Welcome to the Office of the Ombuds
The Office of the Ombuds offers a safe, confidential place to discuss UCSF-related issues and explore possibilities for informally addressing concerns.

The Ombuds will listen; help identify options; make inquiries and make referrals as appropriate; and/or facilitate resolutions in an impartial manner. The Office of the Ombuds supplements and does not replace or substitute formal grievance processes made available by the University. The Office operates within University policy and follows the International Ombudsman Association Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics: Confidentiality, Impartiality, Informality, and Independence. Using the Ombuds conflict resolution services is voluntary. The Office of the Ombuds serves as a resource for all members of the UCSF community (faculty, non-faculty academics, staff, administrators, students, post-doctoral fellows and other trainees, and affiliates). 

Please call to schedule your Zoom, phone, or in-person appointment. To ensure that sensitive Zoom or phone conversations cannot be overheard, please make sure to seek private space to have your visit with an Ombuds, wear earbuds/headphones, and make certain that no one is listening or observing off-screen.

 

Our Mission

To humanize the experience of working and learning at UCSF by providing a confidential, impartial, informal, and independent problem-solving resource that includes individual consultation, mediation, and group facilitation services to members of the diverse UCSF community predicated on the principles of fairness, equity, and respect.

Confidentiality

Use of services provided by the Office of the Ombuds is voluntary and confidential. All conversations with the Office of the Ombuds are confidential and off the record. The Office does not create or maintain records for the University. Any notes taken during the course of a case are routinely destroyed on a quarterly basis once the Office determines the case is closed.

 

Communication to the Office does not constitute notice to the University. This includes allegations that may be perceived to be violations of laws, regulations or policies, such as sexual harassment, issues covered by the Whistleblower policy, or incidents subject to reporting under the Clery Act. Because the Ombuds does not function as part of the administration of the University nor as a "Campus security authority" as defined in the Cleary Act, even if the Ombuds becomes aware of such allegations, the Ombuds is not required to report it to the University or to law enforcement.

 

If you would like to put the University on notice regarding a specific situation, the Ombuds can provide you with information about how to do that. Please visit our Charter Agreement for more information about the role and practices of the Office.