'A Real Source of Pride': Geriatrics Ranks No. 1 in the Nation

UCSF Health recently celebrated the news of a No. 1 ranking in the nation for geriatrics at UCSF Health-UCSF Medical Center in U.S. News and World Report's annual hospital survey.

But before the festivities could kick off, the whole team stopped what it was doing to help an older patient exit our Geary Street clinic and into a ride home – a fitting reminder that it's the small acts of compassion, along with clinical excellence, that define their approach to care.

"It's just emblematic of the team we have," says Dr. Jacklyn Katz, medical director at the UCSF Center for Geriatric Care. "They're truly dedicated to the care of older adults."

The U.S. News honor reflects a steady climb for geriatrics at UCSF, which rated as the second-best specialty in the nation in 2025 and third-best the year prior. It's one of two specialties at UCSF Medical Center, along with pulmonology and lung surgery, to receive a No. 1 ranking from the benchmark annual survey.

"We're delighted," says Dr. Louise Walter, chief of the UCSF Division of Geriatrics. "This recognition reflects the innovative, compassionate, interprofessional clinical care we provide."

For frontline staff who have invested so much in caring for older adults, the ranking is a testament to the teamwork that happens every day behind the scenes, says nurse Carrie Kawamoto, who has worked in the Center for Geriatric Care for more than 20 years.

"It's a real source of pride," she says. "It feels great to be recognized for all the work we put in every day."

A growing need for geriatrics

Geriatrics is a large and growing demographic both at UCSF Health and across the Bay Area, where the population of people ages 65 and older has increased nearly 20% since 2020.

When UCSF first launched its geriatrics program in 1997, the division included just two doctors. Today, there are 55 faculty providers on staff throughout the UCSF health system and San Francisco VA Medical Center. "We take such a systems-based approach to geriatrics," Walter says. "Wherever an older patient is, whether it's at home, in the hospital, in the Emergency Department, or in our subspecialty clinics, we have a geriatrician there."

That includes the Age-Friendly Emergency Department (AFED) program at the Parnassus Heights emergency department, where specially trained nurse practitioners and social workers from geriatrics can meet with older patients and make recommendations for their care and discharge.

Expanding care options

Geriatrics also runs acute care units at Parnassus and at UCSF Health Stanyan Hospital, with providers specially trained to care for older patients, as well as the UCSF Center for Geriatric Care in the Richmond District, which offers outpatient primary care for older adults. Outside the hospital setting, the UCSF Care at Home program brings geriatric doctors and nurses directly to more than 700 patients' homes to provide comprehensive complex care.

Taken together, those services make up an "age-friendly health system," geriatrician Dr. Stephanie Rogers says.

"We're really seen as thought leaders and innovators in geriatrics care nationally," she notes. "People look to UCSF Health Geriatrics in designing their own health systems, including the way we do research and education. We're really the model for that and a leader nationwide.