Director of Communications, Institute for Global Health Sciences and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Overview of Journey at UCSF:
I came to UCSF in 2015 after spending eight years in marketing and development at UC Berkeley. When exploring job openings at UCSF, I came across a marketing role at the UCSF Library and the rest was history. My time at the UCSF Library was such an adventure. When I joined the Library was at a crossroads trying to define their relevance and identity within UCSF. We decided that the Library would dive head first into innovation and creativity. Over the next five years we established a maker’s lab, leaned into classes and events (and experimented with online courses) and redesigned the website toward a service-based model. In 2019, I decided it was time to explore other departments at UCSF and my outgoing manager recommended that I apply to the communications role at the Institute for Global Health Sciences and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. It was a space I had absolutely no experience in, but I found that as a communicator, I thrive off of jumping into new sectors and providing a fresh pair of eyes. Who would have thought, what we all would be facing around the corner? When the pandemic hit six months into my role, my global health and public health education accelerated at an exponential rate. As I was building the airplane, I had to fly that thing too! Everything from crisis communications to social justice communications to virtual event planning was my life in the last two and...
Project Analyst, Revenue Cycle Strategy
Overview of Journey at UCSF:
My journey at UCSF actually started in 2013 when I was hired as a Medical Assistant in the Arthritis and Rheumatology Clinic in the ACC building at Parnassus. I then left UCSF and pivoted my career into the business side of healthcare – during which I spent several years as a healthcare consultant – before returning to UCSF in February 2019. Upon rejoining UCSF, I was hired as a Project Analyst to ensure Revenue Cycle readiness for the UCSF Health strategic expansion and integration projects that have only increased in number/scope since that time. I love my role because it allows me to connect with so many different stakeholders across the organization and every project UCSF takes on is different, which means I’m always learning new things!
What’s on your reading list?
I just finished reading “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens, which was incredible. It’s actually being made into a movie that is coming out in a couple months, so I’m excited to see how the story is portrayed. I’m now reading Ho’oponopono by Ulrich E. Dupree. Ho’oponopono is a Hawaiian ritual of forgiveness through which people can gain a better understanding of how we are all connected and foster peace in our lives by letting go of the past through forgiveness of ourselves and others using the four tenets of: I am sorry, Please forgive me, I love you, and Thank you.
What’s your ideal weather?
I grew...
Registered Dietitian
Overview of Journey at UCSF:
I first came to UCSF for my yearlong dietetic internship to complete my training in clinical nutrition. A few months after completing the internship and passing the accreditation exam I was hired. I currently work at Mission Bay as an in-patient pediatric dietitian. I love the diversity of the work I do with patients and families in helping them optimize their nutrition while at the hospital. Whether they are able to eat by their mouths, a feeding tube or through IV nutrition I work with the families to a regimen that works best for them.
What’s on your reading list?
I am currently reading “More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are” by Elaine Welteroth. It’s a book about navigating the workplace as a woman of color, empowerment, self-love, and refusing to conform to the world around us.
What’s your ideal weather?
I am my happiest when the sun is shining bright. I love the warm weather, so as long as the sun is out, I am a happy girl!
What advice would you give yourself early on in your career? To a woman entering your field today?
To my younger self I would say be open to new opportunities and experiences. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box to find what interests you. I also wish I had known the value of balance. Don’t overextend yourself and know that it’s okay to say no, especially if you’re at capacity. To the women entering the world of...
Ambulatory Patient Care Manager, Pediatric Surgical Specialties
Overview of Journey at UCSF:
During Heidi's time at UCSF, she has revamped clinic workflows and design of Craniofacial Center to improve patient, family, staff, and provider satisfaction with significant improvements in clinic throughput, patient experience, and clinic capacity for greater than 200 visits in a single day for multi-disciplinary clinic. In order to improve upon photography and plan of care for Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate babies after only being with the organization for five weeks, Heidi applied for and was awarded the President's Innovation Fund-San Francisco which amounted to $31,349.
Heidi's work increased clinic capacity for ambulatory procedures with subsequent increases in revenue and RVU’s for providers. She worked for 1.5 years to received approval and placement of a Pyxis machine in the ambulatory space to increase safety, reduce waste and diversion, and improve upon the mission, vision, and values of the organization. She assisted in the coordination and initiation of AWAKE Botox procedures in our Pediatric Surgical Specialties – Peds Urology to help reduce the number of times pediatric patients were being subjected to general anesthesia for serial studies and procedures with starting in April 2021. This resulted in the increase of sessions the clinic was able to offer over time. In a time where space is highly coveted, Heidi repurposed the clinic space to increase capacity and effectiveness. Some of the many process improvement...
Professor, Ob/Gyn, Reproductive Sciences
Here is what Ana's nominator had to say about her:
Ana is a superstar. I've been lucky enough to share spaces with her and see her dedication to patients, diversity, and equity. She is a great advocate for patients & is always willing to educate them; her trauma informed approach helps her be respectful & caring. She is also passionate about equity & diversity; she is always willing to listen, learn, and give her perspective. I consider her a role model & have heard the same from my colleagues!
- Brittany Ojeda, Patient Navigator, Pediatric Heart Center
Overview of journey at UCSF:
I started at UCSF in 1999 as a student at the School of Nursing, graduating in 2002 as a certified nurse-midwife. After working in the community for five years, I returned to UCSF in 2007 as faculty in the department of OBGYN, located at San Francisco General. There I split my time between clinical care, administration, and education, with a focus on anti-racism and structural change. I enjoy the creativity that my position affords, giving me opportunities to co-create new ways of providing sexual and reproductive healthcare, developing curriculum and programs, and disseminating our work so others can benefit. I am passionate about centering the needs of our community, the resilient and thriving low-income residents of San Francisco, and diversifying the workforce of tomorrow to better match that community.
