It was founded in 1907 at the site of Parnassus Heights, on Mount Sutro, following the 1906 earthquake, and it was the first hospital in the University of California system.

The university acquired Mount Zion Hospital in 1990, which became the second major clinical site and since 1999 has hosted the first comprehensive cancer center in Northern California.

[2] The medical center received a philanthropic donation of $100 million from Chuck Feeney in February 2015, the largest gift by an individual in the history of the UC system.

[3] In 2018, UCSF received a commitment of $500 million for the construction of a new hospital, which will be built at Parnassus, replacing the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute.

[citation needed] Mount Zion Hospital was planned in 1887 by members of the Jewish community in San Francisco.