Our Leadership

President, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
Senior Vice President, Children's Services, UCSF Health

Dr. Nicholas Holmes is president of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals (BCH) and senior vice president of children's services for UCSF Health. He is responsible for BCH San Francisco and BCH Oakland, which together constitute one of the nation’s 10 largest providers of health care for children. He oversees strategic direction and operations for all pediatric clinical services across the health system, including UCSF-owned and -operated sites and affiliated programs, facilities and physicians.

Holmes served 15 years in the U.S. Navy, where he was head urologist and specialty adviser to the Navy's surgeon general, assisting in shaping naval health care policy and graduate medical education. Most recently, he was senior vice president and chief operating officer for Rady Children's Hospital – San Diego.

Holmes earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he discovered a passion for surgery and caring for pediatric patients. He completed a residency in urology at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and a fellowship in pediatric urology at UCSF. He completed a business of medicine certificate program at the Johns Hopkins University. He also earned a master of business administration degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Vice President, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
Chief Strategy Officer, Women and Children's Health, UCSF Health

Stacy Alexander is vice president of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals and chief strategy officer for women and children's health at UCSF Health. In these roles, she is responsible for developing a unifying business strategy across the children's hospitals, Betty Irene Moore Women's Hospital, UCSF Health's regional affiliate network, and UCSF Health's child and adolescent mental health services. She joined the senior leadership team in 2017.

Alexander has a diverse background spanning the spectrum of health care delivery, with experience in health system strategy, group practice operations, service line business development, physician network development and health care consulting.

Alexander earned her bachelor's degree in economics and her master of health administration degree at Duke University. She joined UCSF Health in 1997 and became part of the team at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in 2012.

Chief Nursing Officer, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals
Vice President, Children's Nursing Services, UCSF Health

Judie Boehmer is chief nursing officer for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals and vice president of children's nursing services for UCSF Health. In these roles, she contributes to developing and implementing major strategic goals, while providing executive-level leadership, planning and general management for all aspects of patient care at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. Her responsibilities include overseeing the administrative, operational and financial functions of pediatric nursing services throughout the hospitals, while working closely with clinical and physician teams to evolve the delivery of pediatric care, improve quality and safety, enhance patient satisfaction, and strengthen staff engagement through a unified cross-Bay culture. With deep roots in academic medical institutions, Boehmer also works to foster an environment in the UCSF Health Department of Nursing that supports a shared voice in practice, the exchange of ideas to improve outcomes, and an inclusive, collaborative approach to patient care.

A veteran of the University of California system, Boehmer came to UCSF in 2021 from UC Davis Health. There, beginning in 1988, she held a range of clinical and leadership positions, including staff nurse, nurse educator and nurse manager. Most recently, she served for 15 years as executive director of patient care services, overseeing all units at UC Davis Children's Hospital.

Boehmer earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Minot State University and a master's degree in nursing administration from the University of Phoenix. She completed the Wharton Nursing Leaders Program at the Wharton School and Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a graduate of the Advisory Board Fellowship, an 18-month leadership development program for health care executives.

A passionate advocate for community service, Boehmer has led successful collaborations with the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and First 5 California. She has served as board president for Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern California and on the community advisory board for the Perinatal Equity Initiative of the Sacramento County Black Infant Health Program.

Vice President, Human Resources, UCSF Health

Jeffrey Chiu is vice president of human resources for UCSF Health, including UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco. In this position, he is responsible for driving strategic and operational initiatives to attract, develop and retain the top talent who ensure fulfillment of UCSF Health's mission, vision and goals. He oversees talent acquisition, compensation, onboarding and HR operations, employee and labor relations, benefits and leave of absence administration, HR information systems, occupational health services, workers' compensation, ergonomics and disability management, outreach and diversity, workforce planning, and contingent and temporary labor.

A New Jersey native, Chiu earned his undergraduate degree and master's degree in human resources management at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. After moving to San Francisco, he took a temporary position as a recruiting assistant in human resources with UCSF Stanford Health Care. Within a few months, he was hired as a permanent employee and has been with the organization through its transition from UCSF Stanford Health Care to UCSF Medical Center to UCSF Health. In his 22 years with UCSF human resources, he has held many roles, with responsibilities increasing as he moved from individual contributor to supervisor to manager and into his current role as executive leader.

