A Monthly Digest of Noteworthy Activities and Achievements

Finding Joy in Foggy Times

As summer fog settles over San Francisco, many of us find ourselves navigating personal and professional uncertainty. Joy may feel elusive under the weight of it all, but it can still be cultivated – even in difficult times – and serve as a powerful source of resilience. Meshell Johnson reflects on how reconnecting with purpose, community, and small moments of meaning can help sustain both ourselves and each other. Read more here.

New SFVAHCS Medical Chief & DOM Vice Chair

Heather Nye has been appointed chief of the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS) medical service and vice chair of the DOM, succeeding Ken McQuaid. She will assume her new roles on August 25, 2025. Read more here.

DOM Members Inducted to the AME

Bryn Boslett, Allyson Chapman, Lianne Gensler, Tonya Kaltenbach, Kendra Moore, Jessica Ristau, Sujatha Sankaran, Harini Sarathy, and Michi Yukawa (pictured left to right, top to bottom) were elected to the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators.

Other Honors and News

Kendall Beck will serve as acting chief of the Division of Gastroenterology at UCSF Health for three months beginning in mid-August, while Jonathan Terdiman is on leave.

Lauren Linett has been appointed the chief medical officer for the UCSF Health Saint Mary’s and Saint Francis Hospitals.

Annie Luetkemeyer has been named a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

DOM in the News

Louise Aronson noted that many longevity researchers studied men and applied the results to women (Wall Street Journal).

Peter Chin-Hong reported an increase in measles cases (The Guardian), emphasized that measles is preventable (Fox News), and reflected on how collective behavior strongly influences community health (ABC News). He also advocated for hepatitis B vaccination to promote liver health (ABC News).

Anna Chodos recommended monitoring changes in executive function or behavior when age-related brain disease is suspected (Fox News).

Suneil Koliwad warned of the rising prevalence of prediabetes in teenagers (KCBS-AM).

Margot Kushel discussed the underreporting of full-time workers who remain unhoused (KQED) and emphasized that saving lives should not be politicized (San Francisco Chronicle).

Pamela Ling raised concerns about new vape products that contain high levels of nicotine (New York Times).

Michael Steinman underscored the logistical strain older adults face in managing complex medication routines (San Francisco Chronicle).

Recent Grants of Note

Jimmie Ye: a grant of $5.5M over three years from the UC Office of the President for a project entitled, “AI-driven genomics at scale: from sequence to function to therapeutics.”

Gabriel Loeb: a grant of $875K over five years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for a project entitled, “Regulation of GLIS3, a ciliary transcription factor that prevents kidney cysts.”

Judith Ashouri Sinha: a grant of $800K over four years from the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation for a project entitled, “Modulation of TCR signaling in self-reactive T cells: a path to understanding autoimmune arthritis.”

Recent Publications of Note

Boscardin CK, Abdulnour RE, Gin BC. Macy Foundation innovation report part I: current landscape of artificial intelligence in medical education. Acad Med. 2025 Jun 2. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Deng Z, Law CS, Kurra S, Simchoni N, Shum AK. Activated STING in the thymic epithelium alters T cell development and selection leading to autoimmunity. J Clin Invest. 2025 Jun 26. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Holmgren AJ, Apathy NC, Crews J, Shanafelt T. National trends in oncology specialists' EHR inbox work, 2019-2022. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2025 Jun 1;117:1253-1259. >> PubMed Citation

Johnson KA, Fernando R, Plotzker R... Characteristics associated with disseminated gonococcal infections vs uncomplicated gonorrhea: a california case-control study, 2021-2022. Epub ahead of print. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Jun 10. >> PubMed Citation

Khine A, Quandt Z. From prediction to prevention: the intricacies of islet autoantibodies in type 1 diabetes. Curr Diab Rep. 2025 Jun 24;25:38. >> PubMed Citation

Liu A, Marcus GM. What is a pacemaker? JAMA. 2025 Jul 15;334:284. >> PubMed Citation

Murugiah K, McDonagh TA, Cohen DJ, Dhruva SS. Mechanical circulatory support in acute myocardial infarction–cardiogenic shock: 2025 acute coronary syndrome guideline in context. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2025 Jun 10;85:2103-2106. >> PubMed Citation

Spinelli MA, Bisom-Rapp E, Heise MJ... Appa A... Sassaman K... Gandhi M. High retention and adherence with rapid long-acting injectable preexposure prophylaxis implementation in an urban safety net clinic population. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Jun 4;80:1139-1142. >> PubMed Citation

Stall NM, Mody L, Covinsky KE. Ensuring older adults using cannabis are not left high and dry. JAMA Intern Med. 2025 Jul 1;185:883-884. >> PubMed Citation

Tsuchiyose E, Salimi A, Magee C, Khalili M. Culturally tailored steatotic liver disease management: Latino and Asian community partner perspectives and recommendations. Hepatol Commun. 2025 Jun 9;9:e0749. >> PubMed Citation

Zalucky AA, Dianti J, Neyton LPA... Matthay MA... Calfee CS. Elastance may determine the neuromuscular blockade effect on mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 Jun;211:966-974. >> PubMed Citation

See all 61 DOM-authored publications from last month.

Featured Events

NIH R01 Grant Application Workshop
This workshop helps researchers navigate the NIH application process and enhance the quality of their grant proposals.
Wednesday, August 20 | 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Click here for more information.

Success in Industry Partnership
This seminar helps identify mutually beneficial collaborations and strategic partnerships for research funding.
Wednesday, August 27 | 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Click here for more information.

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