Leadership

Dr. Jeff Critchfield is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. His academic home is in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. In the initial stages of his career, he focused on the basic science of T-lymphocyte regulation in laboratories at the NIH and UCSF. He then transitioned to a faculty position at the General, where he pursued roles with trainees, faculty, and SFDPH staff centered on improving the care of hospitalized patients across the care continuum and into the community. Dr. Critchfield's prior leadership roles have included ZSFG Chief of Staff (2006-2008), and past COS (2008-20019), the founding Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine at the General (2008), a founding member of the ZSFG Equity Council (2017), and Chair of the UCSF Committee at the COVID Command Center, where he collaborated with the city department heads to coordinate San Francisco's pandemic response (2020). He has been the executive sponsor at the General for the Relationship-Centered Communication initiative along with the adjunctive RCC-Equity program for advancing staff and faculty skills and comfort in discussing race and ethnic heritage-based topics and challenges. He has an abiding belief in the ability of the collective to bring forward spirit and action, uplifting patients, their loved ones, and the people here who partner with them. This belief will be central to his activities as the Interim Vice-Dean for the UCSF SOM at the General, where he cherishes the 150+ year partnership between a premier academic institution and an iconic public institution, a partnership heralded across the USA and the globe.

Laurae Pearson began her UCSF career as an Administrative Assistant in the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Division of Rheumatology, then served as Division Manager of the Epidemiology and Preventions Interventions (EPI) Center, and as the inaugural Manager of the Division of Experimental Medicine. In 2015, she was appointed Director of Administration and Finance for the Department of Medicine at ZSFG.

A UCSF DEI champion, Laurae has made significant contributions as co-chair of the UCSF Committee on the Status of Women and as a member of the Chancelor's Council on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion. With a wealth of administrative experience and a passion for fostering a collaborative and supportive environment, Laurae embodies the principles and values we uphold in the Dean's Office. As a reflection of her dedication and accomplishments, she has received the 2012 Holly Smith Award for Exceptional Service, the 2020 Chancellor Award for Exceptional University Management, and the 2023 Chancellor Award for the Advancement of Women.

As the Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, Laurae is responsible for managing the financial, capital, and personnel aspects of the affiliation agreement between UCSF and ZSFG. She oversees business operations, personnel management, and strategic planning. Laurie prioritizes empowering and supporting all community members, as she works to assess processes that support the UCSF mission-critical research and academic operations at ZSFG; while strategizing to create greater efficiencies in all areas of finance and operations at ZSFG. 

Jake Blackshear works with university, hospital, and public health leaders to build financial sustainability and ensure this partnership can continue delivering world class patient care, education, and research for another 150 years. He oversees the $250 million Affiliation Agreement budget on behalf of all UCSF Departments located at ZSFG with a focus on transparency and collaboration. He works closely with hospital partners on annual budget negotiations with the City and County of San Francisco to ensure adequate support for clinical services at the hospital and trauma center.

Jake is interested in staff engagement projects and received a SOM UCSF Morale Grant to support a virtual wellness retreat for the Vice Dean's Office Staff. He led planning efforts for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Event: 2021 Spring Event- Community Engagement to Meet Community Needs. Jake serves as a mentor for the UCSF Administrative Management Professionals Mentorship Program.

Jake previously worked as Department Manager for UCSF Oral Surgery and in various roles at the UCSF Center for Health Professions. He received his MBA from Presidio Graduate School and Master and Bachedor of Music degrees in Jazz Studies from San Diego State University.

Ronald Campbell Jr. is responsible for strategic leadership, coordination, and administrative oversight to all UCSF operations on the ZSFG campus. Ron's responsibilities include oversight for construction project management, facility maintenance operations, UCSF technology at ZSFG, transportation and security concerns, as well as space management. He supports managers in Lab Medicine and Biomedical Engineering. He provides oversight to bring outsourced custodial services in-house for UCSF and is instrumental in ongoing construction and change management efforts for future occupancy of the new UCSF Research and Academic Building at ZSFG.

Ron came to ZSFG after serving as Assitant Director and Senior Program Manager in the UCSF Program Management Office where he provided oversight for the campus-wide training rollout for the Chart of Accounts and Financial Reporting Implementation, Campus and UCSF Health Space and Lease Management System Implementation, and the campus wide Asset Management tracking and reporting tool.

