My decision follows a difficult period of contemplation for me and is based largely on my desire to return to a more intimate connection with the science and practice of medicine. The past 7 years and four months have been an extraordinary time for me. First as Dean of the School of Medicine and then as Chancellor, I have been privileged to preside over a continued steady ascent of UCSF as an international force in education and research. Our professional students are the finest in the world and our graduate students rank at the very top of their fields. I have concluded that I want to return to a position that is more closely aligned with my own education and experience.
Timing is never perfect in the making of life's decisions.
The campus, after lengthy deliberations, is poised to embark on one of the most important and influential mergers in the history of academic medicine. It was deeply gratifying to me to read the conclusions of the Hellman Committee's review regarding the UCSF-Stanford merger. Their findings confirm my own convictions regarding the importance of this action. Annual contributions to the campus have exceeded 100 million dollars in each of the last three years. Relationships with our neighbors in San Francisco have improved dramatically over the past few years.