Dr. Sandra Hernández Receives 2025 UCSF Healthcare Impact Award

UCSF Rosenman Institute honors a pioneering leader whose life’s work has reshaped healthcare in California

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, May 30, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- At the 2025 Rosenman Symposium, the UCSF Rosenman Institute proudly presented the UCSF Healthcare Impact Award to Dr. Sandra R. Hernández, MD, President and CEO of the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF). The award, co-sponsored by Blue Shield of California and Kaiser Permanente, honors individuals whose leadership has transformed healthcare through innovation, equity, and public service. Dr. Hernández received the award from Ravi Kavasery, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Blue Shield of California, who described her as a personal hero and a role model for her tireless commitment to building a more equitable healthcare system.

“Sandra has never stopped advocating for the people our system too often overlooks,” said Christine Winoto, Executive Director of the UCSF Rosenman Institute. “She’s built a legacy of compassion, public accountability, and purpose-driven leadership that exemplifies what this award stands for.”

In a fireside chat with Sam Glick, Chair-Elect of the Rosenman Institute and Executive Vice President at Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Hernández reflected on her path from working in community clinics to leading one of the state’s most influential health foundations. Their conversation emphasized upstream investment, building public trust, and designing systems that serve the people who depend on them most.

A former Director of Public Health for San Francisco and longtime advocate for Medicaid reform and equity in care delivery, Dr. Hernández served in clinical practice at San Francisco General Hospital from 1984 to 2016. Since 2014, she has led CHCF, advancing programs that invest in community-based care and reimagine California’s healthcare infrastructure with equity at the center.

The UCSF Healthcare Impact Award is presented annually at the Rosenman Symposium to recognize exceptional contributions in healthcare that reflect UCSF’s mission to advance health worldwide. In 2024, the inaugural award was presented to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in recognition of his reporting on global health disparities and underserved communities.

“We’re honored to recognize Sandra not just for what she’s done, but for how she’s done it,” said Winoto. “She leads with empathy, courage, and a relentless drive to do what’s right.”

About the UCSF Rosenman Institute
The UCSF Rosenman Institute is a healthcare innovation hub at the University of California, San Francisco. We convene the brightest minds in healthcare, connect them across disciplines, and catalyze solutions that transform care. We accelerate the development of groundbreaking health technologies by providing entrepreneurs with access to mentorship, funding, and business development opportunities. Through programs such as ADAPT, RISE, and Rosenman Innovators, the Institute is committed to advancing healthcare equity, improving patient outcomes, and transforming care on a national scale.

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