Skip to Content
Dr. Bruce Ovbiagele

Bruce Ovbiagele M.D., MSc, MAS, MBA

Chief of Staff

VA San Francisco health care

Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, MAS, MBA, joined San Francisco VA Health Care System as Chief of Staff on Aug. 9, 2018.

Dr. Ovbiagele arrived from the Medical University of South Carolina, where he most recently served as professor and chairman of the Neurology Department. He is a clinical epidemiologist and global health scholar, with a focus on reducing the burden of stroke. He maintains several National Institutes of Health-funded research programs focused on improving outcomes for those with, or at risk for, stroke, and in 2008, his work was recognized by the American Academy of Neurology with the Michael Pessin Stroke Research Leadership Award. He has published over 440 peer-reviewed articles and edited four textbooks. His work has been recognized with prestigious awards from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), American Stroke Association (ASA), and American Heart Association (AHA); as well as several visiting professorships to prominent institutions around the world. 

Dr. Ovbiagele is an elected fellow of the World Stroke Organization, Royal College of Physicians (London), American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association, American Association for Physician Leadership, and European Stroke Organization, as well as an AAMC Council of Deans Fellow. He is a member of the NINDS Advisory Council, NIH Council of Councils, and FDA Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee. He also serves as a national spokesperson for both the ASA and AAN, received the 2023-2024 W. Lester Henry Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from the American College of Physicians, and the International Science Council (ISC) recently named him as a 2023 ISC Fellow in recognition of outstanding contributions to promoting science as a global public good.

Upon his arrival to SFVAHCS, Dr. Ovbiagele was appointed as Associate Dean at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and will serve as the liaison between SFVAHCS and UCSF overseeing the teaching of medical students and residents, and supporting the acquisition of new knowledge through the clinical and basic research conducted by UCSF faculty.

Dr. Ovbiagele earned his M.D. from the University of Lagos, Master of Science in clinical research (MSc) from UCLA; Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) from UC San Diego, Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.