Prior Initiatives & Accomplishments

The Committee on the Status of Women has been active in highlighting and moving forward issues related to women at UCSF as well sponsoring events help educate, support women and create forums for more conversation.

Prior Accomplishments

  • International Women's Day 2020
  • Advocated for inclusion of expanded BUCA resources for faculty as part of Faculty Childbearing and Childrearing Leave Assessment 
  • Tip Sheets for Women Campaign – subcommittee members winner of Chancellor’s Award for the Advancement of Women 2016 
  • Weill Neuroscience Institute Steering Committee  
  • Women in Science Policy Panel 
  • Speaker series: Dawna Ballard “Talk about Time” 
  • Representation on 3FI, 4CI and Differences matters initiative committees 
  • Partnered with CLS to create the MyFamily Website 
  • Eye Opening Conversation about Women at UCSF 
  • Supported and helped to secure continued funding for UCSF emergency back-up child care/elder care (Campus Life Services) 
  • Designated funding secured for UCSF lactation rooms for 1st time 

Recognition

2020 Founders Day Awards Celebrate Commitment to Public, University Service 

Laurae Pearson is the director of administration for the Department of Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. As director of administration, she is responsible for the fundamental operations of the Department of Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Budget, hiring, facilities, research, and clinical-practice management all fall under her purview, as well as the strategy and development of business plans for new ventures. She began her career at UCSF in 1994 as an administrative assistant for the Division of Infectious Diseases at ZSFG. As she advanced, her focus on public health was always clear. She co-founded the Family Treatment Fund, which provided antiretroviral medications to HIV-positive Ugandans. She also developed the Tenderloin Clinical Research Center and established an NGO in Uganda. Her work in various departments led to her being named director of administration in 2015. 

2018 Chancellor Diversity Awards Recognize Work to Advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

Nerissa Ko, MD, MAS, is a professor and vice chair of Diversity in the Department of Neurology; she also serves on the University’s Committee on the Status of Women. Ko has consistently advocated for women at UCSF, leading efforts to achieve pay equity for women faculty and working to recruit and retain talented women faculty members and trainees, among many other projects. She was instrumental in developing the UCSF lactation program as well as the Faculty Family Friendly Initiative, which guarantees 12 weeks paid childbirth leave. A strong voice for women in medicine, she is frequently invited to speak on diversity and gender quality at national and international Neurology conferences.