Biography
Dr. Jeffrey Pearl, Professor Emeritus of Surgery, was raised in San Francisco, attended UC Berkeley for his undergraduate studies, and earned his M.D. at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency training at UC San Diego with Dr. Marshall Orloff, followed by appointments as a major in the U.S. Army and instructor in surgery at Johns Hopkins University.
In 1978, Dr. Pearl began his surgical practice at Mount Zion Hospital where his father, Dr. Milton Pearl, became Chief of Surgery and Chief of Staff. Dr. Pearl joined the UCSF faculty in 1981, playing a critical role in the integration of UCSF and Mount Zion Hospital.
Dr. Pearl became Associate Dean and Associate Medical Director of the UCSF Medical Center at Mt. Zion where he founded and directed the Northern California Hernia Center. He held the Fishbon Endowed Chair in Ambulatory Surgery and served, for a time, as Vice-Chair of the Department of Surgery where he oversaw departmental finances. Dr. Pearl was also a member of the Galante Lecture Committee.
While at UCSF, Jeff was an unstinting advocate for UCSF Mount Zion, ensuring patient care remained at the highest levels. Dr. Pearl was instrumental in creating the Drs. Milton J. Pearl and Leonard D. Rosenman Surgical Skills Center, which was dedicated on January 6, 2005. This was yet another tangible example of his unwavering dedication to medical education and support of the Department of Surgery. He also created the Central Venous Access Service in collaboration with the Department of Radiology.
Throughout his career at UCSF, Dr. Pearl was widely recognized as an outstanding surgeon, committed teacher to medical students and residents, and valued colleague.