...
Manager, Community Construcation Outreach Program
Here is what Benita's nominator had to say about her:
Benita manages UCSF's Community Construction Outreach Program (CCOP), which seeks to leverage UCSF's role as an Anchor Institution to train and place San Franciscans from disadvantaged neighborhoods on UCSF construction projects. UCSF has a 30% local hire goal for campus capital projects of $5 million and above.
Benita excels at navigating the male-dominated world of construction contractors and labor unions to press for increased local hiring on UCSF projects. She deploys in-depth industry knowledge as well as diplomacy to leverage her small team of one to get results for the university. She works closely with departments across campus, including: Real Estate, Capital Projects, and Human Resources, as well as her own department of Community and Government Relations.
Benita's extensive contacts in community and industry were very instrumental in the success of the Dept. of Real Estate's April 2021 Vender Diversity Outreach Fair, which recruited new small businesses from across San Francisco and Oakland to learn how to bid on UCSF projects.
As UCSF builds a new hospital at Parnassus, Benita'...
Senior Director, Office of Communications
Overview of journey at UCSF:
After a stint as a newspaper journalist, I joined UCSF as a staff writer for the campus newspaper in the then-called Public Affairs department in 1994. UCSF’s website was just starting to take shape at that time so communicating to the internal UCSF community was done primarily through an 8-page bi-weekly newspaper delivered to faculty, staff and students in their campus mailbox. The paper served as a vehicle to convey UCSF’s strategic priorities and vision, tout top accomplishments and profile members of the UCSF community.
Two years later, I became editor in chief of that campus newspaper, writing the top stories at the time. My bylines include introducing Mark Laret as the new CEO of UCSF Medical Center, planning to build a new campus at Mission Bay, and early efforts to address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) affecting women and under-represented groups.
I am proud of my partnership with now Vice Chancellor Renee Navarro, Joe Castro, now president of the California State University system, Gene Washington, then executive director and provost of UCSF, and now president of Duke University Health to advance DEI efforts at UCSF. With this team, I developed and launched UCSF’s first diversity website featuring “Voices,” a video series that I envisioned and executed to humanize our UCSF community from different perspectives.
Over the years, my titles have included assistant director of Internal Communications, editor of...
Ambulatory Executive Medical Director for Women’s Health, Assistant Professor, Department of Obsterics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
Overview of journey at UCSF:
I moved to San Francisco with my husband and two young children after finishing Fellowship at Yale, never having lived on the West Coast. We didn't know what to expect, but we knew we'd love it here. I began, as all Junior Faculty does in their first job, nervous. But with the support of a strong Division Chief, Dr. Mary Norton, I grew and quickly gained the necessary confidence and institutional knowledge needed to succeed in this large system. There were some shifts in Ambulatory leadership, and I leaped at the opportunity to be the Medical Director of Obstetrics at the outpatient clinical site at Mission Bay. Then, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, teamed up with Dr. Dana Gossett to help in the more broad role of Interim Ambulatory Executive Medical Director (AEMD) for Women's Health. I am now the AEMD and help support the diverse Divisions, Faculty and staff of OB/GYN and Reproductive Sciences in the outpatient setting. Every day, I work alongside an amazing administrative dyad partner, Anais Ryken, who tirelessly strives to improve our services, safety and patient experience, but more importantly, shares the same passion for Women's Health and the ever-growing patient population we serve. I'm very thankful my family made the difficult decision to move cross-country; as after just a few years, the Bay Area is most definitely "home", both...
Adjunct Instructor, Pathology
Overview of journey at UCSF:
I came to UCSF for residency in Anatomic Pathology as part of the Physician-Scientist Pathway and completed post-graduate clinical training with fellowships in Surgical Pathology and Gastrointestinal/Hepatobiliary Pathology. Following clinical training, I completed postdoctoral research in stem cell and regenerative biology here at UCSF with Robert Blelloch at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research and have accepted an early career faculty position as an Instructor as I prepare to launch as an independent investigator. As a physician-scientist and board-certified pathologist, my clinical interests are primarily in human liver pathobiology and diagnostics for precision-based medicine and regenerative therapies. As a stem cell biologist, my basic science research interests are in dissecting the molecular networks that fine-tune the wiring and re-wiring of cell fates, leveraging genome engineering, quantitative cell biology, single-cell RNA sequencing, imaging, and cytometry to bring us closer to cell-based regenerative therapeutic solutions. In 2020, I founded and now continue to lead the UCSF Women Physician-Scientists Supergroup – a group of now over 70 physician-scientists in 14 clinical departments-- that helps to support, celebrate, and advocate for women physician-scientists bridging science and medicine. Through this group I’ve been able to get to know and learn from fantastic colleagues along similar career paths at...
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine
Here is what Iris' nominator had to say about her:
"Iris is a remarkable mentor and force for improvement in our clinic and fellowship. She is generous in identifying opportunities for fellows to grow and projects to join, while balancing their wellness and helping them stay true to their own career goals. She models how to build collaborations within teams and between different departments. She also encourages us to use Lean and systems improvement, and has helped our clinic evolve and be resilient in our current challenging times."
- LuLu Tsao, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine
Iris' Bio:
When I started at UCSF, I was excited to get involved in quality improvement and medical education. I’ve strived to establish drug allergy testing and desensitization at UCSF and we now have a drug allergy testing clinic where we routinely do allergy testing for antibiotics, aspirin/NSAIDs, contrast, local and general anesthetics,...