UCSF Today

New UCSF Faculty,

Photo of Michael A. Fischbach
Michael A. Fischbach
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
Site(s): Mission Bay
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Website: http://www.fischbachgroup.org/
Degrees: AB Harvard College 2003; PhD Harvard University 2007
Research interests: Identification and characterization of small molecules from microbes; chemical interactions among human-associated microbes and between humans and their microbiome
Photo of Mohana Amirtharajah
Mohana Amirtharajah
Title: Assistant Professor in Residence
Department: Orthopaedic Surgery
Division: Hand Surgery
Site(s): Mount Zion / SFGH
Degrees: MD, New York University; ScB, Brown University
Previous position(s): Hand and Upper Extremity Fellow, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY; Orthopaedic Surgery Resident, University of Iowa
Research interests: Tendon biology, healing and development; cartilage biology
Clinical interests: Dosorders of the hand and wrist
Photo of Mary Barger
Mary Barger
Title: Acting Assistant Professor
Department: Family Health Care Nursing
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-0335
Degrees: PhD, Epidemiology, Boston University; MPH, Nurse-Midwifery, Johns Hopkins; BSN, Stanford
Research interests: Maternal morbidity and mortality
Clinical interests: Midwifery processes of care; obstetric complications and cesareans
Photo of Arpi Bekmezian
Arpi Bekmezian
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Pediatrics, Hospitalist Group
Division: General Pediatrics
Site(s): Parnassus
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-6366
Degrees: BS, Physiological Science, UCLA; MD, UCSF; Residency, UCLA
Previous position(s): Hospitalist, Department of Pediatrics, UCLA
Research interests: Hospitalist models of care, quality of care outcomes, health systems and services, inpatient quality indicators
Clinical interests: Complex medical care needs, inpatient quality improvement, clinical practice guidelines
Photo of Claudia Chaufan
Claudia Chaufan
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: Institute For Health & Aging and Social and Behavioral Sciences
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-6580
Degrees: MD, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, M.A. Sociology, University of California Santa Cruz, PhD Sociology (Philosophy), University of California Santa Cruz
Previous position(s): Staff physician, Center for Medical Education and Clinical Research, Buenos Aires, Argentina Lecturer, Social Sciences Division, University of California Santa Cruz
Research interests: Social and political determinants of the epidemics of diabetes and obesity; Sociology of human genetic research; Sociology of disease-based social movements; Comparative health care systems; Public health in Palestine/Israel; Health and human rights
Clinical interests: Diabetes, Obesity, Chronic disease management
Other interests: Argentine tango; reading non-fiction; consuming current events (I am a news junkie); husband’s cooking
Photo of Eric J. Collier
Eric J. Collier
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: Social & Behavioral Sciences
Site(s): Laurel Heights
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-1029
Degrees: PhD, UCSF; MSc, UCSF; BSN, Loyola University, New Orleans
Research interests: Quality and cost of care in nursing homes; workforce (staffing)
Other interests: From the east coast of Canada: Newfoundland
Photo of Kelly M. Cordoro
Kelly M. Cordoro
Title: Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Dermatology
Site(s): Mount Zion, VAMC
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 885-7393
Degrees: BS, Saint Francis College, Loretto, PA; MD, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine; Internship, Internal Medicine, Univeristy of Virginia; Residency, Dermatology, University of Virginia
Previous position(s): 2004-2005, Chief Resident, Dermatology, University of Virginia; 2007-2008, Clinical Fellowship, Pediatric Dermatology, UCSF
Clinical interests: Pediatric dermatology, psoriasis, autoimmune diseases, pediatric laser surgery and procedures, teledermatology and medical education
Other interests: Pediatric teledermatology, pediatric melanoma
Photo of Brooke Hollister
Brooke Hollister
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: Institute For Health & Aging, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Site(s): Laurel Heights
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Degrees: PhD, Sociology, UCSF
Previous position(s): Research specialist
Research interests: Aging health and social policy, Social Security, Medicare, social insurance, long term care, breast cancer, cervical cancer, Alzheimer's Disease and related dementia, Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
Other interests: Vice Chair of the Gray Panthers, an intergenerational economic and social justice advocacy organization
Photo of Renee Y. Hsia
Renee Y. Hsia
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Emergency Medicine
Site(s): SFGH
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 206-4612
