UCSF Alumni Awards

Each year, we celebrate notable UCSF alumni who are changing the world and making a difference in their communities. Awardees receive recognition across several award categories that represent six alumni associations and UCSF’s unwavering dedication to improving health, advancing our knowledge through research, and training the next generation.

During Alumni Weekend 2026, one living alum will be honored in each of the following categories:

This award honors an alum who has made outstanding achievements creating positive change through basic science/health care research and has brought distinction to themselves and the UCSF community.

This award honors an alum who has made UCSF a philanthropic priority and whose gift has made a significant impact on the University’s ability to improve and advance education, research, and/or health care. (Nominations will be made by current UCSF faculty and staff members only.)

The Medal of Honor is the most prestigious award the Dental Alumni Association can bestow upon its living alumni. The award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, service, and contributions in roles related to the Dental Alumni Association, the UCSF School of Dentistry, the dental or dental hygiene profession, and to the community service. (In addition to submitting an online nomination form, a complete nomination consists of letters of support and the nominee’s CV or resume.)

This award recognizes an alum who has made outstanding contributions to science, research, society/community, or academia. Special consideration is given to UCSF Graduate and Postdoc alumni who have also served as mentors and career advisors to students, postdocs, and/or alumni within the UCSF community.

Each year, one distinguished UCSF alum is awarded the Medicine Alumni Association Alum of the Year Award. The award recognizes dedication to the true principles of a physician, contributions to medicine, and service to the community. Awardees are graduates of UCSF who demonstrated outstanding qualifications in research, teaching, and/or clinical practice.

Since 1984, the Jane Norbeck Distinguished Service Award has honored graduates of the UCSF School of Nursing who have made significant contributions to their profession. These remarkable alumni have demonstrated service and/or leadership that has contributed to the growth and development of the UCSF School of Nursing and/or the profession.

For over 50 years, the Distinguished Alum of the Year Award has been the highest honor bestowed by the UCSF Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA). The award recognizes a UCSF School of Pharmacy graduate who has made outstanding contributions to the profession, society, and/or UCSF. (In addition to submitting an online nomination form, a complete nomination consists of letters of support and the nominee’s CV or resume.)

This award is the highest honor given by the program. It is presented to those individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to physical therapy as outstanding educators, practitioners, researchers, as well as through service in their respective fields.