UCSF Chancellor Named Among 10 Most Powerful Women in Silicon Valley

UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, was named among the 10 “most powerful women in Silicon Valley” by the San Jose Mercury News.

For the first time, columnist Chris O’Brien writes, the Mercury News compiled the list of powerful women leaders based on three factors: size of their company or organization; number of people under their management; and scope of their influence beyond their company.

Desmond-Hellmann was listed among other high-ranking women in technology, social media and government and is one of the few leaders with experience in academia and industry. The top three women named among the most powerful in the Jan. 16 column are: Safra Catz, president of Oracle; Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook and Carol Bart, chief executive officer of Yahoo. US Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) also made the list.

The Mercury News cites Desmond-Hellmann’s successful role during her 14 years at Genentech, where she was president of product development from March 2004 through April 2009 and her leadership at UCSF, a top-ranked health sciences university.

He writes, “In the world of biotechnology and genetics, Desmond-Hellmann was already a towering figure. She played an instrumental role in developing some of the most important cancer-fighting drugs, and then spent years as president of Genentech.

“But in August 2009, she became the first female chancellor at UC San Francisco, an often-overlooked institution despite being one of the region's largest research organizations and the second-largest employer in San Francisco, with a $3 billion annual budget, 4,493 students and 22,196 employees. In her new role, she's now also overseeing the development of UC San Francisco’s massive Mission Bay campus, which will include three medical and research facilities.”

Desmond-Hellmann considers the honor as recognition for UCSF. “What pleases me most is that UCSF is being recognized as a place of innovation and a catalyst for economic growth,” she said. “We can learn from the best and make our own contributions in Silicon Valley.”

One of her top priorities is working to strengthen the business side of the large, nonprofit institution, ensuring that it is financially secure to properly educate the next generation of health professionals, continue to carry out unparalleled scientific research and achieve its goal of advancing health worldwide™.

The recipient of numerous awards, Desmond-Hellmann was named to the Biotech Hall of Fame in 2007 and as the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Woman of the Year for 2006. She was listed among Fortune magazine’s “top 50 most powerful women in business” in 2001 and from 2003 to 2008. In 2005 and 2006, the Wall Street Journal listed Desmond-Hellmann as one of its “women to watch.”

Read the entire San Jose Mercury News column. 

Related Links:

UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann Biography

Business: Supporting Continued Excellence 
 

Article Date: 
January 19, 2011 - 3:53pm