Faculty

All of the faculty associated with the BMS graduate program are listed below. Click on a faculty name to view a detailed description of an individual research program, contact information, recent publications and links to other relevant websites. Each of our faculty is associated with one or more of our eight thematic areas; click on the thematic area name listed by each of our faculty to read more about the research going on in that area, and to view a list of all faculty associated with that thematic area.
 

Arthur Weiss, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Research Summary: 
Our lab focuses on the roles of tyrosine kinases and phosphatases in regulating lymphocyte activation, and studies how abnormalities in tyrosine phosphorylation pathways can lead to immunologically-mediated diseases.

Lauren Weiss, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Human Genetics
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Neurobiology
Research Summary: 
The genetics of autism
Mentorship Development: 

11/22/19    Equity and Inclusion in the Lab (2 hours)
12/12/19    ACRA: Setting Training Expectations for Trainees on the Academic Career Track (1.5 hours)
3/3/20    Promoting Student Mental Health:A Presentation and Discussion (Staff and Faculty)
3/3/20    Promoting Student Mental Health: Faculty Workshop (Faculty only)
5/26/20    Effective Strategies for IDPs for Partial Resumption of Lab Research
12/8/20    Setting Expectations with a "Welcome to the Lab' Letter (Parts 1 and 2)

William A. Weiss, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Research Summary: 
Mouse models and developmental therapeutics for neural cancers, particularly pediatric cancers
Mentorship Development: 

12/12/19    ACRA: Setting Training Expectations for Trainees on the Academic Career Track (1.5 hours)
2/18/21    Three Truths and Three Tries: Facing and Overcoming Critical Social Justice Challenges at the Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Levels

Arun Wiita, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Thematic Area: 
None
Research Summary: 
We are interested in utilizing proteomic methodologies to uncover new therapeutic targets in blood cancers, and then developing new cellular therapies to treat disease based on these discoveries.
Mentorship Development: 

4/23/20    Effective Strategies for IDPs
4/30/20    Mental Health in a Pandemic: Q&A for Faculty
11/10/20    Optimizing the Efficiency of Your Lab
2/16/21    Three Truths and Three Tries: Facing and Overcoming Critical Social Justice Challenges at the Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Levels

Holger Willenbring, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Research Summary: 
Mechanisms of Liver Regeneration and Cancer

Michael Wilson, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Research Summary: 
Genomic approaches to identifying causes and understanding the pathogenesis of autoimmune and infectious neuroinflammatory conditions including encephalitis, meningitis and multiple sclerosis, and developing cell-based therapies for treatment.
Mentorship Development: 

5/2021 - Sharpening your Mentoring Skills (SyMS)

Torsten Wittmann, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Microtubule control of cell dynamics

Prescott Woodruff, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Genomics of Obstructive Lung Diseases

Lani Wu, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Thematic Area: 
None
Research Summary: 
Investigate how complex biological networks regulate precise cellular behaviors and how dis-regulation leads to disease.
Mentorship Development: 

4/26/19    Sharpening your Mentoring Skills (SyMS) with Sharon Milgram (Mission Bay)
2/16/21    Three Truths and Three Tries: Facing and Overcoming Critical Social Justice Challenges at the Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Levels

Allison Xu, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Neurobiology
Research Summary: 
Neuronal regulation of energy balance, glucose and lipid metabolism

Kevin Yackle, PhD, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Neurobiology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
We seek to identify the key neuron(s) within pace breathing and to determine how they are innately and volitionally “turned on” or “off” to speed up or stop breathing.

Keith Yamamoto, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Thematic Area: 
None
Research Summary: 
Signal Transduction and Transcriptional Regulation

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