Degrees: MD, Harvard medical School; MSc, London School of Economics/London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; AB, Princeton University
Research interests: Disparities in access to emergency care, access to trauma care, reimbursements for emergency care, Emergency Department utilization, effects of uninsurance and underinsurance on healthcare and utilization, global burden of disease of injury in the developing world, cost-effectiveness of basic emergency services in low-income countries
Clinical interests: Trauma, HIV-related emergencies, the practice of emergency medicine in developing countries
Photo of Bo Huang
Bo Huang
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Site(s): Mission Bay
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-1866
Degrees: PhD, Stanford University
Previous position(s): Postdoc, Harvard university
Research interests: Super-resolution optical microscopy, macromolecular architecture, membrane receptor organization and dynamics
Photo of Jeffrey H. Janian
Jeffrey H. Janian
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor; Program Director, Postgraduate Endodontics
Department: Preventive & Restorative Dental Sciences
Division: Endodontics
Site(s): Parnassus
Degrees: DDS, UCSF; Certificate in Endodontics, VA Long Beach
Previous position(s): Assistant Clinical Professor - Volunteer, UCSF School of Dentistry
Photo of Bennie H. Jeng
Bennie H. Jeng
Title: Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology
Department: Ophthalmology
Site(s): Parnassus, SFGH
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-1921, 206-8304
Degrees: MD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Previous position(s): Assistant Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University; Associate Staff, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic
Research interests: Corneal epithelial healing, eye banking, new surgical techniques
Clinical interests: Corneal transplantation, infectious keratitis
Photo of Nasim Sabery Khavari
Nasim Sabery Khavari
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Pediatrics
Division: Gastroenterology
Site(s): Parnassus
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-5892
Degrees: MD, University of Minnesota; MPH, Harvard University
Previous position(s): Pediatric Residency, Stanford University, Lucille Packard Children's Hospital; Gastroenterology Fellowship, Harvard University, Children's Hospital Boston
Clinical interests: Celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, general pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition
Photo of Diana Laird
Diana Laird
Title: Assistant Professor in Residence
Department: OB/GYN & Reproductive Sciences; The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research
Division: Center for Reproductive Sciences
Site(s): Parnassus
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-5471
Degrees: PhD, Stanford, 2003; AB, Harvard, 1995
Previous position(s): Postdoctoral Fellow, Sloan Kettering Institute
Research interests: Germ cell development, Wnt signaling, evolution of development
Other interests: Hikiing, gardening, backcountry skiing
Photo of Heather C. Leutwyler
Heather C. Leutwyler
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Physiological Nursing
Site(s): Parnassus
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 514-1524
Degrees: BS, Neuroscience, University of Texas at Dallas; MSN, University of San Francisco; PhD, UCSF
Previous position(s): Family Nurse Practitioner, Canyon Manor Residential Treatment Center
Research interests: Physical health of older adults with schizophrenia
Clinical interests: Primary care of older adults with schizophrenia
Other interests: Running, triathlons
Photo of Lowell Lo
Lowell Lo
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Internal Medicine
Division: Nephrology
Site(s): Parnassus, Mount Zion
Degrees: MD, UT Southwestern
Research interests: Acute renal failure
Clinical interests: Electrolyte disorder
Gloria C. Mejia
Title: Assistant Professor in Residence
Department: Preventive & Restorative Dental Sciences
Division: Oral Epidemiology and Dental Public Health
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-3239
Degrees: PhD, Epidemiology, UNC Chapel Hill; MPH, IIU; DDS, Universidad de Antiguia
Previous position(s): Postdoctoral Research Associate, Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, University of Adelaide, Australia
Research interests: Early childhood caries, oral health racial-ethnic disparities, migration-global health
Photo of Somnath Mookherjee
Somnath Mookherjee
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Medicine
Division: Hospital Medicine
Site(s): Parnassus
Degrees: 1992 – 1997, University of Washington, Seattle, BS with College Honors, Cell and Molecular Biology; 1999 – 2004, University of Washington School of Medicine, MD; 2004 – 2007, University of Washington Department of Internal Medicine, Categorical Internship and Residency; 2008 – 2009, University of California, San Francisco, Academic Hospital Medicine, Fellowship
