Raphael Hirsch, MD, is Chair of the UCSF Department of Pediatrics, a role he has held since 2019. Dr. Hirsch is also physician-in-chief at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. Hirsch has articulated a vision for the UCSF pediatric program to be among the best in the nation, with the overarching goal of making the world a better place for all children.

Dr. Hirsch works to grow research and expand the institution's clinical outreach to better serve the region's communities. Among his guiding principles is the belief that academic medical centers must demonstrate a commitment to social justice.

After earning his bachelor's degree at Northwestern University, Hirsch earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in immunology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a pediatric rheumatology fellowship at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

From 2012 to 2019, Hirsch served as Department Executive Officer and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa and as physician-in-chief at University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. He was responsible for pediatric services, including patient care, education, research and public health, both at the collegiate level and for the health system. During this time, he helped direct a transformation of the pediatric medicine program, spurred by construction of the first freestanding children's hospital for the University of Iowa.

Prior to his work at the University of Iowa, Dr. Hirsch served for 10 years as Chief of the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology and Vice Chair for Faculty Development at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Under his leadership, the division grew from a single clinician into one of the largest and most comprehensive programs in the country.

Dr. Hirsch has held numerous leadership positions in the American College of Rheumatology, most recently as a member of its board of directors. He served on the board of scientific counselors for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, a branch of the NIH. His research has sought a better understanding of childhood rheumatic diseases, with the goal of developing improved therapies, and was funded by the NIH for more than 25 years. He has published nearly 100 scientific papers.