Vice President for Legal Affairs, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Jodi Hirsch is vice president for legal affairs at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. After starting a career in nursing, Hirsch pursued a law degree with the aim of providing a voice for nurses in the legal field. For more than three decades, she worked as a medical malpractice defense lawyer representing doctors and nurses, and served as in-house counsel for Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, West Penn Hospital and Allegheny Health Network, and University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Before joining UCSF, she served as general counsel, corporate secretary and senior vice president for Lifespace Communities, a leader in the management of continuing care retirement communities and acute care health centers.

She is licensed to practice in Iowa. She is a Registered Inhouse Counsel, State Bar of California.

Hirsch has authored several educational modules on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and on compliance for the Child Health Corporation of America (a national alliance of specialty hospitals). She co-authored a chapter on the combined medical and legal aspects of pediatric anesthesia in Smith's Anesthesia for Infants and Children, a leading textbook for doctors training in pediatric anesthesia and a comprehensive reference for practitioners.

Physician-in-Chief, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals

Dr. Raphael Hirsch is physician-in-chief at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, a role he has held since 2019. He also chairs the UCSF Department of Pediatrics. He 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 better for all children. He 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 fellowship in pediatric rheumatology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Children's National Hospital.

From 2012 to 2019, Hirsch served as executive officer and chair of the pediatrics department 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. Before that, he served for 10 years as chief of the pediatric rheumatology division 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.

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.

Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief Development Officer for Children’s Health

Jasmine Payne serves as assistant vice chancellor and chief development officer for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, where she leads strategic efforts to advance the institution’s mission and pediatric care across the enterprise.

With nearly 20 years of fundraising experience, Payne has worked with major benefactors to develop and launch high-impact research initiatives, academic programs and capital projects. Before joining UCSF, she led the advancement program for the University of California, Berkeley College of Engineering, which secured $900 million as part of the university’s ambitious $7.3 billion Light the Way campaign. Previously, she held leadership roles at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she directed the Women & Philanthropy at UCLA Program and served as a key gift officer in the College of Letters and Science and major gift programs.

Payne graduated from Scripps College and completed doctoral coursework in English at the University of California, Riverside, where she co-edited the book “Global Migration, Social Change and Cultural Transformation.”

Vice President, Ancillary and Support Services, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Vanessa Roshell-Stacks is vice president of ancillary and support services for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. In this critical role, she is responsible for the operational, financial and strategic activities of a broad range of departments and programs across the organization. In addition, she serves as site administrator for the Oakland campus.

Roshell-Stacks began her health care career providing therapy for autistic children. She now has more than 20 years of health care experience, with a strong foundation in operational efficiency, care management and population health, patient flow, decision support, and revenue cycle management. Throughout her career, she has served in leadership positions in a variety of premier health care organizations. Before joining UCSF, she was vice president of operations for Rush University Medical Center, where she led a number of diverse departments.

Roshell-Stacks thrives as a leader who serves, bringing a desire to deliver high-quality, cost-effective solutions in a compassionate, collaborative and patient-centric manner. She is trained in the process improvement methodology Lean Six Sigma. She earned a bachelor's degree in experimental psychology and a master's degree in health administration at the University of South Carolina.

Vice President, Ambulatory Services, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals

Jason Selinger is vice president of ambulatory services at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. In this position, he is responsible for planning, directing and evaluating the administrative and operational functions of ambulatory services in San Francisco and Oakland. He also oversees the UCSF Faculty Practice Organization’s pediatric primary and specialty care clinics across the Bay Area.

Selinger began his career in strategic planning at MedStar Health, a large community-based health system, before moving into academic medicine and ambulatory operations. Following several years as an ambulatory leader at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, he joined UCSF Health as administrative director of general internal medicine and adult acute care. He later transitioned to director of children’s ambulatory services for the UCSF Faculty Practice Organization and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco.

Selinger earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston University and a master’s degree in business administration, with a focus in health services management, from Johns Hopkins University.

Director of Communications, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals

Susan Toland is director of communications for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. Her responsibilities span the UCSF Health pediatric and adult care systems, and include leading internal communications strategy for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, supporting leadership and external communication directives, and participating in the hospital incident command system response. In the highly collaborative role of communications director, she works closely with many UCSF units responsible for disseminating and receiving information, including patient communications, public relations and marketing.

