Message From the Chair
Despite Challenges, Rankings Attest to Our Prominence
Fall 2025 brings news from the University of California, San Francisco as well as challenges to our campus. Challenges relate to instability in academic medicine. The field is unstable because of uncertainty around funding sources for research and impending changes in government reimbursement for clinical care from both the state and the federal government. However, those who work at UCSF are very astute, and we will manage despite the changing landscape.
On the news front, the medical center remains robust and is extremely busy. U.S. News & World Report ranked the medical center as #1 in California (in a tie) and #1 nationally in neurology and neurosurgery. Our department was ranked #17 nationally by the U.S. News algorithm. Perhaps more importantly, in 2025 UCSF is the only public academic medical center to have distinctions in all three quality benchmarking ratings: placement on the U.S. News Honor Roll, a CMS Five-Star Quality Rating, and listing in Vizient’s top performer cohort. This institution is quietly amazing.
Our department has had some important achievements and advancements. First, a fascinating paper from the Grandis/Johnson lab that describes a systemically administered STAT3 decoy (CSD3) to treat oral squamous cell carcinoma in cats.
Next, I want to congratulate the newly appointed vice chairs in the department: Steven D. Pletcher, MD, is the Vice Chair (and the Program Director) for Education; Charles Limb, MD, is the Vice Chair for Academic Affairs; and Patrick Ha, MD, is the Vice Chair for Head and Neck Oncologic Services. In addition (as you will see on page 1 in this issue), Dean Talmadge King, MD, selected Patrick as the Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and Partnerships in the School of Medicine. Please offer Steven, Charles, and Patrick congratulations the next time you see them.
As you will read on page 0 in this issue, we welcome two new faculty members to the department: Scott Hirsch, MD, is in our Pediatric OHNS Division, and Tokunbo Ayeni, MD, joins our General Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Division. Tokunbo was recently selected – along with Mary Xu, MD – for the Task Force on New Materials by the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Patricia Loftus, MD will be recognized with the 2025 Excellence in Mentoring Award from the Academy of Medical Educators. Speaking of mentoring, see page 0 in this issue to read about The Great Balancing Act, a new book by Jeffrey Sharon, MD.
In pediatric news, Jordan Virbalas, MD, has been recognized with membership in the prestigious Academy of Medical Educators at UCSF. Also, the UCSF Benioff Oakland Children’s Hospital became fully incorporated into UCSF from a staffing perspective over the summer.
Construction of our two new hospitals (one in Oakland and one at Parnassus) is moving along well. Our new research building at Parnassus should have its “topping out” ceremony soon.
Finally, please remember our portfolio of CME offerings early next year: the Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleep Apnea will be at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco February 13-14, and the Pacific Rim Update will be February 14-17 in Honolulu. And I hope to see you at the Combined Sections Meeting of the Triological Society January 22-24, 2026 in Orlando.
Warmly,
Andrew H. Murr, MD, FACS
Professor and Chair
UCSF Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery