Interviews and Consents
If you would like to cover a story involving UCSF experts, patients, research or clinical programs, please see the team’s beats and contact information as well as guidelines. You can also contact us directly at [email protected].
Interviews at UCSF
If you are interested in arranging phone or on-site interviews (including photo or video shoots) with UCSF faculty or staff, please contact the Public Affairs representative who covers the topic you are interested in.
The Public Affairs team will work with you to obtain necessary clearance for on-site visits. Stories involving UCSF Health patients require advance HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) consent, as required by federal law, as well as clearance for entering patient care areas. We can provide you with background information and recommend additional sources for your stories.
A member of the Public Affairs team must accompany all reporters on campus.
Patient Consent/Condition
UCSF Public Affairs is committed to protecting the privacy of our patients. Under HIPAA (the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), we are required to obtain written authorization from a patient or a patient’s parent/guardian before media interviews are arranged. If written consent is not available, we will not disclose a patient’s medical status.
Entering Patient Care Areas
As a specialty hospital, we care for critically ill patients. In some situations, reporters may be required to present documentation of flu- or other inoculations prior to entering certain clinical areas, or to wear a medical mask. As with other visitors, members of the media with active flu symptoms or other infectious disease will not be allowed into patient areas. Reporters who will be on campus more than two weeks will need to comply with the long-term visitor policy, which requires the same proof of inoculations required of all UCSF staff and contractors, to protect both patients and visitors.
Public Affairs Staff
Each member of the UCSF Public Affairs team oversees a wide array of beats, serving as the first point of contact for reporters seeking experts and faculty and staff seeking public relations advice. For areas outside of these beats, please email or call the News Assistant at [email protected] or 415-502-6397.
UCSF Public Affairs
Kristen Bole | Executive Director, Public Affairs | Profile
[email protected], 415-476-2743
Research and Education Team
Laura Kurtzman | Assistant Director, Media Relations for Research and Education | Profile
[email protected], 415-476-3163
UCSF Fresno Team
Brandy Ramos Nikaido | Director, Public Affairs and Communications
[email protected], 559-313-6539
Barbara Anderson | Communications Specialist
[email protected]
Lucero Benitez | Communications Specialist (se habla español)
[email protected]
Beat Areas
Beats are listed alphabetically. For areas outside of these beats, please email or call the News Assistant at [email protected] or 415-502-6397.
Acute Rehab
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Adolescent Psychiatry (St. Mary’s Hospital)
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Aging
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
AIDS and HIV
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Arthritis
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Asthma
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Audiology
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder
Jess Berthold | [email protected], 628-399-0432
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Biomedical Engineering
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Biomedical Imaging
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Biotechnology
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Burns
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Campus Planning, Construction and Facilities
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Cancer (Clinical)
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Cancer (Research)
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Center for Sports Medicine at Saint Francis Hospital
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Community Benefits
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Dentistry and Oral Health
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Dermatology
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Diabetes (Clinical)
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Diabetes (Research)
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Digital Health
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Diversity
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Drugs and Alcohol
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Chad Burns (Saint Francis and St. Mary’s hospitals only) | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Environmental Sciences
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Epidemiology
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Family Medicine
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Gender Institute (Saint Francis Hospital)
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Gene Editing and CRISPR
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
General Surgery
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Genetics and Genomics (Clinical)
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Genetics and Genomics (Research)
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Global Health
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Head, Neck, and Spinal Care
News Assistant | [email protected], 415-502-6397
Health Informatics
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Hearing
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Heart and Vascular
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Chad Burns (Saint Francis and St. Mary’s hospitals and affiliated clinics only) | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Hematology
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Hospital Medicine
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Immunology (Clinical)
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Immunology (Research)
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Infectious Disease
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Integrative Medicine
News Assistant | [email protected], 415-502-6397
Labor Relations
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Leukemia
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
LGBTQIA+
Jess Berthold | [email protected], 628-399-0432
Lung and Pulmonary
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Marijuana and Cannabis
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Mental Health (Adult)
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Mental Health (Pediatric)
Jess Berthold | [email protected], 628-399-0432
Microbiome
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Multiple Sclerosis (Clinical)
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Multiple Sclerosis (Research)
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Neurology
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Neurosciences
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Nursing
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Nutrition
News Assistant | [email protected], 415-502-6397
Obesity
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Opthamology
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Orthopedics, Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Osteoporosis and Bone Health
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Pain
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Palliative Care
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Partnerships and Alliances
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Pathology
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Pediatric Cancer
Jared Marsh | [email protected], 415-592-4789
Pediatric Cardiology
Jared Marsh | [email protected], 415-592-4789
Pediatric Orthopedics
Jared Marsh | [email protected], 415-592-4789
Pediatrics & Children’s Health
Jess Berthold | [email protected], 628-399-0432
Pharmacy and Pharmacology
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Precision Medicine and Personalized Medicine
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Primary Care
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Psychiatry (Clinical)
Adult Psychiatry: Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Pediatric Psychiatry: Jess Berthold | [email protected], 628-399-0432
Psychiatry (Research)
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Public Health
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Public Policy and Government
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Radiology (clinical)
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Radiology (research)
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Reproductive Health
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Sleep
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Smoking and Tobacco
Victoria Colliver | [email protected], 628-283-4000
Stem Cells
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Stress-Related Conditions
News Assistant | [email protected], 415-502-6397
Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Surgery
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
Technology and AI
Robin Marks | [email protected], 628-399-0370
Toxicology
Levi Gadye | [email protected]
Transplants
Suzanne Leigh | [email protected], 415-476-2993
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals
Jared Marsh | [email protected], 415-592-4789
UCSF Health
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Urgent Care
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Urology
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592
Vision (clinical)
Chad Burns | [email protected] | 510-913-5457
Wellness
News Assistant | [email protected], 415-502-6397
Women’s Health
Elizabeth Fernandez | [email protected], 415-514-1592