George W. Rutherford, MD Director, Institute for Global Health Head, Division of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, UCSF Salvatore Pablo Lucia Professor of Preventive Medicine, UCSF Joint Appointment with the School of Public Health, UC Berkeley
Phone: 415-597-8200   Fax: 415-597-8299 Email: grutherford@psg.ucsf.edu

Dr. George Rutherford is Director of the Institute for Global Health, Salvatore Pablo Lucia Professor of Preventive Medicine, and Head of the Division of Preventive Medicine and Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Medicine at UCSF. He is also Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology and Health Administration at the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. Educated at Stanford University and the Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Rutherford is board certified in pediatrics and general preventive medicine and public health.

Following training in epidemiology in the Centers for Disease Control's Epidemic Intelligence Service, he spent the majority of his professional career in public health practice, with primary emphasis on the epidemiology and control of communicable diseases. He has held a number of positions in public health agencies, including serving as the State Health Officer and the State Epidemiologist for the California Department of Health Services, the Director of the AIDS Office for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and the Director of the Division of Immunizations for the New York City Department of Health.

Dr. Rutherford is currently Director of the Joint UCSF-University of California, Berkeley Residency Program in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine. He is also Director of the International Program at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies and Coordinating Editor of the Cochrane Collaborative Review Group on HIV Infection and AIDS at UCSF.

At the University of California, Dr. Rutherford teaches courses on public and international health, immunizations, public health surveillance, preventive medicine, the organization and financing of U.S. health care, and the design of clinical research trials. His current research interests include the epidemiology and control of HIV infection and AIDS-related opportunistic infections (especially in the developing world), the prevention of coccidioidomycosis, sexually transmitted disease control in California, pediatric vaccination policy, the role of public health in managed care, evidence-based public health practice, the epidemiology and control of tuberculosis in California, emerging infectious diseases, and bioterrorism.

Dr. Rutherford currently chairs the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Research Advisory Committee and the California Tuberculosis Elimination Advisory Committee. He is also Director of Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Children's Hospital Oakland and a Senior Advisor on Public Health to the California HealthCare Foundation.

Principal Research Interests

• Epidemiology and prevention of infectious diseases with emphases on HIV, chlamydia, syphilis, and coccidioidomycosis
• Epidemiology and prevention of childhood injury

Principal Teaching Activities

  At UCSF

• Infection, Inflammation, and Immunity block in 2nd year medical curriculum (public and international health module)
• E&B 140.07: Senior clerkship in public health and preventive medicine
• Preventive medicine residency seminar series
• Pediatric infectious diseases journal club

  At UC Berkeley

• PH 253A: Topics in public health surveillance
• PH 288A-D: Preventive medicine residency seminar
• PH 292.13: Epidemiology masters thesis seminar

Selected University & Public Service

  University Service

• Head, Division of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• Member, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Executive Committee
• Member, Chancellors Action Committee on Nuclear, Chemical, Biological, and Cyber Terrorism
• Member, AIDS Research Institute Executive Committee
• Member, CAPS Executive Committee
• Member, Curriculum Committee (Infection, Inflammation, and Immunity Block)
• Ex-officio member, Preventive Medicine Residency Advisory Committee
• Member, Systemwide California-Mexico AIDS Initiative

  Public Service

• Chair, Department of Veterans Affairs National Research Advisory Council
• Member, Institute of Medicine Committee on HIV Surveillance
• Chair, California Department of Health Services, Tuberculosis Elimination Advisory Committee
• Member, XIV International Conference on AIDS Scientific Advisory Committee

Selected Publications

Publications