Archive: Black Caucus Honors Longtime UCSF Leader

At the unveiling of a new sculpture on June 3, are, from left, Alma Sisco-Smith, who spearheaded the project as chair of the UCSF Black Caucus, Haile Debas, executive director of Global Health Sciences, and Molly Cooke, director of the Haile T. Debas Acade

Haile Debas, MD, executive director of UCSF Global Health Sciences, was recently recognized for his vision, passion and inspiration in transforming medical education and advancing health around the world. Colleagues, friends and family joined Debas during an intimate ceremony held by the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators on June 3 for the unveiling of a bronzed statue in his honor. The statue, titled “Homage to the Divine Healers,” was commissioned by the Black Caucus and created by Oakland artist Woody Johnson as a tribute to Debas. “This art work honors Haile’s vision and dedication to the healing arts worldwide,” said David Irby, PhD, vice dean for medical education and professor of medicine in the UCSF School of Medicine. Irby spoke on behalf of Sam Hawgood, interim dean of the medical school. “During his tenure at UCSF, great things happened in research, patient care, education and the creation of our Mission Bay campus,” Irby continued. “But, he had an even broader impact worldwide through his leadership in global health, surgery, the Council of Deans and the United Nations – to name just a few.” For members of the Black Caucus, the unveiling of the statute was a celebratory and sentimental occasion, a culmination of a project that took several years to complete. Alma Sisco-Smith, who is retiring this year after a long career at UCSF, says the Black Caucus was eager to help support a lasting tribute to Debas, a beloved leader who served as chancellor of UCSF and dean of the medical school. Debas is recognized throughout the University as a champion for education -- which is why the Academy of Medical Educators bears his name -- and he is lauded for his efforts to create a more diverse and supportive work environment at UCSF. He is remembered for his sentiment that UCSF should be known as much "for caring as curing." Support for the Academy of Medical Educators was one of Debas’s top priorities; it was this focus that brought the academy and the Black Caucus together. “We are delighted that this has been brought to fruition,” said Sisco-Smith, who served as chair of the Black Caucus in 2002 when the idea to honor Debas first arose.

Saluting a ‘Divine Healer’

For Sisco-Smith and others, it was important that the artist chosen for the work to recognize Debas, a native of Eritrea, be from an underrepresented background. Cecilia Trotman, a member of the Black Caucus, invited several community artists to present their works at Laurel Heights. There, the group met Johnson and was intrigued with some of his work and his life journey as he talked. Born in North Carolina, Johnson moved to San Francisco in 1971 to study at the California College of Arts and Crafts. He has been a member of the Bay Area art community ever since. After visiting with the artists, Molly Cooke, MD, director of the Academy of Medical Educators, also expressed interest in Johnson’s work. Cooke worked with the Black Caucus to help raise the funds for the project. “We are deeply grateful for the honor you have shown Debas,” said Cooke, acknowledging the Black Caucus. When introduced to Johnson, Debas looked through his portfolio and was immediately struck by a wooden sculpture. Johnson proposed to replicate the piece recasting it in bronze and setting it on a granite base. The sculpture is now housed in the office of the Academy of Medical Educators, which is dedicated to creating an environment that enhances the status of teachers of medical students at UCSF, promotes and rewards teaching excellence, fosters curricular innovation and faculty development and evaluates and implements curriculum reforms. Since its formation, the academy at UCSF now has 78 members, who are considered the best teachers of medical students in the nation, and has spawned a movement to promote excellence in teaching in academic medical centers nationwide. For Johnson, choosing the name for the finished piece dedicated to Debas was befitting the scholar and surgeon. “When I think of divine healers, I think of a comforting bedside manner. When I met Dr. Debas, he conveyed that feeling. I felt safe. He’d be the kind of guy I would want going into my abdomen.” Debas has received numerous honors and awards over his career. He was selected in April by the Commonwealth Club of California with a Distinguished Citizen Award for his “numerous contributions to humanity.” He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences as well as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Debas also served on many boards and associations, often as the president.