Thomas Hope, MD Accepts the Role of Vice Chair, Clinical Operations and Strategy

Headshot of Thomas Hope, MD, UCSF Radiology facultyThe UC San Francisco Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging is pleased to announce that Thomas Hope, MD, associate professor and director of molecular therapy in the Molecular Imaging & Therapeutics Section, has accepted the role of Vice Chair, Clinical Operations and Strategy, effective June 1, 2022.

“In his new role, Dr. Hope will provide vision and leadership for our growing clinical footprint in imaging, working with UCSF Health to manage our clinical operations and expand our regional services in order to bring UCSF quality and expertise to our patients outside of San Francisco,” says Christopher Hess, MD, PhD, department chair. “Dr. Hope will also advise on the ongoing deployment of tools to improve data-driven decision-making in clinical operations, to ensure that faculty, trainees, and clinical teams benefit from systems and support that ensure innovation and continuous practice improvement.”

Dr. Hope earned his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2007. After completing his internship at Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco, his diagnostic radiology residency at UCSF, and a fellowship in body MRI and nuclear medicine at Stanford Medical Center, Dr. Hope joined the UCSF faculty in 2013.

With a long record of distinguished service to the department, Dr. Hope has contributed his expertise to numerous departmental, UCSF, and VA committees. Since 2016, Dr. Hope has served as co-director of the UCSF Neuroendocrine Tumor Destination Program and since 2018 has served as Chief of Nuclear Medicine at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Dr. Hope also chairs the Cancer Center’s Molecular Imaging & Radionuclide Therapy Site Committee. Since 2020, Dr. Hope has served as the department’s Associate Chair for Business Strategy, a role that will be subsumed in his new position. A respected teacher and mentor in the department, Dr. Hope has mentored multiple residents and fellows in abdominal imaging and nuclear medicine, several of whom have joined our faculty in recent years.

Dr. Hope is perhaps best known as an international leader in prostate cancer imaging research and the translation of new molecular imaging agents to improve clinical care. He gives frequent invited talks on his research to national and international audiences. After a collaborative effort with UCLA in which Dr. Hope played a leading role, FDA approved the clinical use of prostate-specific membrane antigen PET imaging (PSMA PET) in 2020. PSMA PET has generated international attention for its potential to revolutionize care for prostate cancer patients with metastatic disease and patients whose cancer may be missed by current standard-of-care imaging techniques.

Dr. Hope also enjoys an extensive and highly productive record as a principal investigator on NIH grants. He has a stellar list of peer-reviewed publication and is recognized by his peers with numerous accolades in molecular imaging. A sampling of Dr. Hope's awards over the past few years includes the Henkin Fellowship and Marc Tetalman Memorial Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, the Young Investigator Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the Wylie J. Dodds Research Award from the Society of Abdominal Radiology, two Outstanding Teacher Awards from the ISMRM, and the Hal O'Brien Rising Star Award from the SNMMI/ERF.

“I am confident that Dr. Hope will serve as an effective leader and steward for our clinical, educational, and research missions and contribute to our institution's continued stature as a leader in clinical innovation and strategic growth,” says Dr. Hess. “Please join me in congratulating Tom on his new appointment.”

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