Previous position(s): 2007 – 2008, University of Washington, Seattle, Acting Instructor, Division of Internal Medicine; 2008 – 2009, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Academic Hospital Medicine Fellow, Division of Hospital Medicine; 2009 – 2010, University of California, San Francisco, Assistant Professor, Division of Hospital Medicine
Research interests: Human factors in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, Resident education in Systems-Based Practice, Evidence based physical examination
Photo of Anita J. Moon-Grady
Anita J. Moon-Grady
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: Pediatrics
Division: Cardiology
Site(s): Parnassus
Box: Box 0214
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 353-1887
Website: http://www.fetalheart.org
Degrees: MD, 1993, Stanford; BA, 1988, Bryn Mawr College
Previous position(s): Director, Pediatric and Fetal Echocardiography, UC Davis
Research interests: Echo and fetal echo, non-invasive imaging, fetal intervention
Clinical interests: Echo, fetal echo
Photo of Todd Nystul
Todd Nystul
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Anatomy and OB/Gyn & RS
Site(s): Parnassus
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-6883
Degrees: BS, UC San Diego; PhD, University of Washington
Previous position(s): Post-doctoral Fellowship, Carnegie Institute of Science, Allan Spradling Lab
Research interests: Epithelial stem cells, epithelial cancer, reproductive biology
Photo of Christopher D. Owens
Christopher D. Owens
Title: Assistant Professor in Residence
Department: Surgery
Division: Vascular Surgery
Site(s): Parnassus, VA
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Degrees: MD, Indiana University; MSc, Harvard/MIT
Previous position(s): Faculty surgeon, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Research interests: Endothelial function and vascular remodeling, vein graft disease
Clinical interests: Lower extremity reconstruction / revascularization and aneurysm surgery
Other interests: Hometown: Milan, Indiana; hobbies: running, hiking, reading
Photo of Dina Perez-Neira
Dina Perez-Neira
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical
Department: Family and Community Medicine
Division: Pain Management Program, Correctional Medicine Consultation Network
Site(s): 1940 Bryant St
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-0645
Degrees: PhD in Clinical Psychology, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology; MS in Clinical Psychology, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology; BS in Psychology, San Francisco State University
Previous position(s): Postdoctoral Fellow, San Francisco Medical Center, Musculoskeletal Services, Chronic Pain Management Center, Kaiser Permanente
Research interests: Chronic Pain, Stress, Nutrition
Clinical interests: Chronic Pain Management, Stress, Mood Disorders
Other interests: Protecting environment, walking, vegetarianism, guitar playing, traveling, fitness, hiking, husband, daughter, grandchildren
Photo of Laura Plantinga
Laura Plantinga
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: Medicine
Division: Internal Medicine
Site(s): SFGH
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 415-206-6007
Degrees: BS, University of Maryland, College Park (Zoology); ScM, Johns Hopkins University (Biostatistics)
Previous position(s): Research Associate, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Epidemiology
Research interests: Epidemiology of chronic kidney disease, health services research
Photo of Martin P.  Powers
Martin P.  Powers
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Division: Molecular Diagnostics
Site(s): China Basin
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 514-8980
Website: http://pathology.ucsf.edu/about/faculty/pathology-mpowers.html
Degrees: MD, University of Michigan; MA, Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
Previous position(s): Clinical Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular Genetic Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine
Research interests: New test development and novel genetic and genomic tools as applied to molecular biology in clinical oncology
Clinical interests: Molecular diagnostics in oncology
Mary Premenko-Lanier
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: Medicine
Division: Experimental Medicine
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Degrees: PhD, UC Davis
Previous position(s): Postdoctoral Fellow, Emory University
Research interests: Immunology, viral infections, cancer
Photo of Neda Ratanawongsa, MD, MPH
Neda Ratanawongsa, MD, MPH
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: Medicine
Division: General Internal Medicine, Center for Vulnerable Populations
Site(s): San Francisco General Hospital
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Degrees: BA, Social Studies, Harvard University; MD, Harvard Medical School; MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Internal Medicine Residency, UCSF; Chief Residency, UCSF; GIM Fellowship, Johns Hopkins
Previous position(s): 2007-08, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins Bayview
Research interests: interventions to improve patient-centered communication, shared decision-making, and the quality of care for vulnerable population.
