The San Francisco General Hospital Foundation celebrates the people and programs that exemplify the compassion, innovation, and perseverance it takes to care for an entire city.  

This year, the Hero & Heart Awardees remind us of the power of seeing humanity in each other. 

The first awardee is Melissa Pitts, RN, BSN, a true health care hero. Melissa is a Registered Nurse and nursing lead in the Emergency Department at ZSFG, bringing compassion and skill in the face of tragedy and disaster. As a Nursing Manager, Melissa ensures patients receive the best care from the ambulance bay to recovery wards.

See Melissa in action here.

Kelly Brandon, MSN, RNBC, CNS is another extraordinary individual that has been key to advancing health care equity and innovation at ZSFG.

Kelly is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Family Birth Center as well as the Co-Founder of the Addiction Care Team Nurse Liaison Program, an initiative that integrates addiction medicine specialists into units across the Hospital, encouraging continual learning and improvement in patient care at the intersection of substance use disorders and inpatient health care.

Learn more about Kelly here.

Our final Hero & Heart awardee is the resilient Pamela Dorsey, a recent recipient of a heart transplant at ZSFG. After suffering a silent heart attack in 2020, Pamela, supported by her care team at ZSFG, began to make major changes to her life, making her eligible for this life-saving operation. Today, she continues to focus on her health and what beings her joy—including singing in the choir.

Watch Pamela’s journey here.

Embodying progress in health care, these three individuals demonstrate the importance of innovation and equity at ZSFG.