Unit Director, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, UCSF Benioff Childrens Hospital
Here is what Brandie's nominator had to say about her:
Brandie is an incredible manager who leads her department with kindness and compassion. She thinks about staff's well-being and what motivates them.
- Nominated by Vicky Barragan
Brandie's Bio:
I found UCSF on my search for Nursing Graduate School programs focused on Nursing Health Policy. In 2011, I made one of the best decisions of my life and moved across the country from Orlando, Florida to San Francisco, California to obtain my Masters in Nursing Health Policy at the UCSF School of Nursing. During my graduate school tenure, I worked full-time in UCSF BCH Pediatric Intensive Care Unit as a direct patient care nurse. The Nursing Health Policy program was a unique and enriching experience that afforded me the opportunity to reside in Washington, DC for a summer during one of the most active legislative health policy sessions in our recent history. I completed my Masters in 2013 and decided to remain in the PICU as we were preparing to move to our new hospital in Mission Bay.
Shortly after our move in...
Cynthia Barginere
Cynthia is accountable for achieving our goals across all adult inpatient programs and key adult service lines. She will oversee the strategy, finances, quality, safety, work culture, and operations and management of clinical services for adult services for our Parnassus, Mission Bay, and Mount Zion campuses. Cynthia will immediately focus on efforts to improve our inpatient throughput and optimize patient flow across all of our sites.
Cynthia has more than 20 years of experience in leadership positions in academic and complex teaching facilities, and in developing physician leader partnerships. She most recently served as COO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Boston, where she was responsible for the institute’s $53 million profit and loss, and oversaw strategy, business development and operational execution. Prior to IHI, she was senior vice president, chief transformation officer for Rush System for Health, and senior vice president, chief operating officer for Rush Hospital.
Born and raised in New Kent County, Virginia, Courtney Macon earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Fisk University and has since been a lover of things STEM. Her current position as a research technician in the Rosenblum lab at UCSF speaks to this. There she has worked in skin tissue immunology research and has been published in Science Immunology. She also has a passion for women’s health and wellness, with a special focus on the health and wellness of Black women and other women of color. She’s honored to join this International Women’s Day virtual panel and looks forward to sharing her insights and experiences.
Administrative Director, Digestive Cancer Service Line, UCSF Health Adult Cancer Services
Here is what Rebecca's nominator had to say about her:
Rebecca leads one of the largest departments in the Cancer Center. She is highly dedicated, gracious, helpful, and has a heart for all of the patients and staff she works with and beyond! CONTINUED: I've known Rebecca to come in on her day off to help train new team members. I've seen her advocate for many patients in a myriad of situations. Although constantly busy, she'll always make time to listen to others (whether staff members or patients) and do whatever she can to meet the need. She always contributes great ideas in meetings and thinks outside the box. Rebecca is amazing!
Rebecca's Bio:
My time at UCSF began several years before I was officially hired. I volunteered in the Cancer Center in my spare time, getting tea donations for the waiting rooms and handling various administrative tasks. I was looking for something that would give me a chance to contribute in a profoundly impactful way. Years earlier, I had graduated from University of San Francisco (USF) with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business, with an emphasis in Finance. After that, I worked as a Systems Analyst at Accenture. That was a great first job right out of college, but I craved more human connection and adventure, so I went to work at United Airlines. At United, I was a...
Ultrasound Operations Manager for Parnassus Heights, Benioff Children’s Hospital at Mission Bay, Precision Cancer Medical Building, Mount Zion Medical Center, Joint Venture Golden Gates Women’s Imaging and UCSF/ John Muir Partnership at Berkeley Outpatient Center
Here is what Chelsey's nominator had to say about her:
P - Chelsy's ability to stay calm under pressure is legendary. She is the type of leader that listens first, processes and deliberates with care.
R - She acts with great care to both patients and staff sonographers. Chelsy is the kind of leader that advocates for the highest patient care while maintaining high consideration for her staff.
I- Without compromise, Chelsy has lead this department through challenging waters over these past few years. She has consistently shown up to her team as a fair and logical leader.
D-Chelsy has a skill of identifying people's individual strengths. She gifts her staff with autonomy to excel and encourages everyone's achievements. It is truly a pleasure to work under such strong mentorship.
E- Chelsy is the type of leader that invests in her people's growth. She not only looks for opportunities to invest in her staff's educational/career growth, but can also weave win-win opportunities out of undesirable situations. For example: during Covid shut down, Ultrasound department took the opportunity to acquire ACR accreditation for all 5 sites. This was a massive undertaking that was facilitated by staff downtime.
Chelsy gives her all to our department....
Nurse, USCF BCH-Oakland Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Aday's Bio:
I was born in Mexico City and immigrated to the east bay with my parents and siblings when I was four years old. I came from very humble beginnings. I grew up with loving and supportive parents. Through their encouragement and support, I obtained an Associate of Nursing Degree from Solano Community College in Fairfield and began my nursing career at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland (BCHO). I am proud to say that I have been at BCHO for the past 34 years and counting!
I follow my mom's motto, "Never give up, learn as much as possible, and always give back to your community." So, in 2019, I returned to school and completed my Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing with honors at Samuel Merritt University. In other words, Si Se Puede!
I love my work as an RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at BCHO. I care for some of the smallest and sickest babies. I feel honored and privileged to be a part of a family's NICU journey. Although, I have also challenged myself to do more for our unit and community. I now chair the NICU Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Anti-racism (DEI/AR) Brave Space and Co-Chair UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals Chicanx, Latinx, Campus Association (BCH CLCA). I am currently involved with many of our...
Dr. Sara LaHue is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology at UCSF and Visiting Scientist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. She previously worked at the Women’s Choice Clinic (Oakland, CA) and now serves as the Director of Education for Sex and Gender Enriched (SAGE) Neurology at UCSF.
Diana Greene Foster, PhD, is a demographer and professor at the University of California, San Francisco. She led the United States Turnaway Study, a nationwide longitudinal prospective study of the health and well-being of women who seek abortion including both women who do and do not receive the abortion. She is leading a study of the health, legal and economic consequences of the end of Roe in the United States and a Turnaway Study in Nepal. She is the author of over 120 scientific papers as well as the 2020 book, The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women and the Consequences of Having – or Being Denied – an Abortion.
M. Antonia Biggs, PhD, is an Associate Professor and social psychologist at UCSF’s Advancing New Standard in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) Program. Dr. Biggs’ research is dedicated towards better understanding the challenges faced by people wanting to access sexual and reproductive health services and the psychological consequences of denying people wanted care. Dr. Biggs is leading a national study assessing interest in alternative models of medication abortion provision, changes in prevalence of self-managed abortion, and people’s attitudes towards criminalizing self-managed abortion. Her work aims to inform clinical and public policies that will improve care and ensure bodily autonomy and well-being. Dr. Biggs holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Boston University.
Andréa Becker, PhD, is a medical sociologist and postdoctoral research fellow at ANSIRH. Dr. Becker's work examines how social inequality manifests at every stage of human reproduction—from contraception and sterilization, abortion and birth, to sexual experiences. Her forthcoming book Unchoosable (NYU Press, 2024) analyzes contemporary hysterectomy experiences from a trans-inclusive and reproductive justice framework. In addition to academic work, Becker regularly contributes to popular media outlets, including The New York Times, Slate, and The Nation.