Photo of Josette Rivera
Josette Rivera
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Medicine
Division: Geriatrics
Site(s): Laurel Heights
Box: 1265
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 514-3577
Degrees: MD, University of Rochester; Internship/Residency, Johns Hopkins Bayview; Geriatrics Fellowship, Johns Hopkins Previous position: On Lok Staff Physician
Research interests: Mobility disability
Clinical interests: Homecare, palliative care
Photo of Sophia Saeed
Sophia Saeed
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Division: Hospital Dentistry
Site(s): Parnassus
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Degrees: BS, University of Michigan; DMD, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Research interests: Dental education, dental public health, special needs dentistry
Clinical interests: Hospital dentistry, special needs dentistry including developmental and intellectual disability
Photo of James F. Smith
James F. Smith
Title: Assistant Professor in Residence
Department: Urology
Site(s): Mount Zion
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 353-3075
Degrees: BA, UC Berkeley, 1996; MS, UCB/UCSF Joint Medical Program, 2000; MD, UCSF2002
Previous position(s): Resident, University of Utah, Urology, 2002; Fellow, UCSF, Infertility & Erectile Dysfunction, 2007-2009
Research interests: Tunica albuginea calcifications and other penile ultrasound characteristics in men with Peyronie’s disease and incidence of new calcifications in men taking pentoxifylline; lifestyle factors associated with fertility outcomes among infertile men
Clinical interests: Male infertility, erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, use of microsurgical vasovasostomy, vasoepididymostomy, sperm retrieval and varicocelectomy
Photo of Jun S. Song
Jun S. Song
Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Institute for Human Genetics
Site(s): Parnassus
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Website: http://songlab.ucsf.edu/
Degrees: AB, Physics, Harvard University, 1996; Certificate of Advanced Study in Mathematics, University of Cambridge, 1997; PhD, Physics, MIT, 2001
Previous position(s): 2007-2009 Member, The Simons Center for Systems Biology, Institute for Advanced Study; 2005-2007 Research Fellow, Harvard School of Public Health; 2003-2005 Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School; 2001-2003 Charles B. Morrey Jr. Assistant Professor of Mathematics, UC Berkeley
Research interests: Computational biology, cancer genomics, epigenetics, non-coding RNAs.
Clinical interests: Melanoma, breast cancer, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
Photo of Martin Steinhoff
Martin Steinhoff
Title: Professor in Residence
Department: Dermatology
Site(s): Mount Zion
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-6978
Degrees: MD, PhD
Previous position(s): Professor of Dermatology and Allergy
Research interests: Proteases, protease-activated receptors, pruritis, neuroimmunology, neurogenic inflammation, neuromedicine
Clinical interests: Atopic dermatitis, rosacea, pruritis, psoriasis, scleroderma, melanoma
Other interests: Typical German: soccer
Photo of Edward Thornborrow
Edward Thornborrow
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor; Director, UCSF Clinical Laboratories at Mount Zion
Department: Laboratory Medicine
Site(s): Mount Zion / Parnassus
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Website: http://labmed.ucsf.edu/about/faculty/labmed-ethornborrow.html
Degrees: MD, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Previous position(s): Hematopathology Fellow, UCSF; Resident, Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, UCSF
Research interests: Identifying novel diagnostic and prognostic markers in hematopoietic malignancies
Clinical interests: Hematopathology
Photo of H.-Christian Von Buedingen
H.-Christian Von Buedingen
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: Neurology
Site(s): Parnassus
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Degrees: MD, 1996, Johan Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Previous position(s): Neurology Internship/Residency, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich; Neuroimmunology Postdoctoral Fellow, UCSF; Neurology Residency, University Hospital,University of Zurich, Switzerland; Lecturer in Neurology, University of Zurich; Attending Neurologist, Neurological Rehab Center, Wald, Switzerland
Research interests: Multiple sclerosis (immunology, cell biology)
Clinical interests: Multiple sclerosis
Other interests: Biking, music
Photo of Lauren A. Weiss
Lauren A. Weiss
Title: Staglin Family Assistant Professor in Residence
Department: Psychiatry, Institute for Human Genetics
Site(s): Parnassus, LPPI
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-7650
Website: http://bms.ucsf.edu/faculty/weissl.html
Degrees: BS, University of Michigan; PhD, University of Chicago
Previous position(s): Postdoctoral scientist, MGH / Harvard and Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard
Research interests: Using genetics to understand more about autism risk, underlying biology, treatment and gene-environment interaction
Other interests: Rock climbing, glass blowing, running, reading, cooking, travel
Maria W. Yiu
Title: Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Department: Laboratory Medicine
Division: Cytogenetics
Site(s): 185 Berry Street, Suite 290
Box: 0134
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 514-8251
Degrees: PhD, Genetics, John Burn Medical School, University of Hawaii
Previous position(s): Cytogenetics scientist
Research interests: Array comparative genomic hybridization, fluorescence in situ hybridization, chromosomal anomalies, genomics
Clinical interests: Clinical cytogenetics, prenatal diagnosis, cancer cytogenetics
Other interests: Reading, gardening, hiking, music
Photo of Lydia B. Zablotska
Lydia B. Zablotska
Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Department: Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Division: Cancer Epidemiology
Site(s): Laurel Heights
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone number: 476-4673
Degrees: PhD, Epidemiology, Columbia University; MPA, Florida State University; MD, Minsk State Medical School
Previous position(s): Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 2003-2008
Research interests: Cancer epidemiology, in particular health effects of exposures to radiation and arsenic; nutritional epidemiologyLydia.Zablotska@ucsf.edu