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.

Now is your chance to help us recognize our most deserving candidates for the 2025 Alumni Awards by visiting the online form to submit your nominations! (If needed, you may reach out to the Office of Alumni Relations for additional guidance.)

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

Alumni Philanthropic Impact Award: 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.)

Alumni Discovery Award: 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.
Alumni Early-Career Award: This award honors an alum who has graduated or completed training within the last 10 years, has advanced rapidly in their career, and has displayed significant achievement in the areas of leadership and professional success, pushing the boundaries of science and health care.
Alumni Entrepreneur Award: This award recognizes an alum who demonstrates the highest caliber of innovation in science and/or health care through risk-taking actions and/or value-creating transformations.
Alumni Humanitarian Service Award: This award recognizes an alum who has made a transformative contribution to their local community, the nation, or the world that has helped make it a better place. These honorees have achieved recognition for making a noteworthy, positive change to the human condition through health care and science.
Alumni Mentor Award: This award recognizes an alum who has devoted their career to inspiring, mentoring, and educating the next generation of scientists and health care providers.
Alumni Practitioner Award: This award honors an alum whose work is marked by boundless clinical empathy, understanding, and caring within health care.
Dental Alumni Association’s Medal of Honor: 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.)
Graduate Division’s Alum of the Year: This award recognizes an alum who has made outstanding contributions to science, research, society/community, or academia. Special consideration is given to UCSF Graduate Division alumni who have also served as mentors and career advisors to students, postdocs, and/or alumni within the UCSF community.
Medical Alumni Association’s Alum of the Year: 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.
Nursing Alumni Association’s Jane Norbeck Distinguished Service Award: 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.
Pharmacy Alumni Association’s Alum of the Year: 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.)
UCSF/SFSU Graduate Program in Physical Therapy Alum of the Year: 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.

Find out who received an alumni award in 2024.

About the Nomination Process

A complete submission consists of a nomination statement of at least 250 words in length as well as contact information for both nominee and nominator. Unless otherwise noted in the award description, supporting materials are encouraged (e.g., news articles, online profiles, or quotes) but not required. All UCSF alumni, including former residents/fellows and postdocs, are eligible. Self-nominations will not be considered.

About the Selection Process

Winners will be selected by designated committees who will consider alumni diversity in every sense, including school and degree, specialty, background, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, and more.