Andre Campbell studied biology at Harvard University, completing his undergraduate degree in 1980, and earned his medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco, in 1985. His training in New York covered internal medicine, general surgery and surgical critical care, which UCSF's education record dates to 1988, 1992 and 1993.
He became a professor of surgery at UCSF and an attending trauma surgeon at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. His departmental biography lists research interests in the intensive-care treatment of trauma patients, lung injury and surgical education. With colleagues, he has studied how medical errors are reported and discussed at clinical conferences.
Teaching has occupied several roles in his career. UCSF records his appointment to an endowed chair in surgical education in 2003 and his participation as a founding member of the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators. He has directed the surgical critical-care fellowship and served as medical director of the hospital's trauma intensive-care unit, positions that join the care of severely injured patients with the preparation of other physicians.
In a February 2016 university interview, Campbell described himself as an African American trauma surgeon. He spoke about treating victims of violence and about working in the community. He also named John Watson, Michael Drake, Eugene Washington and Haile T. Debas as mentors whose support had mattered during his time at UCSF.
In the same interview, he spoke about the isolation some students, residents and faculty from groups underrepresented in medicine can feel, and about his hope for institutional efforts to improve inclusion.
In October 2023, UCSF reported that he had completed his term as the 28th president of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons. The department highlighted his mentorship and contributions to fellowship training. His current departmental profile also lists a vice-chair role in opportunity and outreach, another responsibility within academic surgery.
