Message From The Chief: Dr. Kenneth McQuaid

As Chief of the San Francisco VA Medical Service, I am proud to be a steward of one of the preeminent institutions within the Veterans Health Administration. In patient care, education, and research, SFVAHCS Medical Service physicians are committed to programmatic excellence in order to fulfill our mission to serve and honor America’s Veterans. Since joining the VA in 1992, I have solemnly committed myself to this purpose. My father was a WWII Navy Veteran. My mother-in-law’s first husband was a pilot who was killed on the last day of WWII. I’m named after my ‘Uncle Kenny’ who died in Africa shortly after the war, and my younger brother is a 20-year Army Veteran who fought in the Gulf War. We treat the Veterans as if they were our own family – because they are.

My father was a WWII Navy Veteran. My mother-in-law’s first husband was a pilot who was killed on the last day of WWII. I’m named after my ‘Uncle Kenny’ who died in Africa shortly after the war, and my younger brother is a 20-year Army Veteran who fought in the Gulf War. We treat the Veterans as if they were our own family – because they are.

Kenneth McQuaid, MD

Vice Chair, UCSF Department of Medicine

 

 

On almost a daily basis, I tell one person or another how I wish that I and my family members could receive our care at the SFVAHCS. What makes this Medical Service so special is the collective commitment of over 160 primary care physicians and specialists to foster a respectful and inclusive Veteran-centric culture that provides the highest quality medical care. Whether you are a patient, a family member, a trainee, or a prospective faculty or employee, I assure you: this is our goal – and we take it very seriously. Our primary care providers are knowledgeable, compassionate practitioners who have pioneered a team-based, interdisciplinary approach to health care that provides personalized, patient-centered management. Our nationally renowned specialists have been leaders within the VA system in several areas, including interventional cardiology procedures (transcatheter aortic valve replacements), colon cancer screening and colonoscopic resection of advanced mucosal neoplasms, CT-screening and early detection of lung cancer, and state-of-the art treatment for HIV, solid tumors, leukemias, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatologic disorders, and kidney disease.

If you’d like to learn more about our fabulous clinicians, educators, and researchers, I encourage you to look at the VA Medical Service web pages and read the physician profiles. You’ll see that they’ve trained in the best institutions, garnered numerous local and national honors and awards, published in the best journals, and served their communities, the university, and their professional societies with distinction. It’s an extraordinary group of professionals, and they choose to practice at the San Francisco VA because of its unique culture and community. I’m proud to serve as their chief and to be a part of such a great healthcare system. Should you want to know more, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].

Kenneth R. McQuaid, MD
Marvin H. Sleisenger Endowed Chair
Professor and Vice Chair, UCSF Department of Medicine