At UC San Francisco, we are driven by the idea that when the best research, the best teaching, and the best patient care converge, we can deliver breakthroughs that help heal the world.
Excellence is in our DNA. From heart disease and immunology to specialty services for women and children, UCSF brings together the world's leading experts in nearly every area of health. We are home to five Nobel laureates who have advanced the understanding of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, HIV/AIDS, aging, and stem cell research. UCSF Medical Center, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, all four of our professional schools — dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy — and many UCSF graduate programs consistently rank among the country's best.
Our top rankings reflect our singular focus on advancing health care. We are the leading institution dedicated exclusively to the health sciences.
UCSF is a collection of dedicated scientists, clinicians, students, and staff who share a shared drive to make the world a better place by advancing health and the human condition. Care and compassion are as critical as science and discovery in fulfilling our mission to drive change and make a difference for individual patients and whole populations.
In a field where lives often hang in a delicate balance, UCSF recognizes that time is of the essence – for patients in the hospital and populations facing an epidemic. We harness multidisciplinary teams' efficiency to accelerate learning and scientific progress and speed the development of new therapies and cures. We are continually pushing forward the policies and partnerships that ensure that people in need are getting access to the most cutting-edge care and treatment.
UCSF is also San Francisco's second-largest employer — attracting talented faculty and staff who mirror the Bay Area's energy and entrepreneurial spirit. The most exciting part of being at UCSF is its diverse community of people who individually contribute to changing the status quo with their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Our ability to recruit top talent leads to a constant influx of new ideas and approaches across our missions: research, patient care, and education.
UC San Francisco is the leading university dedicated to advancing health worldwide through preeminent biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. Within our overarching advancing health worldwide mission, UCSF is devoted at every level to serving the public.
UCSF's commitment to public service dates to the founding of its predecessor institution, Toland Medical College, in 1864. Born out of the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of Gold Rush-era San Francisco, Toland Medical College trained doctors to elevate public health standards in the burgeoning city.
By 1873, the University of California acquired the college. It forged a partnership with San Francisco General Hospital that continues to this day and serves as a model for delivering leading-edge care at a public safety-net hospital.
Today UCSF's public mission goes beyond San Francisco. It delivers a substantial impact on a national and global level by innovating health care approaches for the world's most vulnerable populations, training the next generation of doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and scientists supporting elementary and high school education and translating scientific discoveries into better health for everyone.
At UC San Francisco, we encourage our students to approach health care issues with critical thinking and a spirit of inquiry. As tomorrow's health and science leaders in training, UCSF students embody our passion for improving the human condition and pushing health care forward.
UCSF's four professional schools — Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy — and the Graduate Division consistently rank as top programs nationwide in their fields and attract the world's most talented students. Our Global Health Sciences program involves more than 70 faculty from across each school, preparing students with hands-on training for global health expertise and leadership.
Training takes place in some of the finest "classrooms" in the nation, including UCSF Medical Center, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, the San Francisco VA Medical Center, and numerous clinics throughout Northern California. In all of our schools, students become part of a highly collaborative, solutions-driven culture. Each graduating class is expected to set a higher standard for the next in health leadership.
UCSF is the leading university exclusively focused on health. The University comprises top-ranked professional schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and a graduate division with world-renowned programs in basic science, social/populational sciences, and physical therapy.
UCSF is unique in that it only offers graduate degrees (meaning it does not have an undergraduate student population).
At UC San Francisco, we do not just treat diseases; we treat individuals. We put our patients' priorities at the center of our care and strive for breakthrough discoveries that improve people's lives.
UC San Francisco is leading revolutions in health – and those revolutions often start in the lab. From basic science to clinical research, we are constantly pushing scientific boundaries and earning worldwide recognition for our discoveries.
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