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About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Article / Review by on January 3, 2012 – 6:00 pmNo Comments

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About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Leading the Way

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It is the only campus in the 10-campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences.medicinezine.com University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) logo 540ok

> About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It is the only UC campus in the 10-campus system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences.

Shuvo Roy, PhD, an engineer and scientist, is leading a project to build the world's first bioartificial kidney to treat end-stage renal disease. Photo by Elena Zhukova.Shuvo Roy, PhD, an engineer and scientist, is leading a project to build the world’s first bioartificial kidney to treat end-stage renal disease. Photo by Elena Zhukova.

Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, is UCSF chancellor. She is the first woman and ninth chancellor to lead the campus, which was founded in 1864.

UCSF today boasts high-ranking schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy and a Graduate Division, plus one of the nation’s top programs in patient care. All four professional schools, virtually all UCSF graduate programs, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital rank among the best in the country in the latest surveys by US News & World Report and other agencies.

A hallmark of UCSF excellence is a spirit of collaboration among all disciplines that carries through its wide spectrum of patient care, research and education programs, fostering an environment of innovation and discovery. The result is groundbreaking life sciences research and world-class health care that support UCSF’s mission: advancing health worldwide™.

As one of the most prominent institutions in the San Francisco Bay Area, UCSF has a total paid workforce of 22,800 and is a major economic engine for the entire region. UCSF generates more that 39,000 jobs (including those at UCSF) and produces an estimated impact of $6.2 billion that includes operations, construction, salaries, and local purchases by employees, students and visitors, according to a 2010 economic impact report.

About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Patient Care.

The clinical enterprise is recognized nationally for its leading patient care specialists, who work together as a team to develop new treatment approaches and to achieve the best outcomes. They are among the nation’s leading experts in virtually all specialties, including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, immunological disorders and organ transplantation, as well as specialty services for women and children. People from all parts of the United States – and from across the world – come to UCSF to receive health care services.

With two major sites at Parnassus and Mount Zion, UCSF Medical Center is a referral center for patients requiring highly specialized medical care that involves advanced and complex procedures. The medical center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital together have 722 licensed beds and generate about 763,000 outpatient visits per year.

UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital are ranked among the best hospitals in the US.

With a history of strong operating performance and clinical innovation, UCSF Medical Center has ranked as one of the top 10 hospitals in the country for 10 years in a row in the US News & World Reportannual best hospitals survey. The 2010-2011 survey ranks UCSF Medical Center at No. 7, making it the highest-ranked center in Northern California, and ranks UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital among the nation’s best in eight specialties, making it one of the top four pediatric facilities in Northern California.

Mental health services at UCSF are provided by Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospitals and Clinics, the clinical arm of Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute (LPPI). LPPI is among the nation’s foremost resources for comprehensive and compassionate patient care, research and education in the mental health field.

The UCSF Dental Center provides comprehensive dental services, ranging from routine to sophisticated oral health procedures, at 14 clinics located at three sites in San Francisco.

UCSF also serves the city’s vulnerable populations at several health care facilities, including St. Anthony Free Clinic, Buchanan Dental Center and Glide Health Services.

About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Research.

Research efforts focusing on the life sciences draw on the remarkable talent and achievements of UCSF’s cadre of exceptional investigators, trainees and staff, who support the pervasive spirit of collaboration and entrepreneurship.

An investigator works in a labortory.

UCSF is first among public institutions and second among all institutions nationwide in research support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for fiscal year 2009, garnering a total of $463 million. UCSF also ranks first among public institutions and second among all institutions in research and expenditures in science and engineering fields, with a total of $885 million for fiscal year 2008, according to the most recent data reported by the National Science Foundation.

UCSF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute was established in 2006 with a $108 million grant from the NIH and a mandate to find a way to speed scientific discoveries from the lab to patients. UCSF is also one of the leading institutional recipients of science-based stimulus funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, with 360 awards and $166.5 million in funding as of Nov. 3, 2010.

Research programs in the basic, clinical, social and behavioral, and population sciences are recognized internationally. Preeminent faculty, who are conducting basic science investigations at the genetic, cellular, molecular and systems level, are unmasking the fundamental mechanisms of biology. And acclaimed faculty conducting investigations involving humans are discovering new solutions for preventing and treating a wide array of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes, genetic disorders, immunological and infectious disease, and reproductive and developmental disorders.

UCSF produced more than 600 patents between 2000 and 2009, a greater number than any other UC campus. From 2008 to 2009, UCSF patents brought in an average annual income of $64 million. In addition, UCSF has provided the innovative spark for an estimated 90 life sciences start-up companies that were spawned or spun off from its labs.

