UCSF’s commitment to public service dates to the founding of its predecessor institution, Toland Medical College, in 1864. Born out of the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of Gold Rush-era San Francisco, Toland Medical College trained doctors to elevate the standards of public health in the burgeoning city.

By 1873, the University of California acquired the college and forged a partnership with San Francisco General Hospital that continues to this day and serves as a model for delivering leading-edge care at a public safety-net hospital.