UCSF Anesthesia & Perioperative Care at Zuckerberg San Francisco General

In 1872, the city of San Francisco built a 400-bed hospital on Potrero Avenue, the current SFGH Campus location. This all-wood construction hospital became one of four emergency hospitals operated by the City by 1904 (Central, Harbor, Park, and Potrero).

In the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, the Potrero Hospital treated many of the city's earthquake victims. The hospital also cared for many patients suffering from the ensuing plague ultimately resulting in the demolition (burning down) of the old wooden hospital.

The Mission Emergency Hospital was built at 23rd Street and Potrero Avenue and by the 1930s had become the primary hospital for treating injuries for San Francisco. 

San Francisco built a new hospital facility on the Potrero Campus with four main wards buildings. These buildings are still in use today.

SFGH has a long history as a teaching hospital. The teaching theater shown in this image is still present, nearly unchanged in building 1.

Operating theaters in the relatively new hospital complex were state of the art. 

In 1958, Dr. Stuart C. Cullen became the first chairman of the new Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care. Dr. Cullen and his faculty developed a larger, more active residency program offering more broadly based clinical activity, including obstetric anesthesia, Intensive Care Unit, and anesthesia training at San Francisco General Hospital.

Dr. Guy was a beloved teacher and influential in supporting the bond measure that helped construct building 5 (the main hospital for decades). Dr. Guy also created the first ICU at SFGH (which was combined medical and surgical).

In 1966, Dr. Stuart Cullen was promoted to dean of the Medical School and Dr. William K. Hamilton became chairman of Anesthesia, a post he would hold until 1984. At this time an anesthesia unit was established at the Veterans Administration Hospital and the Department assumed responsibility for the intensive care unit at San Francisco General Hospital. 

In 1966 SFGH was designated as the city's trauma center. At that time, SFGH was one of only two trauma centers in the country (Cook Country being the other), and under the direction of William Blaisdell (Surgery chief), SFGH Trauma Service changed the organization of trauma systems throughout the country. San Francisco had a 24-hour ambulance system since the 1950s and with the new Trauma Center, San Francisco became the first complete trauma system in the United States.

The classic Steve McQueen movie "Bullitt" was filmed in and around San Francisco in late April 1968. Several SFGH Anesthesia faculty and residents appear as extras while going about their work, including faculty member, Dick Barber, MD. Bullitt.

Joe Lee, MD, appointed as the first director of the ICU at SFGH. He's pictured here in the back row of the 1968 department group photo.

In his role as ICU Director, Dr. Schlobohm helped establish the first interdepartmental ICU at SFGH, involving collaborators from medicine, surgery, and anesthesia. The ICU was progressive in many ways, including being a pioneer in early ambulation and other therapies for mechanically ventilated patients. 

Dr. Larson served as chief of Anesthesia in SFGH and vice-chair of Anesthesia at UCSF before becoming appointed chair of the Department of Anesthesia at Stanford, a post he filled until 1982.

Dr. Fairley started medical school at age 16 during WWII. During a stint as house anesthetist early in his training, it became clear to Dr. Fairley that a career in anesthesia was the right fit for him. While at SFGH, Dr. Fairley was associate dean at UCSF and conducted pioneering research in pulmonary physiology. Dr. Fairley was recruited from UCSF to serve as chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Stanford.

Dr. Levinson was the first director of Obstetric Anesthesia at SFGH. Along with close UCSF collaborator Sol Shnider, Dr. Levinson published one of the key textbooks for obstetric anesthesia at that time.

The Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at ZSFG has a storied history of clinical research on mechanical ventilation during critical illness that began with Dr. Fairley. This dates back to the mid-1970s with the publication of the seminal study on Optimum PEEP by H. Barrie Fairley, MD. In 1975, Dr. Barrie Fairley, then Chief of Anesthesia at San Francisco General Hospital, led several seminal research studies that provided the foundation for contemporary lung protective ventilation strategies.

The City opens a New Acute Care Hospital on Potrero Avenue. Known as building 5, this hospital would serve as the city's primary public health center for more than 30 years. The first anesthetic in the new hospital was delivered by then Chief Resident Dennis Mangano and Attending Barrie Fairley.

Drawing by Rick Forester of the 1979 faculty roster.

Dr. Cedric Bainton (chief of the Department of Anesthesia at SFGH, 1985) described a new laryngoscope blade designed for emergency visualization of the pharynx and larynx when the pharyngeal space is restricted. Anesthesiology. 1987 Nov;67(5):767-70.

