A Monthly Digest of Noteworthy Activities and Achievements

We are excited to welcome 86 new faculty members to the Department of Medicine: 64 at UCSF Health, 13 at ZSFG, and nine at the SFVAHCS. Their expertise and dedication will strengthen our department and advance our mission of excellence in patient care, education, and research. View new faculty members and orientation dates.

Holly Smith Awards

Michelle Albert (left) and Peter Chin-Hong were honored with UCSF Holly Smith Awards for Exceptional Service.

John A. Watson Faculty Scholars

Ryan Assaf, Natasha Ludwig-Barron, and Jenny Tiskus (pictured left to right) were named John A. Watson Faculty Scholars by the UCSF School of Medicine.

Other Honors and News

Ed Gerstenfeld has been appointed interim chief of the UCSF Health Division of Cardiology.

Antonio Gomez has been appointed program director of the UCSF Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program.

Ryan Laponis has been appointed the director of the UCSF Center for Enhancement of Communication in Healthcare (CECH).

Jaya Mallidi received the 2026 Faculty Teaching Award from UCSF Cardiology Fellows.

Veronica Manzo has been appointed the assistant director of the Department of Medicine Program for Clinician-Educator Success (DOM PRO-cess).

Sachin Pendse has been selected as a UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement Fellow.

Bradley Sharpe was elected a Master in Hospital Medicine by the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Ma Somsouk has been appointed associate chief of GI clinical research in the UCSF Health Division of Gastroenterology.

Faculty Retirements

Join us in honoring our recently retired faculty members (pictured top to bottom, left to right): Christine Cassel, David Claman, Miranda Dunlop, Stephen Gluck, Jackie Maher, James Mailhot, Gina Moreno-John, Pamela Munster, Don Ng, Joel Palefsky, Christine Ritchie, Diane Sliwka, Margaret Tempero, Kirsten Tolstrup, Alan Venook, Maria Wamsley. Read more about their careers here.

Staff Milestones

Congratulations to our staff celebrating UC service milestones!
35 years: Kristina Bello
30 years: Susan Lau, Karen Kuncze, Stephanie Rush, Esther Yeung
25 years: Tony Barlow, Alan Barr, Douglas Black, Paul Couey, Stuart Gaffney,
                Mary Kelly, Brandi Moretz, Christine Nguyen, Scott Tebbetts, Jonathan Woo,
                Lily Yu, Deborah Zeitschel
View the list of all FY26 staff service milestones.

DOM in the News

Fletcher Bell commented that AI is reshaping medical training while noting that residents continue to have extensive opportunities for clinical learning (Forbes).

Lewis Blevins explained that invasive pituitary tumors can be difficult to fully remove, leaving some patients with persistent disease after surgery (Everyday Health).

Christy Boscardin advocated for medical education that develops critical thinking skills through reflection on both AI-assisted and independent clinical decisions (Forbes).

Peter Chin-Hong warned that declining childhood vaccination rates are contributing to more severe influenza seasons (CNN). He also explained how the global resurgence of measles is increasing the risk of exposure through international travel (Los Angeles Times) and shared practical advice for reducing the risk of infectious diseases while traveling on cruise ships (Travel + Leisure).

Monica Gandhi cautioned that cuts to harm reduction programs could undermine HIV prevention efforts (San Francisco Chronicle). She also explained how Ebola spreads (Medical News Today) and noted that AI could accelerate the development of vaccines against future viruses (Medical News Today).

Sheiphali Gandhi emphasized that preventing new silica exposure is essential even as cases of silicosis continue to emerge from earlier exposures (Mercury News).

Eric Goosby highlighted that HIV programs have provided care for millions of children who lost parents to AIDS (NPR).

Matthew Gubens underscored that timely access to cancer treatment is critical because patients often become too weak to benefit from therapy after delays (NBC News).

Robert Harrison warned that processing quartz countertops is driving a surge in silicosis cases among workers (The Conversation).

Chi-yuan Hsu found that genetic testing can help Black Americans better understand their individual risks when considering kidney donation (SFGate).

Ashwin Kotwal observed that the workplace is becoming an increasingly important source of social connection as other forms of community decline (San Francisco Chronicle).

Pamela Ling addressed the glamorization of smoking in media and how it can influence young people's attitudes toward cigarettes (KQED Forum).

Edward Machtinger found that women with HIV are more likely to die from preventable, trauma-related conditions than from HIV itself (Medical Xpress).

Melanie Ott said that researchers are investigating whether viral infections contribute to the development of some cancers (Los Angeles Times).

Bradley Sharpe noted that older adults with pneumonia often have other medical conditions that make treatment more challenging (Medscape).

