The Office of Education and Student Affairs is excited to announce the hiring of a new executive director and assistant director of Student Health. These two faculty leadership positions, which were filled after an extensive search, will oversee the student health experience. Carmen Wah Liang, DO, MPH, will be the new executive director of Student Health. In this role, Dr. Liang will serve as the chief clinical, strategic, and administrative leader, as well as the physician of record for all clinical operations.
The new assistant director is Jenny Nguyen, MD, MA, who will report to Liang and serve as a key clinical and operational leader, supporting the implementation of Student Health’s strategic priorities and day-to-day programmatic functions.
Currently, Dr. Liang is a clinical professor with the department of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF and the associate medical director for Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center’s Adult Urgent Care Center. She graduated with a Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) degree from Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency training at Tacoma Family Medicine. After working as a community health and urgent care provider in Washington, Dr. Liang obtained a master’s in public health (MPH) degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and became the medical director and partner for Integrated Case Management L3C.
Dr. Nguyen is currently assistant professor in the department of Family and Community Medicine, and medical director of Community Health Outreach at UCSF Stanyan and Hyde Street Hospitals. She earned her medical degree and master's degree in Urban Bioethics at Temple University. At UCSF, she completed a residency in family medicine, training at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and serving as chief resident during her final year. She is active in community medicine work in San Francisco and leads the new residency track's curriculum. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and Gold Humanism Honor Society.
“Student health and wellbeing, in mind and body, is a top priority for us, and I’m thrilled that Dr. Liang and Dr. Nguyen will help oversee these critical services for our students,” said John Davis Rodriguez, Vice Chancellor of Education and Student Affairs. “I’d also like to thank Justin Gibson for his dedication and steadfast leadership while serving as interim executive director and interim director of Student Mental Health and Wellbeing.”
These positions will oversee Student Mental Health and Wellbeing and the coordination of primary care and health insurance support services. Gibson will remain director of Mental Health Services.
Student Mental Health and Wellbeing (SMHW) is the clinic within Student Health that delivers comprehensive, integrated services including mental health counseling and psychiatry, health education and promotion. Services are provided at clinical sites at Parnassus and Mission Bay.
“Student health is vital to student success,” said Liang. “I’m excited to join OESA and ensure that our students have the resources that they need to be healthy and successful in their education journey.”
Nguyen added, “I’m thrilled to be part of OESA and to make an impact on student health by empowering students to take charge of their wellbeing. Our priority is to help them thrive throughout their education.”