UCSF Center for Community Engagement Celebrates 20 Years of Community, Partnership, and Purpose
What does two decades of relationship-building look like? For the UCSF Center for Community Engagement (CCE), home to the UCSF Anchor Institution Mission, it looks like a room full of community partners, researchers, clinicians, and supporters, sharing food, music, and a deep commitment to health equity, gathered to honor the past, celebrate the present, and set a bold vision for the future.
The CCE recently marked its 20th anniversary with a celebration as vibrant and diverse as the communities it serves. The event brought together longtime partners and supporters under the simple yet powerful theme, "Stronger Together: 20 Years of Relationship Building."
A Celebration Rooted in Our Values
The evening was a true reflection of the CCE's values. Food from La Cocina, the San Francisco-based small business incubator known for supporting low-income, immigrant, and women-of-color entrepreneurs, nourished the room. An international playlist set the tone for a gathering that honored the many cultures and communities woven into the CCE's work over the years. A live graphic recording of CCE's 20-year history, created by a local, woman-owned business, was prominently featured and provided a vivid visual story of the journey from a small team of visionaries to an institution-wide commitment to advancing community health and equity in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Wylie Lui, who has served as Executive Director for over 16 years, opened the celebration by honoring the CCE's past, its many accomplishments thus far, and its bold vision ahead. As noted by Dan Bernal, Vice Chancellor of Community and Government Relations, "community comes first in Community and Government Relations", highlighting that the order reflects the authentic community engagement that drives and grounds CCE's work. Remarks from UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood reflected on the 20-year journey not only from his perspective as a university administrator, but also as a pediatrician, grounding the evening in the human impacts of community health work and the enduring importance of building and maintaining trust between institutions and the people they serve. Other notable guests included Drs. Eugene Washington, former UCSF Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, and Kevin Grumbach, former chair of UCSF's Department of Family and Community Medicine, both of whom helped launch the center.
Recognizing Impact: Workforce Development and Economic Inclusion
A highlight of the evening was the recognition of UCSF's workforce development efforts, which received a certificate from the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) honoring a sustained and impactful partnership, a testament to the Anchor Institution Mission's role in advancing economic inclusion alongside health equity.
Closing With Poetry and Purpose
Judy Young, Executive Director of the UCSF National Center for Excellence in Women's Health, reflected on the power of community-centered care and the relationships that make it possible in her closing remarks. The evening concluded on a deeply moving note, with Monique LeSarre, former co-chair of the CCE/Anchor Steering Committee and former Executive Director of Rafiki Health, delivering a beautiful poem by Che-vanni Beon Davis about the profound importance of being present in community with one another. Her words were a reminder that, behind every program, partnership, and policy, lies something more fundamental: people showing up for one another.
As the CCE and Anchor Institution Mission look toward the next 20 years, the commitment remains clear — building partnerships that advance community health, economic opportunity, and equity across the Bay Area and beyond.
Here's to the next 20 years of building stronger partnerships, advancing equity, and making a lasting difference together!