In 1989, the San Francisco Injury Center was established as one of 15 CDC funded centers in the U.S.

SFHP was created in 1994 as one of California’s Local Health Plans – an initiative to provide affordable health coverage to low and moderate-income families residing in San Francisco.

Numerous SFGH/UCSF faculty participated as collaborators for nearly a dozen ARDnet trials conducted at SFGH.

Dr. Sue Carlisle's accomplishments include tireless advocacy on behalf of the UCSF faculty at ZSFG and the hospital, steering the faculty through unprecedented changes in departmental and SOM leadership, establishing collegial working relationships with ZSFG and Department of Health administration, and leading the UCSF participation in the rebuild of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (2016) and the building of the Research Building at ZSFG. Dr. Carlisle went on to become associate dean at UCSF.

Dr. Bill Young (1954-2013), William P. Livingston endowed chair in anesthesia, founded The Center for Cerebrovascular Research (CCR) at SFGH. The CCR is a core group of faculty and staff pursuing integrative and interdisciplinary study of cerebrovascular disease, utilizing the tools of vascular cell biology, animal models, human genetics, disease epidemiology, and treatment outcomes research. Located in historic Building 10. Under Dr. Young's leadership, the group has been awarded more 7 NIH grants and produced hundreds of peer-reviewed publications. Read Dr. Young's memoriam in Stroke.

SFGH Anesthesia Professor, Andrew Gray, publishes first edition of the "Atlas of Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia." Dr. Gray is a world leader in regional anesthesia and was the first to describe the adductor canal block (with colleague Dr. Jens Krombach). 

Dr. Jim Marks was vice chair of the Department of Anesthesia at UCSF, chief of the Medical Staff, chief of Anesthesia at SFGH and former ICU director (1996). He is a physician leader, board-certified in internal medicine, anesthesia, and critical care.

Dr. Marks is an internationally recognized pioneer in the fields of antibody and protein engineering and is the top funded NIH researcher in the United States. Dr. Marks discovered the monoclonal antibody for Botulinum Treatment. He holds more than 100 issued or pending patents and has authored over 200 publications. Dr. Marks co-founded four biotechnology companies and serves on the scientific advisory board of three biotechnology companies and on the board of directors of a fourth, all in the therapeutic antibody space. In recognition of his scholarly achievements, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2006.

Healthy San Francisco is an innovative and pioneering health access program that makes health care available and affordable to uninsured San Francisco residents regardless of immigration status, employment status, or pre-existing medical conditions.

This NIH Training Grant was awarded to Dr. Jean Francois Pittet. At the time Dr. Pittet was a professor of Anesthesiology at SFGH, where he worked as a trauma anesthesiologist and intensivist for 18 years. Dr. Pittet is now the Chestnut Endowed professor of anesthesiology at the University of Alabama and editor of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

In 2010 Dr. Renee Navarro was appointed as the first vice chancellor of Diversity and Outreach at UCSF. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including a proclamation from the city and county of San Francisco making June 18, 2003, “Dr. J. Renee Navarro Day.” Dr. Navarro is a steering committee member of the African American Health Initiative for San Francisco County, a member of the UC President’s Task Force on Faculty Diversity and the former chief of the Medical Staff at SFGH (2001).

Cottrell's Neuroanesthesia, edited by James E. Cottrell, MD, FRCA and Bill L. Young, MD, delivers the complete and authoritative guidance for providing anesthesia in neurosurgical patients. Dr. Bill Young (1954-2013) was professor and vice chair, Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at UCSF/SFGH, professor of neurological surgery and neurology, and the director, Center for Cerebrovascular Research. Read Dr. Young's memoriam in Stroke.

The TAS is an international society that serves as a platform for anesthesiologists who care for the injured and aims to further the art and science of trauma anesthesia. The TAS was co-founded by faculty at SFGH.

In 2016, ZSFG opens a state of the art, 500-bed trauma center, the only Level-1 trauma center in San Francisco Country.

UCSF Pride Hall Opens! In the summer of 2023, UCSF faculty on the ZSFG campus began moving their offices and labs over to UCSF PRIDE Hall! This new facility, located on 23rd Street, near San Bruno Ave., is critical to continuing the 150-year partnership between ZSFG and UCSF and our shared mission to improve patient care for vulnerable populations in the Bay Area and worldwide. With the opening of Pride Hall, the UCSF research community at ZSFG will be better positioned to carry out transformative research aimed at improving health outcomes. Read more about Pride Hall.