Internship Program Leadership 

Laura Esserman, MD, MBA

Breast Care Center Director

Dr. Esserman is a surgeon and breast cancer oncology specialist and is the Director of the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). In 1996, she started the Center of Excellence for Breast Cancer Care to integrate clinical care and research, automate tools for the capture of patient and clinical data, and develop systems to tailor care to biology, patient preference, and performance. Dr. Esserman is nationally and internationally known as a leader in the field of breast cancer as well as the problems of overdiagnosis and overtreatment as a consequence of screening, calling attention to, as well as developing solutions to address these problems. As a thought leader, she has published over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been interviewed dozens of times, including by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Health Magazine. She is the Principal Investigator of the I-SPY TRIAL program, a multi-site neoadjuvant clinical trial that has evolved into a model for translational research and innovation in clinical trial design. Dr. Esserman has recently launched a University of California-wide breast cancer initiative called the Athena Breast Health Network, a project designed to follow 150,000 women from screening through treatment and outcomes, incorporating the latest in molecular testing and web-based tools into the course of care. She has received numerous awards including the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Women in Science Award, and was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

 

​Francesca Leung, BA

Supervisor, BCC Internship Program 

Francesca Leung began her career in higher education at UC Davis in academic, internship, and career advising with undergraduate pre-health students. When she relocated to the San Francisco area, she pivoted into curriculum management for the UCSF School of Dentistry, supporting the development of pre-dental and postgraduate students. With a passion for life-long learning, she joined the BCC as the Supervisor of the Internship Program in 2024. She enjoys mentoring our interns and helping make their experience with us a rewarding and memorable one.  

 

 

 

Jeff Belkora, PhD

Jeff Belkora, PhD, is the Director of the Patient Support Corps. Jeff is an Associate Adjunct Professor of Surgery and Health Policy at UCSF. He designs, implements, and evaluates strategies to promote patient participation in health care decisions. In his capacity as Director of the Patient Support Corps, Jeff designs the program and trains and supervises its personnel.