Congratulations to our 2026 resident and fellow graduates and award recipients, who celebrated together on June 12 at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. We were pleased to honor outstanding achievements in teaching, mentoring, clinical care, research and service.
Outstanding Alumnus Award
Recipient: Elizabeth Burnside, MD, MPH
Presented to a graduate of the radiology residency program who has achieved a high level of professional accomplishment, who has provided outstanding service to the field of radiology through their leadership and who has promoted the culture of the UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging through collaboration, professionalism and excellence.
The nomination for Dr. Burnside noted that, “Elizabeth was an outstanding resident in our program. She has gone on to reach the pinnacle career of an academic radiologist. She is currently Senior Associate Dean, School of Medicine and Public Health and Executive Co-Director, Institute of Clinical Translational Science at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She gave a fantastic lecture on artificial intelligence as a keynote speaker at RSNA in 2023 and received the Gold Medal at RSNA in 2024.”
Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award
Recipient: Orit Glenn, MD
Presented annually to a faculty member who has provided extraordinary service to the department's faculty through mentorship.
“Dr. Glenn is a dedicated mentor who eagerly helps trainees and junior faculty to look at challenging cases and also describes how she is able to formulate her conclusions. She is a fantastic radiologist with a sharp eye, generous with her time and expertise, and a strong advocate for junior faculty in our division; always sponsoring junior faculty for opportunities in research and speaking. Her leadership has allowed the pediatric neuroradiology group to grow and thrive and to gain a stellar reputation on the national stage.”
“Few faculty members can demonstrate mentorship impact at every level — from medical students to junior faculty — backed by both quantitative output and qualitative testimony. Her 25-year dedication to UCSF's radiology trainees, combined with national recognition as an educator, makes her an exceptionally strong candidate for any mentorship award in radiology. We have so many outstanding peds focused neuroradiologists in our division — which is in large part due to the outstanding mentoring that Orit has provided our trainees and faculty.”
Clinical Faculty Excellence Award
Recipients: Shirley Chou, MD, MPH and Yi Li, MD
The Clinical Faculty Excellence Award is established to honor and celebrate our faculty who are distinguished by their dedication to clinical radiology, their superb skills in diagnostic and/or interventional radiology and the exceptional care they provide to our patients.
“Dr. Chou brings great insight to multidisciplinary breast tumor boards and rad path conferences and is clearly dedicated to excellent patient care. She is particularly skilled at evaluating our newest technology - CEM (contrast enhanced mammography). She is energetically and selflessly spearheading the trial on CEM as site PI for UCSF, and has worked to implement CEM-guided biopsy, a new procedure for us. An exemplary clinical breast radiologist, Chou beautifully balances keen diagnostic skills with thoughtful and high yield teaching for the residents and fellows on service. She is warm, kind and thoughtful with staff and patients, always going the extra step to ensure the patient experience in breast imaging is both comprehensive and fulfilling. Beyond her diagnostic expertise, Chou is an unwavering advocate for quality and safety and as the division lead for QC. She collaborates seamlessly with our multidisciplinary colleagues and goes above and beyond to optimize patient care. She is also deeply committed to education, modeling clinical excellence for trainees through her thoughtful teaching and steady leadership. Dr. Chou elevates our entire department through her dedication, humility, and commitment to delivering the very best in breast care.”
“Dr. Li is exceptionally responsive and consistently prioritizes patient needs and overall wellness in every interaction. I recall a time when she sat with me for an extended period, carefully helping design a complex imaging protocol for a patient who required three different scans but faced strict time limitations due to an implanted device. She is readily available for urgent consultations from multidisciplinary teams and is an outstanding teacher, explaining complex findings with clarity and patience. She has an openness that encourages questions and discussion from providers at all levels of training. I still feel that I learn something new every time she leads a conference or I consult with her on a patient’s imaging. Her case reviews in Neuroradiology conference are always helpful for clinical care and also enhance our learning. Her patient care innovation — from the Scan Without Anesthesia program to AI-powered outcome prediction — goes beyond standard practice. What makes her nomination particularly strong is the reinforcing cycle between her clinical work and scholarship: her research on neonatal brain injury directly improves the prognostic counseling she provides to families, and her fellowship program leadership ensures these advances propagate to the next generation of neuroradiologists.”
Hideyo Minagi Outstanding Teacher Award
Recipient: Ellen Chang, MD, MS
Named in honor of faculty member Hideyo Minagi, MD, this award recognizes an outstanding faculty teacher that most exemplifies the commitment, enthusiasm and dedication to teaching demonstrated by Dr. Hideyo Minagi over his long UCSF career.
Excellence in Medical Student Teaching
Recipient: Allen Ye, MD, PhD
Presented to a teacher demonstrating excellence in teaching UCSF medical students for the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging.
Outstanding Volunteer Clinical Physician Award
Recipient: Jessica Tan, MD
Presented for outstanding service to the UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging as a clinical physician.
“Jessica Tan has demonstrated remarkable dedication to teaching our residents and fellows and to serving the people of San Francisco for over 10 years as a volunteer clinical physician. After completing her fellowship in Neuroradiology in 2013, she has continually enhanced services at San Francisco General through her expertise and comprehensive knowledge of neuroradiology. Despite the increasing burden of a long commute after relocating to the East Bay, and throughout the vicissitudes of the pandemic, she has been a steadfast presence—asking for little while giving so much. Beyond her clinical excellence, she is an exceptional teacher whose equanimity and perspective, including lessons drawn from her experiences outside academia, have deeply enriched our trainees. We are truly indebted to her service and example.”
Elmer Ng Outstanding Resident Award
Recipient: Neda Ghassemi, MD
Named in memory of former faculty member Elmer Ng, MD, this award is presented annually to an exceptional member of the graduating residency class in recognition of extraordinary accomplishments and a high-level of dedication to excellence in patient care, teaching and service.
Margulis Society Outstanding Researcher Award
Recipient: Luke W. Bonham, MD
Presented annually by the Margulis Society to a senior resident who has accomplished outstanding achievement in research during their time as a resident in the UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging.
Outstanding Fellow Instructor Teaching Award
Recipient: Harrison T-S Lee, MD, MBA
Presented annually to a fellow or clinical instructor who has demonstrated both excellence in teaching and outstanding dedication to instructing trainees in the residency program.