The research enterprise also is stimulated through partnerships with business, industry and research organizations. In an effort to further support this effort, UCSF over the past two years revamped and streamlined its approach to industry partnerships to help move research more quickly and strategically from the laboratory to clinical trials and patient treatment.

About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Education.

Doctoral student Maryam Vareth listens to a lecture on breast cancer at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center in October 2010.

At its core, UCSF remains an institution of higher learning, a place where tomorrow’s leaders in the life sciences, health care and health policy get their education and training. It serves as a magnet for the nation’s and the world’s top faculty, students, residents and postdoctoral scholars – a community of the best and the brightest.

UCSF faculty are ranked third for “scholarly productivity” among all universities and research institutes worldwide, according to 2007 data published by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The four professional schools and Graduate Division all rank among the nation’s most prestigious advanced study programs in the health sciences, and their academic missions reflect UCSF’s innovative spirit by emphasizing health care advocacy, patient care excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration:

  • School of Dentistry is recognized nationwide for its novel approaches to dental education, including combined DDS-PhD and DDS-MBA programs and a special one-year training course geared to helping disadvantaged students gain admission to US dental schools. The school teaches and practices a philosophy of minimally invasive dentistry that embraces prevention before surgical intervention.
  • School of Medicine is the only school in the country to rank among the top five in both research and primary care in the 2010-2011 survey on America’s best graduate schools by US News & World Report. UCSF is tied for No. 4 in research and tied for No. 5 in primary care. The school encourages its students to incorporate inquiry, innovation and discovery throughout their careers, whether in private practice, industry or government, academic medicine, or other pursuits.
  • School of Nursing ranks No. 2 in the nation in the most recent (2007) survey conducted by US News & World Report in which nursing schools were evaluated. The school provides education and research training in the social, behavioral and biological sciences, with a focus on health, illness and health care.
  • School of Pharmacy ranks No. 1 in the nation in the most recent (2008) survey conducted by US News & World Report that included pharmacy schools. The school teaches students to be lifelong experts in the safe and effective use of medicines and to be effective and vocal members of the health care team.
  • Graduate Division oversees educational programs that rank at the top nationally, including seven in the top 10 in the prestigious National Research Council’s 2010 survey. The division administers programs that are cross-discipline, cross-department and even cross-school, rather than being based in one department, thereby fostering a culture of collaboration that leads to greater accomplishments.

About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). San Francisco Presence.

UCSF is a multisite university with three major, multi-building campuses in San Francisco: Parnassus Heights, Mission Bay and Mount Zion. In addition, major programs and departments are located at 19 other sites owned or leased by UCSF throughout the city, plus San Francisco General Hospital and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Graduate students from around the country gathered at UCSF for the Graduate Division’s annual book camp for postdoctoral scholars in September 2009.

The 57-acre UCSF Mission Bay campus is the newest campus, with its first building opened in 2003. The facilities at Mission Bay are geared to doubling UCSF’s research space and speed the pace of biomedical discovery and innovation.

On the Mission Bay campus, a new UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay with hospitals for children, women and cancer patients is scheduled to open in 2014. It will have space to grow to 550 beds.

About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). UCSF Community and Diversity.

With a workforce of about 22,800 employees, UCSF is the second-largest employer in the city and the fifth-largest in the Bay Area. The paid workforce comprises about 2,400 faculty and 20,400 staff.

On any given day, the UCSF community also includes students and others who are involved in education and training. Representing a total of 94 countries, this group counts 2,940 students enrolled in degree programs, 1,620 residents (physicians, dentists and pharmacists in training) and 1,030 postdoctoral scholars.

Commitment to promoting diversity among its faculty, staff, students and trainees is one of the top priorities at UCSF. The goal is to make the University a truly inclusive community, representing the extraordinary diversity among the citizens of San Francisco and California.

About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). In the Community.

Since the early days of treating neighbors in need after the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, UCSF has long been an integral part of the community.

Community programs include the nationally recognized Science & Health Education Partnership (SEP), which brings UCSF scientists and San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) educators together to support quality science education for K-12 students. Each year, more than 300 UCSF participants contribute about 10,000 hours of service, and work with more than 400 SFUSD teachers representing more than 90 percent of the K-12 public schools in San Francisco.

The University Community Partnerships Office, established in 2006, builds collaborative relationships between UCSF and the community, promoting civic engagement, fostering community health and well-being, and enhancing the environment for education, research, employment and patient care at UCSF. The office serves as a bridge between UCSF and the community, emphasizing partnerships that value and respect the assets and diversity of both.

