Radiology Professor Christopher Hess Ascends Radiology Chair at UCSF

Christopher Hess, MD, PhD, has become University of California San Francisco’s (UCSF) new chair of the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and the Alexander Margulis Distinguished Professor of Radiology as of January 1, 2018. He’s taking over for Ronald Arenson, MD, who served as the department’s chair from 1992 to 2017, and also presided as the Alexander Margulis Distinguished Professor.

Since 2008, Hess has been an integral facet in UCSF’s radiology community. He’s a professor of Radiology and Neurology and chief of Neurology at the university, the associate chair for quality and safety, and the associate director for the NIH T32 training program. The chairmanship isn’t Hess’ first leadership position. He also serves as a leader in the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the Radiological Society of North America, and the American Society for Magnetic Resonance. He was previously UCSF’s fellowship director in Neuroradiology.

His realm of expertise is in MRI acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis techniques within brain degeneration, development, epilepsy, and vascular disease. He specializes in examining these conditions using diffusion imaging and ultra-high-field MRI.

“Past accomplishments have made UCSF the #1 Radiology department in the world, and other institutions look to us to define the standard of practice and the future of the field," said Hess in a press release. "I am convinced that we will continue to grow in stature as imaging becomes a stronger and stronger catalyst for healthcare delivery.”