About Us

Mission:

To be an innovative, academic and global resource providing the highest standard of patient care, research, and education.

Values: 

• Compassion - as educators, clinicians, and investigators and members of the Division;
• Innovation - a willingness to take risks and think outside traditional boundaries;
• Professionalism - demonstrating honest, ethical behavior and a respect for patients, colleagues, and all members of our community
• Intellectual Generosity - an eagerness to be effective mentors and to share ideas; and
• Lifelong Learning - recognition that the education process is central and encouraged for all members of the community, from trainees to faculty to patients.

The Division of General Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco has a long, proud tradition of excellence in clinical care, surgical education, and research. Building on a foundation of outstanding achievement, we have entered the 21st Century with 41 full-time academic and 64 clinical faculty members. Our academic enterprise extends over four principal teaching hospitals and two affiliated institutions, certifying the breadth and depth of our commitment to public service, dedication to training future leaders in surgery, and the tireless pursuit of knowledge.

UCSF has a well-established and deserved reputation for preeminent patient care services, much of which is anchored in our Division's world-class programs in surgery of the esophagus, liver, pancreas, colon and rectum, thyroid and parathyroids, breast, melanoma, obesity, and the management and prevention of acute traumatic injuries. For well over a century, a parade of remarkable men and women have labored to enlighten where there was darkness, to educate where there was ignorance, and perhaps most importantly, to comfort where there was suffering. Our faculty continues to make seminal contributions to the treatment of surgical diseases. From pioneering minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat diseases of the esophagus, to revolutionary approaches to delivering comprehensive care to women with breast cancer. The tradition of innovative clinical care remains vibrant and central to our mission.

As academicians, no jewel in the UCSF School of Medicine crown shines more brightly than our students and residents. These accomplished and immensely capable young people infuse the institution with a blend of enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity that is as electric as it is infectious. Our faculty honestly relishes opportunities to share their excitement about surgery with eager and open-minded medical students. Similarly, we strive to train the next generation of leaders in surgery. General Surgery residents at UCSF are selected for their demonstrated academic prowess, dedication to public service, and declared desire to make important and positive contributions to the future of the profession. While we fully acknowledge that the process of selecting future leaders is at best imperfect, we simultaneously celebrate our past and present achievements. Over the last twenty years, our ranks have produced twelve past or current department chairs, a past and current Executive Director of the American College of Surgeons, the Chair of the American Board of Surgery, and a recent Surgeon General of the United States. We believe that our intellectually rigorous and clinically demanding academic setting yields a fertile environment for nurturing leadership skills and ambitions.

As a public, land grant institution, no aspect of our collective mission is greater than our quest for new knowledge. From our students and trainees to our colleagues to society at large, we all share the expectation that considerable efforts will be directed at creative academic pursuits. The seriousness with which we take this responsibility is reflected in the Division's eight full-time scientists, dozens of research fellows, seven independently-funded research programs, and a research budget in excess of 3 million dollars per year. From local chalk talks to international presentations, from peer-review manuscripts to textbooks, our faculty are actively immersed in the discovery and dissemination of new information.