Clinical Sites

Residents have an opportunity to rotate at 8 different clinical sites throughout their training, providing them with a rich and varied clinical experience.

UCSF Parnassus Campus

UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus, the original campus, has over 500 beds, 28 inpatient operating rooms, and 4 outpatient ORs. Here, residents experience the breadth of plastic surgery, from general and oncologic reconstruction, microsurgery, hand surgery, gender affirming surgery and wound care. The chief residents participate in resident cosmetic clinic here and perform their own cosmetic cases as the primary surgeon under the preceptorship of a clinical faculty member who supervises them directly in the OR.  

UCSF has been consistently ranked as one of the top ten hospitals in the nation. 

UCSF Mission Bay Campus

UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay is a new state-of-the-art hospital complex comprised of three (3) hospitals with shared central facilities – UCSF Betty Irene Moore Women's Hospital, UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.  All pediatric surgical care and associated clinics including the UCSF Craniofacial Clinic and UCSF Birthmarks & Vascular Anomalies Center, are located at UCSF Mission Bay. Breast and Oncologic Reconstruction takes place on the adult side at the UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital.

The new Mission Bay hospitals were built with a focus on the patient’s experience every step of the way. At Mission Bay, patients find the latest technology, including telemedicine, robotics and intra-operative imaging, as well as space to accommodate tomorrow's innovations. 

The Craniofacial Center offers a multidisciplinary approach to birth defects affecting the face, head and neck, including cleft lip, cleft palate, ear anomalies and craniosynostosis. The multidisciplinary craniofacial team meet weekly to evaluate complex pediatric cases. The Birthmarks and Vascular Anomalies Clinic meets bimonthly in a multidisciplinary conference that includes pediatric dermatology and interventional radiology. 

Zuckerberg San Francisco General

Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital is a Level I trauma center for the city and county of San Francisco as well as the county hospital for indigent patients. Dr. Scott Hansen is the Chief of Plastic Surgery at ZSFG. The emphasis here is on surgery for hand and maxillofacial trauma, reconstruction after trauma, particularly orthopedic trauma, and general reconstruction. There is also a robust program in gender affirmation, led by Dr. Michael Terry. The opportunity to work at the ZSFG affords the residents the ability to be the primary surgeon for these patients, with close attending supervision in both the clinics and the OR. 

A benefit for our junior residents is the minor procedures clinic, which affords our interns and junior residents the ability to work closely with an attending surgeon in the outpatient setting to perform minor procedures, like the removal of skin lesions, in an outpatient clinic setting.

UCSF Mt. Zion Campus

UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion (MTZ) is home to outpatient clinics, surgery facilities and support services for both patients and families. UCSF's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center of Excellence in Women's Health all have locations at the Mount Zion campus. Dr. Robert Foster is the Chief of Plastic Surgery at MTZ.

At the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, surgical emphasis for plastic surgery residents is on breast reconstruction with outpatient surgery now the priority as the remainder of breast reconstruction has moved to Mission Bay.  

San Francisco Veteran's Affairs Medical Center

The San Francisco VA Medical Center is located at "Lands End", on a promontory with unparalleled views overlooking the ocean and San Francisco Bay.  The Chief of Plastic Surgery at SF VAMC is Dr. Pablo Leon. 

The experience for plastic surgery residents at the VA consists of a preponderance of hand surgery as well as general reconstruction and limb salvage procedures. 

California Pacific Medical Center and The Buncke Clinic

The California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) is the largest medical center of the Northern California-based Sutter Health health system with strong academic ties to UCSF. Each fifth year integrated resident spends two months  at The Buncke Clinic (named in honor of Dr. Harry J. Buncke, M.D.) where the emphasis is on hand and microsurgery, particularly replantation, a rotation that is often named as the best rotation of residency.

Established in 1970, the Buncke Clinic has been at the forefront of the advancement of reconstructive surgery, with Dr. Harry Buncke being recognized as the “Father of Microsurgery.”  The Buncke Clinic serves as a leading tertiary referral center for complex reconstructive plastic and microsurgical treatment options, inlcuding phalloplasty for gender affirmation, and other high acuity cases.

St Francis and Bothin Burn Center

Saint Francis Memorial Hospital is a fully accredited community-based hospital caring for the diverse population of San Francisco. Located atop Nob Hill, Saint Francis is home to the largest burn center in Northern California, Bothin Burn Center, admitting over 200 burn patients annually.

Plastic surgery residents have a two-month rotation at Saint Francis early in their training, providing them with invaluable experience in burn treatment, ICU resuscitation and secondary burn reconstruction. 

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland is an ACS designated Level I pediatric trauma center and an affiliated research organization, the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, or CHORI, which conducts research for a variety of children's health issues. Formerly named Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland, the hospital was renamed in 2014 after affiliating with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco. 

Between 300-400 pediatric plastic surgery cases are performed annually at Benioff Children's Oakland, the majority for pediatric hand surgery, with a lesser though not insignificant number of cases for cleft palate and craniofacial cases. The UCSF Department of Surgery has plans underway for a regular resident rotation at Benioff Children's Oakland.