Accomplished UCSF Trauma Surgeon Surprised by Special San Francisco Honor
When elected officials issue proclamations and commendations celebrating your illustrious career, it’s typically a time to take stock with retirement on the horizon. But not for UCSF trauma surgeon Andre Campbell, MD — and he wants to make sure everyone knows it.
“This is not a retirement party. I still have stuff to do,” Campbell told the crowd at San Francisco City Hall earlier this month as he accepted a litany of honors from officials like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, California Controller Malia Cohen and San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
For his part, Campbell didn’t know what the ceremony entailed.
He ended up leaving with several honors, including a commendation from Newsom and a resolution in his name from the California State Legislature. Breed, who proclaimed Nov. 2, 2023 as “Dr. Andre Campbell Day” in the city, called him “an extraordinary San Franciscan” for his contributions that have transcended the profession.
“At San Francisco General, the work that you do, the lives that you save, and the families you encounter, it is really remarkable and we are grateful and honored for your service to San Francisco,” Breed said. “When you look at what he’s done and continues to do, it is no surprise that he’s had such a tremendous impact on the community in the way he has.”
“When you look at what he’s done and continues to do, it is no surprise that he’s had such a tremendous impact on the community in the way he has.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed
“When you look at what he’s done and continues to do, it is no surprise that he’s had such a tremendous impact on the community in the way he has.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed
Campbell, a professor of surgery at the UCSF School of Medicine and attending trauma surgeon at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG), is one of the most decorated surgical educators and alumni. He serves as the inaugural vice chair of diversity, equity and inclusion in the UCSF Department of Surgery, director of the UCSF Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, previously served two five-year terms as the University’s inaugural endowed chair in surgical education and is a founding member of the UCSF Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators.
But, as Breed and so many others highlighted, Campbell’s impact goes well beyond the emergency room through numerous news media interviews, lectures and invitations as a visiting professor across the world, and work with various community organizations.
For years, the native of Queens, N.Y. has used his powerful in-person experience caring for gunshot victims and their families, mobilizing his work to spur action and advocacy to address the national gun violence epidemic. He’s spent a significant amount of time in the very Bay Area communities impacted by gun violence, a distinction that makes him proud.
“I’ve been doing community outreach for years and years talking about gun violence,” Campbell said. “I’ve taken care of whole families of those who have been shot and killed. When they come in, I know them.”
Campbell also has used a growing social media platform to lead the call for change.
“Sometimes people come in and I can't save them,” he said. “That’s really hard and very emotional. The same goes with the conversations you have with their families. When you lose a patient, you lose part of yourself. We save a lot of people and that's great. But there are some people that you can't save.”
Campbell reflected on the receptive audience for gun control he’s had in California during his career, adding “we have a lot of work to do” in other places across the U.S. to make real change.
“The hard part about this is we’ve gotten better at taking care of people, but we still have too many guns in circulation,” he added. Part of that care improvement is Campbell’s public role in supporting the Stop The Bleed campaign, a national education effort to prepare people to stop bleeding in a severely injured person.
Campbell just recently completed a year-long term as the 28th president of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, an organization he’s been part of for more than a decade. He’s built a reputation as an influential mentor to many students, residents, fellows and faculty over the years — a point emphasized by the large group of former trainees in attendance at his tribute.
When I see people that I’ve trained doing wonderful things, it makes me so proud.
“I teach medical students how to be doctors,” Campbell said. “I teach surgical residents how to be surgeons. I teach fellows how to be doctors of disaster. The first thing is you want to be is the best doctor you can be. You have to figure out the best solutions and execute as best you can. When I see people that I’ve trained doing wonderful things, it makes me so proud.”
For Campbell, it’s about helping everybody with a “holistic view” on steering residents of color to acquire the tools they need to succeed in their surgical careers.
“A long time ago, I recognized that I was many times by myself as a person of color,” he said. “It was clear to me that the number of African American residents and number of African American faculty was quite small. When I first got to UCSF in the 1990s, that number was a lot smaller than it is now. We still have a long way to go.” For his many career accomplishments advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, Campbell was presented with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for diversity efforts in 2010.
Through all of it, Campbell is still looking forward to learning more, advocating for societal change and training the next generation of surgeons.
“I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up,” he said.
It’s true now, just as it was in 2016 when Campbell was selected by UCSF students to deliver the prestigious UCSF Last Lecture.
“Three decades of work here has been absolutely amazing,” Campbell said. “Looking back on the 30 years that I’ve been at UCSF, I have fewer years ahead than I have behind. As I move forward, I plan to continue my work for a number of years, caring for patients, learning, teaching, mentoring, and educating the next generation of surgeons at San Francisco General Hospital.”
Those in attendance to congratulate Campbell at the City Hall ceremony included UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, MBBS, new UCSF Vice Chancellor of Community and Government Relations Dan Bernal, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Chief Executive Officer Susan Erlich, MD, MPP, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott, Cohen, Campbell’s former trainees, and his wife and son, among many others.
Campbell received his BA degree in Biology at Harvard University and went to medical school at UCSF, where he earned his MD degree before residency training at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Campbell is fully trained in Internal Medicine, General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. He’s the author of more than 100 manuscripts, abstracts, and book chapters, with research and clinical interest in ICU care of trauma patients, acute lung injury after trauma, abdominal compartment syndrome, and surgical education.
Campbell has been a national leader at The American College of Surgeons, serving on the executive committee of the ACS Board of Governors, plus one year as ACS Secretary. He also served on the ACS Committee on Trauma and as part of the ACS Verification, Review, and Consultation Program. He’s been inducted into the ACS Academy of Master Surgeon Educators as a full member.
