If you have spent any time at UCSF, you will likely recognize Neal Cohen. Always on the move and quick to flash a warm smile, the Vice Dean has provided guidance and support to the entire campus community since his appointment to the Dean’s Office in 2000. After 20 years of committed service as Vice Dean, Dr. Cohen has announced his intent to retire, and will step down on June 30th of 2020 (but is to be recalled in August of 2020).
Dr. Cohen has long been dedicated to UCSF, graduating from the UCSF School of Medicine in 1971, before continuing on to complete both an anesthesia residency and a critical care medicine fellowship here.
After graduating from fellowship, Dr. Cohen was appointed to the Anesthesia faculty, winning the William K. Hamilton Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1980.
In 1983, he was appointed the 4th Director of the Moffitt ICU and Respiratory Therapy, following in the footsteps of Morley Singer (1964), George Gregory (1972), and Hillary Don (1974). Dr. Cohen oversaw substantial growth of Critical Care Medicine at UCSF, helping guide the division into an internationally renowned entity. From 1994 – 1996, he served as the President of the UCSF Medical Staff – all of these experiences would help support his future role as Vice Dean. In 2002, he was the recipient of the Shubin-Weil Award for Excellence in Critical Care, from the American College of Critical Care Medicine.
Throughout his career, Dr. Cohen has been a dedicated clinician, faculty member, mentor, teacher, academician, researcher, and consummate professional, earning him an appointment to the UCSF School of Medicine’s Gold Headed Cane Society in 2004, as well as multiple appointments within the American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Board of Anesthesiology, and the American Medical Association. He is a dedicated clinician-educator, whether in the ICU or the classroom. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Cohen for a remarkable career, and thanking him for his extraordinary service to UCSF and the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care. Click here to watch a touching tribute created by some of Dr. Cohen's UCSF colleagues and friends.
