Mary Rutherford

Mary W. Rutherford serves as Medical Director of Clinical Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Officer at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, where she leads Northern California's busiest Level 1 pediatric trauma center and emergency department. As a board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physician, she oversees a comprehensive emergency care program treating conditions ranging from traumatic injuries and cardiac emergencies to severe respiratory illnesses, with particular expertise in managing pediatric asthma cases. Her leadership extends beyond clinical care through her roles in quality improvement, patient safety, and disaster preparedness initiatives. At UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, she directs a team providing 24/7 emergency care with specialized pediatric equipment and access to over 150 pediatric specialists. Her expertise in Advanced Pediatric Life Support and injury prevention has helped establish the hospital as a center of excellence in pediatric emergency medicine, serving Alameda and Contra Costa counties as the region's only state-designated Pediatric Critical Care Center.