Practice Manager, Department of Neurosurgery/Neuro-oncology

Here is what Sanica’s nominator shared about her:

“Sanica is a new manager and goes above and beyond for staff, patients, and our community. She thinks outside of the box to increase access for our patients, recognize the important work of our teams and smiles everyday keeping a positive mindset.”

Nomination by Janice Earl

Sanica’s Bio:

Sanica is a Virginia native who joined UCSF in 2020 after obtaining her MHA from Medical University of South Carolina. She was part of the UCSF administrative fellowship program. As an administrative fellow, Sanica had the opportunity to work on a diverse portfolio of impactful projects across the health system. 

One of her most memorable fellowship projects was the development of the CARE Support Program. Instead of relying on security, this program implemented a more therapeutic, trauma informed workflow for when a patient and/or family member experiences an emotional/behavioral crisis within our hospitals. Additionally, the program provided added training resources to the front line team to better support them when these instances occur.

After completing her fellowship in 2022, Sanica accepted her current role as a practice manager for Neurosurgery.

What advice would you give yourself early on in your career? To a woman entering your field today? 

Be comfortable with the uncomfortable. Get yourself involved in opportunities outside your comfort zone as you never know what you may learn or where it will take you.

What brought you to healthcare? Can you tell us about your professional journey? 

I have always been passionate about helping others and engaging with my community in hopes to create a better tomorrow for others. In college, I established and developed my university’s first-ever Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon, bringing together over 500 students and faculty to help raise funding for our local children’s hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond. After graduating, I became a behavioral therapist at a private Autism clinic where I quickly realized the number of healthcare services needed for children with Autism as well as the lack of available resources that provided all these services under one roof. Following this experience, I became a Child Psychiatric Specialist at Children’s National Medical Center of Washington, D.C. This position gave me the freedom to run a small unit within the ER. From foster care to low-income to runaways, the diverse backgrounds of patients I worked with shed light on a group in dire need of more readily available mental health services within their communities. In a few months, I gained an insightful perspective on our healthcare system and its limitations, more specifically towards mental health.

After gaining some clinical healthcare perspective and my experience in advocacy and funding, I was eager to gain a better understanding of the business side of healthcare with hopes to make a valuable improvement contribution. While pursuing my MHA at Medical University of South Carolina, I quickly learned the true complexity of healthcare. This in turn made me that more motivated to continue learning and involving myself in the multiple facets that make up our healthcare system. Obtaining a diverse perspective gave me the skill set to tackle more creatively. Fast forward a couple of years to UCSF where I have the opportunity to redefine possible everyday!

Do you have a favorite song? If you had to choose an anthem, what would it be? 

A song that continues to resonate with me and motivate me whenever I do listen to it is Remember The Name by Fort Minor. However, I am also a big Swifty (Taylor Swift fan) so anything by her is an anthem.

Meet other outstanding women of UCSF through Our Spotlight.