2022 UCSF Medal

We honor three Black men who co-founded the Black Caucus in May 1968 to advocate for equal opportunity and treatment at UCSF. The janitors strike they organized was a catalyst for institutional change that resulted in improved recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented faculty, staff and students. Current leaders of the Black Caucus strive to uphold the legacy of its founding members.

Freeman Bradley

Freeman Bradley worked at UCSF’s Cardiovascular Research Institute, where he conducted research on respiratory issues concerning anesthesia and eventually became director of the Research and Development Lab at UCSF.

Charles Edgar Clary

Charles Edgar Clary joined UCSF as a radiologic technician, served as educator during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and became a leader in his profession and spokesperson for the American Cancer Society as a prostate cancer survivor.

David Johnson

David Johnson was a longtime activist and public servant who worked in UCSF’s personnel department, learned photography from Ansel Adams and was recognized for this work by the NAACP.​​​​

We salute an influential national leader dedicated to improving the health and care of older adults. Her contributions include serving as CEO of the American Geriatric Society and president of the AARP and advancing holistic care for seniors in San Francisco. She led a pioneering a program that made it possible for older adults to receive comprehensive medical and social services at home instead of a nursing home. This program is now a federally established Medicare benefit that has been replicated in 31 states.

Jennie Chin Hansen

Jennie Chin Hansen, RN, MSN, FAAN, has been a dedicated advocate for the care of older adults, an alumna of the UCSF School of Nursing and a national leader in geriatric care, serving as president of AARP.

We recognize the accomplishments of a UCSF scientist who has contributed to the understanding of key mechanisms of how people sense heat, cold and touch. His work epitomizes the very best of UCSF science, using his curiosity about the natural world to remarkable success. His award-winning work confirms the importance of basic research — work that strives to understand the basic underpinnings of human physiology — to ultimately advance health.

David Julius

David Julius, PhD, is professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Morris Herzstein Chair in Molecular Biology and Medicine and shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for co-discovering receptors for temperature and touch.