Message from the Chief

Welcome to the Division of Surgical Oncology at the University of California San Francisco. Our Division has evolved into the largest Division of the Department of Surgery with a long history of surgical innovation and expertise. It is an honor to be part of this amazing team of surgical oncologists and cancer researchers.  Our mission is to provide world-class clinical excellence, scientific discovery, innovation and training. Our passion is to provide personalized multidisciplinary care to our patients as if they were our own family members, and this occurs in a setting of multicultural and ethnic diversity. Being a large, high-volume program affords a wealth of experience and improved surgical outcomes, but what makes us most proud is a focus on individual care in a compassionate and caring environment, often at a difficult time in our patient's lives. Our new cancer hospital provides private rooms with abundant natural light, sweeping views and comfortable accommodations for visiting loved ones, tranquil gardens and meditation spaces to ease stress and promote healing.

We believe you will quickly agree that the Division's faculty, learners, and staff very much represent the forefront of academic medicine – extraordinary people going above and beyond to support the mission of our Division. These efforts reach far beyond the walls of our program to help improve humanity and health throughout our community by providing high quality patient care and training the next generation of leaders in surgical oncology.

Members of the Division have a long and proud history of research and discovery in the basic, clinical, and translational sciences. Our commitment to research and discovery in areas such as tumor biology, early diagnosis, immunotherapy, drug discovery, iterative clinical trial designs (e.g. I-SPY), health services research, surgical outcomes and quality, artifical intelligence, and endocrine neoplasia are advancing the field and informing new cancer treatments for our patients. We are proud to have some of the most talented and highest NIH/NCI-supported surgeons in the country in our Division, including our dedicated research scientists, whose meaningful work will help translate basic discoveries into clinical practice.  Currently, members of the Division, along with our colleagues in the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, are among an elite group of oncology doctors and medical centers who are leading the discovery and delivery of personalized medicine. Our impressive pool of talented surgeon-scientists and researchers are renowned for bridging the bench to the bedside, and clinical research evaluations of new drugs and devices.

The Division also takes great pride in providing unparalleled, comprehensive, and innovative patient care. The Division’s clinical excellence is continually recognized by the highly regarded US News and World Report and many of our specialty surgical oncology practices are recognized as programs of national, regional, and local distinction for novel diagnostic and therapeutic patient care offerings.

We invite you to explore these pages to learn more about our exciting programs in the Division of Surgical Oncology.