Ron received an MSM in Management from Baker University and an Undergraduate degree in Visual Communications fro the University of Kansas. He participates on several committees, including Security Leadership, RAB Governance, Capital Operations Security, and the Transportation and Parking Task Force.

Grace Fernandez has been serving the UCSF School of Medicine Dean's Office and the Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG) since joining the UCSF Clinical Practice Group (CPG) in 1992. As Administrative Director of the CPG, she is responsible for overseeing and managing revenue cycle operations, financial reporting, and healthcare compliance. Most recently, she led the implementation of EPIC Professional Fee Billing Resolute across multiple UCSF departments at ZSFG.

In addition to ensuring the CPG follows best practices on billing and collection, she has been at the forefront in recommending cost reduction measures. Her priority is to always be ready to learn and adapt to new government regulations impacting healthcare practices; thus allowing for ZSFG and UCSF to continue to provide the best patient care to the San Francisco community and beyond.

Grace served as CPG Finance/Practice Management Coordinator in 1994 and Operations Manager in 1998. Prior to joining CPG, she worked for the UCSF Medical Group Business Services (MGBS) from 1991-1994. In her role as Billing Coordinator in MGBS, she served as the liaison with Medicare, Medi-Cal, and commercial insurance companies.

Grace is a Certified HealthCare Compliance Officer and is currently working on a certification program with EPIC. She has a Bachelor's degree in Economics.

Roger Mohamed directs Dean's Office units involving the School of Medicine Administration at ZSFG, including Risk Management, Privacy, Training and Regulatory Compliance, Education and Research Administration, and the Dean's Office Administrative team.

Roger co-led the design and implementation of Hydra, a database capturing UCSF at ZSFG employee and trainee data elements via selected upstream UCSF and DPH database feeds. He created and leads the UCSF Staff Career Journey Storytelling Event at ZSFG. Roger is a passionate advocate for our UCSF at ZSFG faculty, staff, and trainees; ensuring university-wide initiatives occur at ZSFG. Outside of his university role, Roger is actively involved with his board service at a San Francisco Community Center which supports the children and families of San Francisco with programs designed to reduce the many disparities faced by African-American, immigrant, and other low-income communities.

Roger previously worked for UCSF at ZSFG as the Dean's Office Operations Manager and Division Administrator of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychiatry at ZSFG. Before joining UCSF, he worked as a Business Manager at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and in the nonprofit industry advocating for immigrant and refugee rights and against sexual assault and domestic violence.

Roger received an MS from Boston College and a BA from Harvard University. He is an alumnus of the School of Medicine Leadership Development Program and a member of the UC Black Administrators' Council and the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Business Affairs. 

Esther Chen, MD is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Associate Residency Director within the Department of Emergency Medicine and based clinically at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG). She is also the inaugural Director of Graduate Medical Education at ZSFG, focused on improving the clinical learning environment and wellbeing for residents and fellows. In this role, she collaborates with other institutional GME leaders to improve the education and training for residents and fellows. She joined UCSF in 2009 from the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed her emergency medicine residency and was the Assistant Residency Director and EM Clerkship Director.

Dr. Chen serves on the UCSF Committee on the Status of Women and the ZSFG Warm Hearts (Women's Advancement and Recognition in Medicine) leadership council.

She is committed to caring for the traditionally underserved patients who come to ZSFG and maintaining a safe learning environment for trainees. She is most proud of instituting the hospital-wide quality improvement program that engages residents and fellows in projects that improve the care of patients at ZSFG.

Starr Knight, MD is the inaugural Director of UCSF Faculty Experience at ZSFG, advancing UCSF's commitment to an enriching, supportive work environment where faculty, staff, and trainees can flourish. She partners with the UCSF departments at ZSFG, the ZSFG Dean's Office, ZSFG Care Experience Team, and UCSF Health to identify opportunities for improvement.

Dr Knight is an Associate Clinical Professor in Emergency Medicine at ZSFG where she is Ultrasound Director and Director of Diversity & Inclusion. She is a UCSF DEI Ambassador Trainer and Faculty Equity Advisor. A 2016 John A. Watson Scholar, she has received numerous teaching awards, including a 2020 UCSF Academy of Medical Educator's Excellence in Teaching Award.

She is committed to the community and the mentorship of underrepresented learners by widening the educational pipeline for high school and undergraduate students, medical students, residents, clinical fellows, and faculty.