Announcing Anna Chang, MD, as Associate Dean for Curriculum
The UCSF School of Medicine recently announced the appointment of Anna Chang, MD, as Associate Dean for Curriculum at the UCSF School of Medicine, effective March 1, 2026.
Dr. Chang is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Director of the Clinical Microsystems Clerkship in the Bridges Curriculum. Over more than two decades at UCSF, she has helped transform undergraduate medical education through innovative curriculum design, clinical learning experiences, and a deep commitment to mentorship and educator development.
Dr. Chang has served in medical education leadership roles since 2008, including as director of Foundations of Patient Care. She was an integral member of the team that envisioned and launched the Bridges Curriculum in 2016 and has since directed the Clinical Microsystems Clerkship (CMC) — the required clinical skills and health systems improvement course for early learners.
Under her leadership, CMC has become a nationally recognized model that embeds all first- and second-year medical students across UCSF Health, the San Francisco VA Health Care System, and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Through more than 300 health systems improvement projects, students meaningfully contribute to patient care, partner with interprofessional colleagues, and advance quality and safety across our health systems.
Dr. Chang's impact extends beyond the Bridges Curriculum. From 2007 to 2013, she served on the UCSF Interprofessional Education Task Force and collaborated on curriculum redesign with the UCSF School of Pharmacy. She co-founded the Tideswell Emerging Leaders in Aging Program, a national interprofessional leadership development program, and the Department of Medicine's Program for Clinician Educator Success (DOM PRO-cess), which has supported clinician educator faculty in career development, mentorship, and scholarship. Dr. Chang has personally mentored over a hundred faculty members and trainees in various specialties, departments, and schools.
Her contributions have been widely recognized. She was inducted into the UCSF Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators in 2009, selected as the Gold Headed Cane Endowed Education Chair in Internal Medicine in 2014, received the American Geriatric Society Outstanding Mid-Career Clinician Educator of the Year Award in 2016, and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Distinguished Service Award in 2021. In 2025, she and her team became the first health professions educators selected as UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement Fellows for their research focused on strengthening trust between scientific evidence and public discourse.
Dr. Chang’s expertise in curriculum design and her commitment to inclusive excellence will further strengthen the learning environment for UCSF learners and prepare them for meaningful careers serving patients and communities.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Chang on her new role!
