UCSF approves new Mission Bay hearing center for ear care research

UC San Francisco won approval Tuesday for a new Bakar Ear & Hearing Institute at Mission Bay, a move that could pull more hearing and balance care into one part of the city where UCSF already treats thousands of patients each year. The University of California Board of Regents signed off on the project on May 6, giving the ear-focused center its first formal green light.

UCSF says the institute is intended to advance research and care for hearing and balance disorders, while bringing together researchers, clinicians, educators and learners in one purpose-built building. Chancellor Sam Hawgood said the project would create a single environment dedicated to disorders of the ear, hearing and balance, building on UCSF’s strengths in otolaryngology, audiology and neuroscience. The university also said the institute would strengthen Mission Bay as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration, linking lab work more tightly with patient care.

For San Franciscans, the most immediate impact is likely to be felt by patients already using UCSF’s existing hearing services. The health system now offers audiology care, hearing aids, cochlear implants, tinnitus counseling and balance evaluation, along with ear, nose and throat services at Mission Bay. UCSF’s cochlear implant program serves adults and children who no longer benefit from hearing aids, making it one of the clearest entry points for families and older patients dealing with severe hearing loss.

The new institute also arrives as Mission Bay continues to absorb more of UCSF Health’s outpatient traffic. The Bayfront Medical Building opened there in August 2024 and was originally expected to handle about 131,000 patient visits a year. UCSF later said the building logged more than 129,000 visits in its first year, underscoring how quickly Mission Bay has become a major destination for routine care and specialty appointments in San Francisco.

UCSF has not yet released a full budget or completion timeline for the hearing institute, but the naming signals another major investment from the Barbara and Gerson Bakar Foundation, which has supported other UCSF projects. The new center would add to a growing cluster of care at Mission Bay, where UCSF is already trying to pair clinical volume with research depth. With Charles Limb leading the Douglas Grant Cochlear Implant Center and Nicole Jiam directing the Otolaryngology Innovation Center, UCSF already has a clinical and research base in place to expand from as the new institute takes shape.