People

Manish Aghi, MD, PhD, MAS

Principal Investigator, Brain Tumor Research Center

Department of Neurosurgery

Primary Thematic Area
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Thematic Area
Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Research Summary
Defining the interaction between tumor cells and the microenvironment in glioblastoma, including during therapeutic resistance

Oscar Aguilar Alfaro, PhD

Assistant Professor

M_Microbiology and Immunology

Primary Thematic Area
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Research Summary
NK cells, NK receptors, and NK ligands in viral immunity and tumor immunity.

Nadav Ahituv, PhD

Professor

Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences

Primary Thematic Area
Human Genetics
Secondary Thematic Area
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Research Summary
Gene regulation and human disease
Mentorship Development

4/2019 - Acknowledging and Negotiating the Mentee-Mentor Tensions Inherent in the Research Lab
4/2019 - Sharpening your Mentoring Skills (SyMS) with Sharon Milgram
6/2020 - Your Role in Workplace Diversity
10/2020 - DEI Champion Training
2/2021 - Three Truths & Three Tries: Facing & Overcoming Critical Social Justice Challenges at the Micro, Mezzo & Macro Levels
10/2021 - Sharpening Your Research Mentoring Skills
5/5/2022 - PSPG Faculty Community Circle
12/2022 - Faculty Development Training: Faculty as People Managers
10-11/2023 - UCSF Inclusive Mentor/Manager Training

Rosemary Akhurst, PhD

Professor

Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

Primary Thematic Area
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Thematic Area
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Research Summary
Growth factors and genetic modifiers in vascular biology and cancer

Bassem Al-Sady, PhD

Associate Professor

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Primary Thematic Area
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Thematic Area
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Research Summary
Mechanisms of formation and maintenance of epigenetic elements
Mentorship Development

3/2019 - Promoting Student Mental Health
4/2019 - Sharpening your Mentoring Skills (SyMS)
6/2019 - Implicit Bias Workshop
Initiated the faculty peer-to-peer training effort of the Graduate Mentor Development Program
9/2020 - DEI Champions Training
2/2021 - Three Truths and Three Tries: Facing and Overcoming Critical Social Justice Challenges at the Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Levels
11/2021 - Defining Distance Traveled: A Working Session
1/2022 Equity Based Interview Practices
5/2022 Effective Strategies for IDPs
11/2022 - Faculty Development Training: Inclusivity is a design question. Which practices will you use?
4/2023 - Supporting Learners in Distress

Michael Alexanian, PhD

Assistant Investigator

Gladstone Institutes

Primary Thematic Area
Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Secondary Thematic Area
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Research Summary
Our team studies how chromatin receives, processes, and amplifies environmental stress signals that drive changes in cell states leading to heart disease.

Gregory Allen, MD, PhD

Asst Professor In Residence

M_MED-CORE-HMON-ONCO-GEN

Primary Thematic Area
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Research Summary
Our group develops and applies advances in synthetic biology to better understand biological systems and then to re-engineer these systems to tackle disease.

Christopher Allen, PhD

Assistant Professor

Cardiovascular Research Institute

Primary Thematic Area
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area
None
Research Summary
Cellular Dynamics of Allergic Immune Responses
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

Steven Altschuler, PhD

Professor

P_Pharmaceutical Chemistry

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

Arturo Alvarez-Buylla

Heather and Melanie Muss Professor

Department of Neurological Surgery

Primary Thematic Area
Neurobiology
Secondary Thematic Area
Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Research Summary
Birth and Migration of New Neurons
Mentorship Development

9/2020 - Mentoring Across Differences
9/2021 - Neuroscience Graduate Program - Disabilities Awareness Training

Mark Anderson, MD, PhD

Director, Medical Scientist Training Program

Diabetes Center

Primary Thematic Area
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area
Human Genetics
Research Summary
The Genetic Control of Autoimmune Disease
Mentorship Development

11/2020 - Building Community in the UCSF MSTP 
2/2021 - Three Truths and Three Tries: Facing and Overcoming Critical Social Justice Challenges at the Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Levels    
4/2021 - Allyship Taking Action

Raul Andino-Pavlovsky, PhD

Professor

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Primary Thematic Area
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Secondary Thematic Area
None
Research Summary
Replication of RNA Viruses and Vaccine Development