Remebering Atul Butte, Inaugural Director of Bakar Institute at UCSF
In Loving Memory of Atul Butte, 1969-2025
It is with profound sorrow that I acknowledge the passing of Atul Butte, MD, PhD - the inaugural director of Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute (BCHSI) - an incredible person, visionary scientist and mentor, a devoted husband and father and a very dear friend to so many. He was 55.
Atul's career was defined by his unwavering belief in the power of data to drive discovery, equity, and better health outcomes for all. Atul joined UCSF and founded the Institute for Computational Health Sciences in April 2015. In his 10 years as the Director, the Institute received an endowment and became BCHSI, growing from 30 to 90 affiliated faculty. Under Atul’s leadership, BCHSI initiated Information Commons, a cornerstone of our field-leading research AI data sharing platform. BCHSI formed vital partnerships with entities throughout UCSF and beyond with the goal of leading transformative initiatives in computational health sciences, fostering AI-driven healthcare innovation, enhancing clinical practice through AI and big data sciences, and advancing precision medicine for all.
In 2024, Atul was honored with the prestigious Morris F. Collen Award of Excellence, the highest distinction in biomedical informatics, recognizing his transformative contributions to the field. This honor adds to a remarkable list of accolades, including his election to the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and recognition by the Obama Administration as an Open Science Champion of Change.
While Director, Atul was also the Chief Data Scientist of UC Health pioneering and enabling sharing of clinical data across the UC system and led a research laboratory focused on translational bioinformatics. Beyond his pioneering research and leadership, Atul was deeply admired for his generosity of spirit, fierce intellect, and commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists. He inspired countless students, collaborators, and colleagues with his clarity of purpose and tireless pursuit of making science more open, rigorous, and impactful.
On a personal note, Atul has had an immeasurable impact on my career and my life. I met him nearly 20 years ago when I joined his laboratory as a graduate student at Stanford. Nearly everything that I know about doing science I learned from Atul. He taught me how to ask questions, how to think big, how to mentor and bring collaborative teams together. He taught me the importance of communication and telling a story. But I'm only one of hundreds if not thousands of people that he has inspired. He was a true innovator and a champion. He was very supportive of getting students excited about science early in their career and had numerous high school interns in his lab throughout the years. He was a fierce advocate of women in science. He had a unique ability to elevate people around him, making them feel good about themselves and the work that they did which in turn inspired them to grow. He was incredibly loyal and dedicated - to his work and his family. He was an optimist and his positive outlook and energy was contagious. He was a fighter and one of the strongest people I know. UCSF and the world lost an amazing person - he was truly one of a kind.
He passed away on June 13, 2025, after a two and a half year battle with cancer. Atul is survived by his devoted wife Tarangini Deshpande and their child Syzygy Butte. Atul’s loss is deeply felt, but his influence endures—in the lives he touched, the data he unlocked, and the future he helped shape. We celebrate his memory with gratitude and resolve to carry forward his vision of “scalable privilege”: a more data-driven, humane, and equitable world.
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Marina Sirota, PhD
Professor and Acting Director
Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute (BCHSI)
University of California, San Francisco
Director, UCSF AI4ALL
Honoring Atul
You can help honor his memory by donating to the UCSF Foundation. Your donation will support research and clinical trials focused on accelerating the development of innovative treatments for Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor (MPNST).