Through UCSF Global Health Sciences, UCSF’s reach goes well beyond US borders. An innovative team of educators, researchers and health care professionals works around the world to train global health leaders and build sustainable solutions to improve health and eliminate disease.

 About University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Affiliations.

UCSF been a partner since 1873 with San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), the city’s public safety-net hospital and only level I trauma center, which serves the most vulnerable populations. SFGH is staffed by more than 2,000 UCSF physicians and allied health care professionals from all four UCSF schools, who work alongside 3,500 city employees. SFGH also is an important training ground for future health care professionals and researchers.

The J. David Gladstone Institutes, center, was the first to move near UCSF Mission Bay.
The J. David Gladstone Institutes, center,
was the first to move near UCSF Mission Bay.

Since 1968, UCSF also has been affiliated with the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center (SFVAMC), with all four schools partnering in patient care, research and education programs. SFVAMC serves as a teaching hospital with UCSF health care professionals providing care to the nation’s veterans. More than 240 full- and part-time faculty and staff work at SFVAMC.

In the Bay Area, UCSF has affiliations with two Bay Area biomedical research organizations: J. David Gladstone Institutes, which focuses on the study of cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, and Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders, and the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, which studies the biological basis of alcohol abuse and substance abuse.

At the federal level, UCSF is affiliated with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and serves as one of its host institutions. HHMI is a medical research organization that appoints leading scientists as HHMI investigators, providing funds to support their research at their home institutions. Selection as an HHMI investigator is a prestigious appointment, and UCSF currently has 18 faculty members named to this position.


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> University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Mission & Vision.

The mission of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is advancing health worldwide. To fulfill this mission, UCSF outlined these six goals in its first-ever strategic plan:

UCSF introduced its advancing health worldwide™ mission statement in 2007.

  • Develop the world’s future leaders in health care delivery, research and education. UCSF is currently at the forefront of health sciences education, and is well positioned to meet the growing demand for health professionals and scientists. The development of the next generation of leaders in health care delivery, research and education is vitally important to the economic and social well-being of California and the world.
  • Be a world leader in scientific discovery and its translation into exemplary health. The pace of major scientific and technological discovery is remarkably rapid. But meaningful translation of these developments into treatments and disease prevention is lagging. UCSF is uniquely poised to alter this trend by creating new research models that accelerate translation. UCSF boasts an exceptional cadre of distinguished investigators, a diverse portfolio of leading-edge research programs spread across four preeminent health professional schools, a pioneering health care enterprise and an unparalleled spirit of cooperation.
  • Provide high-quality, patient-centered care leading to optimal outcomes and patient satisfaction. This goal commits the clinical enterprise to the core principle that care at UCSF is patient-centered. It also recognizes that UCSF’s students receive their best training in an institution that has systems and staffing that are designed to optimize outcomes and eradicate medical errors. This commitment was reiterated in the UCSF Clinical Enterprise Strategic Plan adopted in the fall of 2008.
  • Educate, train and employ a diverse faculty, staff and student body. Offering a wide range of educational and career opportunities for students, faculty and staff, UCSF seeks candidates whose life experience, work experience or community service has prepared them to contribute to UCSF’s commitment to diversity and excellence. Diversity is a defining feature of California’s past, present and future, and refers to the variety of personal experiences, values and worldviews that arise from differences in culture and circumstance. Such differences include race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and geographic region, among others.
  • Provide a supportive and effective work environment to attract and retain the best people and position UCSF for the future. Recruiting and retaining excellent faculty and ensuring that they have an environment that supports their academic and personal needs are essential to maintaining the international stature and reputation, and thus the future, of UCSF. To achieve all of UCSF’s long-term goals, which are ambitious and far-reaching, leadership and participation by faculty of the highest caliber are critical. Likewise, recruiting and retaining excellent staff are equally essential to supporting the academic community to continue the outstanding research, teaching, community service and health care.
  • Serve the local, regional and global communities and eliminate health disparities. Community and public service is integral to the UCSF vision of advancing health worldwide™. Whether focusing on breakthroughs in basic science research, devising innovations in patient care, or training the next generation of leaders in health sciences and health care, UCSF faculty, staff, students and trainees share a common purpose of wanting to make a difference to improve the health of people in the local, regional and global communities. As a public university, UCSF has a particular responsibility to ensure that it contributes to the public good and is an exemplar of civic responsibility. Striving to eliminate health disparities is one important part of this social responsibility.

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