Salute to Service
“This year’s Founders Day Award recipients have made remarkable contributions that enrich our community and are integral to the fabric and mission of UCSF.”

Award Categories:
- Exceptional University Management
- Exceptional University Service
- Public Service
- Distinguished Nurse Award
Exceptional University Management
Miriam Gonzalez-White, MBA
Miriam has transformed many departments at UCSF, working toward efficiency and a commonsense approach for patients. As a cancer patient herself in 2016, Miriam experienced UCSF’s mission in a different way, grounding a belief in delivering exceptional care to everyone.
Monica F. Mapa
Monica is celebrated for her influence and human touch across UCSF. During the pandemic, Monica led the university’s COVID-19 awareness and safety campaign, helping to inform while striking a tone that united the UCSF community during a time of high stress and anxiety.
Jennifer Tuveson McElroy
Jennifer’s tremendous impact extends beyond the Bay Area. In partnering with health care professionals in Zimbabwe for nearly 25 years, Jennifer has championed and supported many clinical trials that have led to the near elimination of perinatal HIV transmission.
Exceptional University Service
Maria S. Jaochico, EdD
Deepening relationships and building community are at the top of Maria’s priorities at UCSF. In bringing people together, sharing stories and finding support for those who need it, she believes in collaborating to further engrain our PRIDE Values across the UCSF community.
Kim Jarboe LaPean
For Kim, it’s all about people. In making a career out of humanizing communications, Kim has been able to harness the power of storytelling in connecting with the UCSF community, engaging employees in creative and meaningful ways.
Kate Shimshock, MSW
The world is a complicated place, but it’s a safer one because of Kate. In her role preparing UCSF for emergency situations, Kate has embraced a life of service to others. Her commitment to the UCSF community has created a better, more secure workplace for all.
Public Service
Joey Convento
Joey believes that creating community starts with being healthy, be it a trip to the gym, volunteering or attending an event. His goal is simply to give everyone an opportunity to enjoy life a little more, helping them promote health and truly living UCSF’s mission.
Belle Lao-Ngo
Community is everything to Belle. As a daughter and granddaughter of Asian immigrants, Belle’s dedication to oral health was inspired by her family’s journey to the U.S. Her work has created a bridge to San Francisco’s Chinatown and connected with the residents who live there.
Rebecca Sudore, MD
Rebecca is revered for her steadfast support of helping patients who have trouble understanding lengthy medical forms. Her goal is to empower every person to have a voice in their health care, no matter their native language or education level.
mike Reid, MD, MA, MPH
Edison T. Uno Award
mike’s career is built on the belief that health is a human right. He’s helped lead the adoption and advancement of the most impactful science developed at UCSF, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa. Be it new drugs or new approaches, he’s taken them to scale.
Distinguished Nurse Award
Iris Kauf, BSN, RN
From the time she was a teenager to now, Iris has turned little problems into big solutions. She is revered for her work at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, embracing the UCSF spirit of collaboration and ingenuity to find better health outcomes for our youngest patients.