Thomas McAfee, M.D., has been appointed to serve as the first Physician in Chief for UCSD Health Sciences, beginning August 19.

Physician in Chief is a new position created to provide senior administrative leadership for the physicians of UCSD Medical Center and UCSD Medical Group.

"Given the challenges of operating a successful clinical practice in today's health care market we are fortunate to have someone with Tom McAfee's unique background in both academic medicine and private practice joining our management team," said Edward W. Holmes, vice chancellor for health sciences at UCSD. "With his experience in performance improvement and patient satisfaction, he will be a tremendous asset as we work to enhance our clinical services and assure the continued success of our physician practice."

McAfee was previously Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief Medical Officer in the Department of Medicine at UCSF, and Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Brown & Toland Medical Group in San Francisco. He joined the UCSF faculty in 1987, after earning his M.D. and completing his residency training in Internal Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine and Hospital.

McAfee served in a number of leadership roles at UCSF, including membership on the Strategic Planning Committee for Health Care Futures, the Quality Improvement Executive Committee, and board membership on the Clinical Services Executive Board.

As Chief Medical Officer for Brown & Toland, McAfee played a lead role in the largest Independent Practice Association (IPA) in San Francisco, with more than 1,600 physicians board certified in over 40 specialties, serving more than 260,000 patients. They are a three-time winner of the prestigious Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH) Blue Ribbon Award for medical excellence.