Immunology

The UCSF Immunology Graduate Program is a component of both the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) program and the Program in Biological Sciences (PIBS). Students interested in the program are admitted into the BMS program and elect to follow the Immunology Track at the end of their first year. First year BMS students pursue coursework with an emphasis on mammalian cells and tissues, including the immune system. Modern approaches for understanding the molecular mechanisms of cell, organ, and immune system function are studied as are integrative approaches toward defining the physiological in vivo importance of these mechanisms. We believe that this coursework will provide an excellent knowledge base for graduate students with a strong interest in immunology and related fields such as infectious disease. In addition, first year students do three research "rotations" in different BMS/Immunology laboratories to learn experimental approaches hands-on and to aid them in choosing a thesis laboratory and project. For students who elect the Immunology Track, the Immunology Graduate Program provides continuing advanced training in current developments of immunology and in other aspects of modern molecular and cellular biology via a weekly immunology student/faculty journal club, an annual immunology retreat, yearly advanced topics minicourses, and a weekly seminar series that hosts outstanding immunologists from around the U.S. and occasionally overseas. In addition to the above courses and activities, our connection with PIBS provides our students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty with close interactions with scientists studying cell biology, genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology, developmental biology, biophysics, and neuroscience. As these fields are highly relevant to modern study of immunology, these connections enhance the education of students in the Immunology Program.

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Participating Faculty

Joanne Engel, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Research Summary: 
Bacterial host-Cell Interactions
Mentorship Development: 

11/23/20    Building Community in the UCSF MSTP

David Erle, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Human Genetics
Research Summary: 
Immunopathogenesis of Asthma; Genomics of Disease

Adrian Erlebacher, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Research Summary: 
Immunology of pregnancy and uterine cancer
Mentorship Development: 

4/29/2019 - Sharpening your Mentoring Skills (SyMS) with Sharon Milgram 
11/23/2020 - Building Community in the UCSF MSTP 
5/27/2021 - Sharpening your Mentoring Skills (SyMS)
11/28//2021 - Sharpening your Mentoring Skills (SyMS)
1/12/2022 - Equity Based Interview Practices

Joel Ernst, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Research Summary: 
We study T cell immunity to tuberculosis (TB). In mice, we characterize mechanisms of CD4 T cell evasion in TB, and we study humans to discover mechanisms that provide protective immunity to TB that can be improved by vaccines.
Mentorship Development: 

5/2021 - Sharpening your Mentoring Skills (SyMS)

Justin Eyquem, PhD, MS, BS

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Research Summary: 
We are designing synthetic receptors and editing the T cell’s genome to better understand T cells function within the tumor microenvironment and ultimately design safe and efficient adoptive T cell therapies

John Fahy, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Tissue / Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Research Summary: 
Mechanism Oriented Clinical Research in Airway Disease

Marlys Fassett, MD, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Neurobiology
Research Summary: 
Molecular regulation of neuroimmune circuits and cytokines in barrier tissue inflammation

Margaret Feeney, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Research Summary: 
Human immunity to malaria, T cell immunity in the fetus and infant

Adam Ferguson, MS, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Neurobiology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Research Summary: 
CNS Plasticity, Bioinformatics, and Recovery from Injury

Trevor Fidler, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Research Summary: 
We are interested in understanding how dysfunctional hematopoiesis leads to dysfunctional immune cells which can modulate cardiovascular disease.

Lawrence Fong, MD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Research Summary: 
Mechanism of response and resistance to cancer immunotherapy

Gabriela Fragiadakis, PhD

Primary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Research Summary: 
Profiling states of the human immune system and immune-microbiome interactions using single-cell methods

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