Announcing Patrick Ha, MD as Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and Partnerships in the UCSF School of Medicine

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Ha, MD as the Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and Partnerships in the UCSF School of Medicine, effective July 1, 2025. We would like to thank the search committee, chaired by Jayanta Debnath, MD, for their work in considering an exceptional pool of candidates for this position.

In this new leadership role, Dr. Ha will help shape the future of UCSF’s clinical enterprise by advancing strategic partnerships and enhancing alignment across our diverse clinical sites. These include UCSF Health, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the San Francisco VA Health Care System, Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and UCSF Fresno. As Vice Dean, he will serve as a critical liaison between the School of Medicine and clinical affiliates – working closely with vice deans at each site to enhance communication, champion physician wellness, and foster a culture of inclusion and excellence across the continuum of care.

Dr. Ha will oversee the development and approval of Professional Services Agreements, ensuring proper execution between UCSF, the School of Medicine, and partner organizations. He will also collaborate with Faculty & Academic Affairs to support outside consulting agreements. In partnership with the Office of Technology Management/Innovation Ventures, Dr. Ha will advise faculty on intellectual property management and ensure compliance with the UC Patent Policy. He will also lead the implementation of a coordinated UCSF Risk Management framework to uphold best practices and regulatory standards across all clinical affiliates.

Dr. Ha brings to the role a deep understanding of UCSF’s clinical, academic, and operational missions. A nationally recognized leader in head and neck surgical oncology, he currently serves as Chief of the Division of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology in the UCSF Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS), Medical Director of Mission Bay Adult Services, and the Irwin Mark Jacobs and Joan Klein Jacobs Distinguished Professor in Head and Neck Surgery. Since joining UCSF in 2015, he has grown his division’s clinical footprint by more than 50%, launched innovative multidisciplinary care models, and expanded access to clinical trials and complex oncologic services across sites.

His current area of research is focused on the molecular changes occurring in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma, and he has held multiple NIH and foundation grants towards this aim. In addition, he is the Editor In Chief of the journal Head and Neck and on the editorial board of several journals. He has more than 150 published journal articles.

Throughout his career, Dr. Ha has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to collaboration, quality improvement, and equity. His previous experience navigating academic–community hospital affiliations at Johns Hopkins and his continued engagement in UCSF’s capital planning, quality councils, and patient-centered initiatives position him uniquely to lead this new portfolio. While at Johns Hopkins, he held the role of Associate Residency Program Director and won several teaching awards for his work with medical students and residents.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Ha on this well-deserved appointment. We are thrilled to welcome his leadership as we continue to advance a unified and mission-driven approach to clinical care at UCSF.