Katherine Van Loon discussed the alarming rise in colorectal cancer among younger adults and the search for its underlying causes (CNN).

Robert Wachter expressed optimism about the growing role of AI in healthcare (KCBS, Nature) but cautioned that overreliance on AI could erode clinicians' skills (Nature) and that deploying AI before it is ready could harm patients (The Washington Post).

Kin Yuen explained that untreated pediatric obstructive sleep apnea may affect brain development, contributing to emotional and behavioral difficulties (Medscape).

Recent Grants of Note

Jessica Briggs: a grant of $4M over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a project entitled, “Impact of effective chemoprevention in early childhood on the development of naturally acquired immunity to malaria.”

Julie Zikherman and team: a grant of $3.3M over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a project entitled, “Molecular basis for immunogenic B cell responses to virus-like antigen display.”

Lisa Rotenstein and team: a grant of $2.7M over five years from the National Institute on Aging for a project entitled, “The impact of changes in primary care clinicians' work effort on the health of older adults.”

Matthew Hickey and team: a grant of $2.3M over three years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for a project entitled, “From evidence to scale: Implementation science and simulation modeling to transform HIV-hypertension care integration.”

Recent Publications of Note

Aronson L. Perversity in medicine — when vocation and corporatization clash. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2026 Jun 4;394:2079-2081. >> PubMed Citation

Brender TD. Transplanted—harvesting lessons in uncertainty. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2026 Jun 4;394:2079-2081. >> PubMed Citation

Halvorson RT, Wang S, Wong L, Vasanthan A, Thombley R, Feeley BT, Holmgren AJ. Patient digital engagement with after visit summary in ambulatory care. JAMA Network Open. 2026 May 1;9:e2615020. >> PubMed Citation

Incze MA, Tingley SR, Neuhaus J, Bachhuber M, Dumas SA, Dhruva SS, Redberg RF. Coverage limitations for use of urine drug testing in a state Medicaid program. JAMA Network Open. 2026 May 1;9:e2611711. >> PubMed Citation

Kadakia KT, Dhruva SS. An unfinished ANTHEM: Ethics, evidence, and early trial termination. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2026 Jun 30;87:3503-3505. >> PubMed Citation

Keny C, Li L, Dillon E, Yank V, Colley A, Ramaiyer M, Tang V. "I'm having the worst time": The lived experiences of informal caregivers for older adults undergoing major elective surgery. Annals of Surgery. 2026 May 5. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Lord CJ, Tutt ANJ, Ashworth A. Two decades of PARP inhibitor synthetic lethality in cancer. Nature. 2026 May;653:41-51. >> PubMed Citation

Mallidi J. Saachi. JAMA. 2026 May 5;335:1479-1480. >> PubMed Citation

Marcus GM. Does weight loss prevent atrial fibrillation? JAMA. 2026 May 20. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Matsumura M, Kanda N, Hatakeyama S, Dhaliwal G. Immune Interference. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2026 May 7;394:1847-1853. >> PubMed Citation

Parks AL, Fang MC. Right-sizing thromboprophylaxis in medical inpatients. JAMA Network Open. 2026 May 1;9:e2611399. >> PubMed Citation

Rapson T, Kemper-McIsaac KE, Sherwin EB... Pacca L, Rubinsky A, Lyles CR, Khoong EC. Identifying trajectories across care modalities before and after COVID-19 using sequence analysis. NPJ Digit Med. 2026 May 26. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Reddy RK, Kirtane AJ, Ali ZA, Ahmad Y. A SELUTION for in-stent restenosis? J Am Coll Cardiol. 2026 May 13. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Short WR, Koenig S, Tebas P, Gandhi M. Are screening periods in ART-naive trials justified in the era of rapid ART? The Lancet HIV. 2026 Jul;13:e431-e433. >> PubMed Citation

Wong RJ, Jones P, Niu B... Khalili M. Pandemic-related disruptions and hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in safety-net settings. JAMA Network Open. 2026 May 1;9:e2614345. >> PubMed Citation

Zalucky AA, Goligher EC, Dianti J, Willmore A, Guerin C, Calfee CS. Elastance as a determinant of the effect of prone positioning on mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome: a post hoc analysis of the PROSEVA trial. Critical Care. 2026 May 16;30:292. >> PubMed Citation

View more 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 19 | 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Click here for more information.

Transitioning from Clinician to Clinician-Leader Mini-LEAD
Join Mini-LEAD, a new series for emerging leaders. Quarterly sessions build foundational leadership skills and strengthen community across the DOM.
Tuesday, September 1 | 5:30-7:30 pm
Click here to RSVP to the first session.

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