Sam Hawgood is the 10th Chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a multi-billion-dollar enterprise that is the top public recipient of research funds from the National Institutes of Health, includes a nationally ranked medical center, and is San Francisco’s second-largest employer, with more than 30,000 faculty and staff.
A native of Australia, Hawgood entered medical school at age 17 and graduated with First Class Honors from the University of Queensland in Brisbane with a degree in medicine and surgery (MBBS). He spent the next year working at a hospital in Hong Kong and traveled through China, South Asian countries, and Russia. He then trained in pediatrics as a resident, followed by specialization in neonatology as a fellow. Early clinical experiences led him to focus his research on the proteins associated with pulmonary surfactant where he gained an international reputation in neonatology research.
Hawgood, the Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor at UCSF, maintained an active presence in clinical medicine at the University for almost 30 years, serving first as division chief of the Division of Neonatology, then as chair of the Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, and later as dean of UCSF’s nationally ranked School of Medicine.