A trove of 54 oral-history audio recordings from Mount Zion Hospital, now part of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center at Mount Zion, conducted between 1995 and 1997, is now available online. Thanks to the digitization efforts of California Revealed, an initiative to digitize, preserve, and provide online access to historical materials, these interviews offer firsthand accounts from physicians whose lives reflect major 20th-century shifts in medicine, global migration, and community health in San Francisco.
Founded in 1887 by 43 members of San Francisco’s Jewish community, Mount Zion Hospital was established with the mission “to aid the indigent sick … without regard to race or creed.” The hospital opened in 1897. Over the decades, it expanded and modernized, becoming an important community institution in San Francisco, and merged with UCSF in 1990. These interviews reveal a hospital defined by innovation, immigrant experience, and a commitment to patient-centered care.
The newly digitized collection features stories of the Jewish diaspora (from Ukraine to Poland and Shanghai), pioneering cardiology research, and the response to the AIDS crisis, tracing Mount Zion’s growth from a community hospital into a nationally recognized center for research and teaching.
Mount Zion Oral History Program
Throughout these 54 oral histories, Mount Zion physicians reflect on the groundbreaking work and research that shaped their careers and community legacy. Their stories draw on experiences in the Bay Area, and for some, the perspective of immigrating to the United States. They recount the mentorship and support that guided them, the evolution of medical practices, the impact of advancing technology, and other pressures. A few of the oral histories from the collection include:
Meyer Friedman, MD
Cardiologist, researcher, and pioneer of Type A Behavior Theory
Marc Gropper, MD
Physician, associate clinical professor, assistant director of student health services
Access the recordings
To explore these oral histories, visit the California Revealed website and search for “Mount Zion Oral History Project.” The partner page is listed under the University of California, San Francisco Library, Archives and Special Collections.
To request the Mount Zion Oral History transcripts, photographs, and related content, contact the UCSF Archives and Special Collections.
Browse more UCSF digital materials through the California Revealed portal.
Feature Image: 1600 Divisadero Street, Sutter Street Emergency Entrance, 1992, Mount Zion Photograph Collection: Architecture, UC San Francisco, Library, UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion Archives.