UCSF Appoints New Chief Information Officer

Joe Bengfort has been named UCSF’s new chief information officer (CIO), charged with strengthening the delivery of high-quality information technology services across the University.

Bengfort previously served in the same role for the UCSF Medical Center for the past two years. In his new role, he will oversee IT services for the campus as well as the Medical Center.

“This combined CIO position is a unique opportunity to impact all aspects of our mission including the care the patient receives; the education of care providers who will treat patients and their families now and in the future; and the research our patients and their family members need for cures and quality of life,” Bengfort says.  “Every day information technology becomes a more integral part of delivering on these promises to our patients, students and researchers, and I am so very humbled and honored to be entrusted with the task.”

Bengfort will report to Senior Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration John Plotts and UCSF Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Ken Jones, as well as coordinate closely with Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Jeff Bluestone, PhD, on strategy and priorities, particularly as they relate to research and education. 

The creation of a campus-wide CIO position is a direct outgrowth of the Operational Excellence initiative and is linked to supporting UCSF’s multiple missions of patient care, research and teaching. This model is designed to deliver high-quality, consistent and cost-effective IT services to faculty and staff and to increase collaboration and cooperation in meeting the IT needs of the institution at large.

In the coming months, Bengfort will continue to integrate certain IT functions across the UCSF enterprise while working closely with specialized departmental IT teams that remain decentralized.  The goals are to achieve greater collaboration and sharing of data across UCSF; to better position UCSF to meet the increasing demand for IT, data and analytical services; and to reshape the University’s investment in IT to meet the evolving needs of its core missions. 

Bengfort assumes the duties of Elazar Harel, PhD, JD, who retired in April from his position as vice chancellor of information technology and the campus’ chief information officer.

During Harel’s successful three-year tenure at UCSF, he led the formation of a sustainable IT governance structure; proliferation of a robust ubiquitous wireless network; enhanced cellular coverage; secure, single sign-on environment (MyAccess); a consolidated email system as well as IT service desk; a state-of-the-art videoconferencing environment; improved security awareness; and working with others on many new applications including UCSF Mobile, BearBuy, Advance, MPM, MyExpense, PI Portfolio, MyCores, MyResearch.

Photo by Susan Merrell