduate Division