Toland came to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in 2019, bringing expertise in internal and external communications, strategic initiatives and customer experience programs. Her experience includes founding her own boutique consulting practice specializing in messaging, crisis communications, public and media relations, community outreach, and branding and identity campaigns.

Chief Financial Officer, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals | UCSF Health, Children's Services

Ted Wang is chief financial officer for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals and for Children's Services at UCSF Health. He oversees the full scope of financial management for the children's hospitals, splitting his time between the Oakland and San Francisco campuses. His responsibilities include financial and capital planning, budgeting, financial reporting reimbursement, revenue cycle management, and design and operation of internal control systems. He also leads key interdepartmental initiatives for UCSF Health.

Wang brings more than 20 years of financial experience in health care systems to UCSF. He previously served as chief financial officer at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers, San Pedro and Tarzana. Before that, he was chief financial officer at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, where he led the management team in winning the President's Award for Excellence, and served in auditor roles for Anthem Blue Cross and Tenet Healthcare.

Wang holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is pursuing a master of health administration degree from Cornell University.

Vice President, Operations, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals

George Weiss is vice president of operations for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. He has 20 years of experience in pediatric health care, including in the areas of clinical operations, process improvement, business development, fundraising and strategic planning. His career spans the sales and service industries, community organizing, public health research and health care administration.

Prior to joining UCSF, Weiss worked for 18 years at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where he managed multiple behavioral and interventional research projects; served as administrator for the divisions of neurology, psychiatry, and research on children, youths and families; and served as administrative director of the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute. He was also the first executive director of the CHLA Health Network, a physician-led network of pediatricians and pediatric specialists in Los Angeles. He has co-authored 28 peer-reviewed published articles on research related to the pediatric medicine community and health services.

Weiss earned his bachelor's degree from Pomona College and his master of health administration degree from the University of Southern California.

Vice President and Chief Clinical Strategy Officer, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals

Dr. Stephen Wilson is vice president and chief clinical strategy officer of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. He also serves as vice president for the community provider network of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. In these roles, he has broad oversight of the inpatient and outpatient faculty practices at the San Francisco and Oakland campuses, as well as for the faculty and community partner practices across Northern California. He is a pediatric hospitalist and pain medicine specialist, and a professor of pediatrics.

As a long-time member of the BCH leadership team, Wilson established the inpatient and outpatient Access Centers, which facilitate the safe, rapid transport of pediatric patients referred to UCSF from other medical institutions in Northern California, and the streamlined acceptance of patients referred to our pediatric specialists. He also established the quality improvement and patient safety programs for the Integrated Pediatric Pain & Palliative Care service and the pediatric emergency department in San Francisco.

Wilson also led the development of a Northern California physician network encompassing six community hospitals and more than 200 pediatricians. This collaboration with the pediatric specialists of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals facilitates delivery of the highest-quality care throughout the region. He serves on the board of directors for UCSF Benioff Children's Physicians, a multispecialty Bay Area medical foundation.

Wilson earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and his medical degree and doctorate in immunology at Harvard Medical School. He completed a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in medical education at UCSF.

Following his training, Wilson served on the UCSF community faculty at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco and Valley Children's Healthcare in Fresno, where he founded pediatric hospitalist programs and established pediatric training sites for UCSF. In 2001, he joined the UCSF faculty at the main campus, where he co-founded the pediatric hospitalist program and established the Division of Hospital Medicine within the UCSF Department of Pediatrics.

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Joan Zoltanski is chief medical officer of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, where she is responsible for optimizing patient care with the goal of enabling all children in the community, regardless of race, gender, financial circumstances or other identified status, to enjoy the best possible health.

Prior to joining UCSF, Zoltanski was chief health officer at University Hospitals Health System, where she was also an attending physician in the division of pharmacology and critical care, system medical director of credentialing and verification, and a physician adviser. She is a recognized expert on high-value care, clinical transformation, and quality and safety in health care. As a speaker on these topics, she focuses on the framework for achieving successful outcomes.

Zoltanski earned her master of business administration degree from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, where she also earned her medical degree.