A Monthly Digest of Noteworthy Activities and Achievements

Through a year of change and uncertainty, the Department of Medicine at SFVAHCS has continued to move forward with shared purpose. Heather Nye reflects on our progress and the people who make it all possible. Read more here.

DOM Members Inducted to the AME

Brian Block, Pramita Kuruvilla, Andrew Orr, Michele Pham, Radhika Ramanan, Aparajita Singh, and Archana Sridhar (pictured left to right, top to bottom) were elected to the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators.

Chancellor Principles of Community Awards

Sarah Alba-Nguyen (left) and Elizabeth Harleman received the UCSF Chancellor
Principles of Community Award for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership and
Advancement of Women, respectively.

Honors and News

James Frank has been appointed the director of
the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators.

Cate Freyer has been appointed the manager of
the Division of HIV, ID, and Global Medicine at ZSFG.

SPIRIT of DOM Awards

The SPIRIT of DOM Award recognizes staff members who exemplify the UCSF PRIDE Values and make the DOM a better place to work. Click here to submit nominations by October 9.

DOM in the News

Max Brondfield explained that gelatin may promote fullness but does not mimic Ozempic, with any weight-loss benefit stemming from reduced calorie intake (Medscape).

Peter Chin-Hong warned that drug-resistant Candida auris can persist in healthcare settings (Healthline). He noted that while COVID levels are rising, severe illness remains low (San Francisco Chronicle) but urged high-risk people to get the updated vaccine (The New York Times). He advised precautions as West Nile cases rise in California (SFGate) and said that Cyclospora outbreaks can be difficult to trace (ABC News). He also advised washing cat scratches right away with soap and water and monitoring for signs of infection (TIME Magazine).

Adil Daud highlighted promising results from a personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine trial (The Washington Post, KCBS AM). He also said personalization might be the key to making mRNA cancer vaccines effective (San Francisco Chronicle).

Monica Gandhi warned that the Bay Area is not immune to rising measles cases and underscored the importance of childhood vaccination (KCBS AM).

Sheiphali Gandhi emphasized that silicosis is entirely preventable but currently incurable, with no proven therapy to reverse the lung scarring it causes (KQED).

Hong-Ha Truong reported that the pause in global HIV/AIDS funding has disrupted research and threatened progress in HIV prevention and treatment (San Francisco Examiner, NPR).

Suneil Koliwad discussed research suggesting that GLP-1 weight-loss medications may help slow aspects of the aging process (Fox News).

Margot Kushel emphasized that homelessness is fundamentally driven by the lack of housing affordable to the lowest-income people (CalMatters). She also noted that forcing people into treatment, jail, or temporary shelter does not address the underlying causes (The Washington Post).

Pamela Ling urged California leaders to defend the state’s flavored tobacco ban and protect children from nicotine addiction (California Health Report).

Annie Luetkemeyer emphasized the value of expanding HIV treatment options as a weekly anti-HIV pill enters the market (Science).

Gregory Marcus said moderate caffeine appears safe (Healio) but warned of potential heart risks from energy drinks (MSN). He noted the potential health benefits of saunas and cold plunges need more research (San Francisco Chronicle) and found that cannabis use was associated with fewer premature heartbeats (San Francisco Chronicle, Medscape).

Stephanie Rogers encouraged older adults to challenge themselves physically, cognitively, and socially for healthier aging (NBC News).

Hilary Seligman said SNAP restrictions on soda purchases may have public health benefits but cautioned that program changes could decrease enrollment (The New York Times).

Gina Solomon explained that toxic chemicals found beneath Richmond’s Kennedy High School can persist in soil and groundwater and release toxic vapors over time (ABC News). She also said that testing indicated that the campus was safe for students to return (KQED).

Recent Grants of Note

Steven Deeks and team: a grant of $10M over two years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a project entitled, “Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise to Cure HIV (DARE).”

Mallory Johnson: a grant of $7.5M over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for a project entitled, “Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS).”

Elise Riley and team: a grant of $4.8M over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for a project entitled, “Fostering new lessons from collaborations to study stimulants, HIV, and brain aging in existing cohorts with key data (FLASHBACK).”

Rachel Rutishauser and team: a grant of $3.3M over four years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for a project entitled, “Optimizing engineered T cells with highly sensitive anti-HIV/Env HLA-independent T cell receptors (HITs).”

Recent Publications of Note

Awdishu L, Karger AB, Shlipak MG, Estrella MM. Use of Cystatin C in Tandem with Creatinine to Improve GFR Estimation and Clinical Decision Making. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2026 Sep 1;37:2042-2054. >> PubMed Citation

Brender T, Dzeng E. What patients want from AI-drafted portal messages—empathy in the in-basket. JAMA Network Open. 2026 Jul 1;9:e2622470. >> PubMed Citation

Hager K, Seligman HK. Lessons from a community-designed meal program for heart failure. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2026 Jul 27. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Homer CM, Pigal A, Cunningham G... Hays S, Doernberg S. A lung transplant recipient with unusual cells on a biopsy from a pulmonary nodule. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2026 Jul 23;83:e214-e216. >> PubMed Citation

Huang AJ, Schonberg MA, Grady D. Deescalation, discontinuation, and deimplementation trials: Evaluating whether and how to do less. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2026 Jul 28;336:293-295. >> PubMed Citation

Marcus GM. Does weight loss prevent atrial fibrillation? JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2026 Jul 21;336:197-199. >> PubMed Citation

Martín M, Ambriz L, Ramirez MG, Borchers R... Fernández A. Moral injury among physicians caring for immigrant patients amid anti-immigrant policies. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2026 Jul 20. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Naik HB, Thiara D. GLP-1 receptor agonists in hidradenitis suppurativa—emerging opportunities for comorbidity management? JAMA Dermatology. 2026 Aug 1;162:773-774. >> PubMed Citation

Reddy RK, Spertus JA, Grantham JA, Ahmad Y. Seeing clearly: Blinded and unblinded evidence for symptom benefit after chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2026 Jul 7;88:38-41. >> PubMed Citation

Sciascia S, Dall'Era M. Refining thrombotic risk in membranous lupus nephritis: Is anti-C1q the missing link? Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. 2026 Jul;24:2394-2395. >> PubMed Citation

Shi K, Plantinga L, Oates A, Lo L, Tuot D. In-person versus telehealth video: A retrospective audit of medication prescriptions, orders, and patient instructions in ambulatory nephrology care. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. 2026 Jul 18. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Southern BD, Wolters PJ. Short for their age: Interpreting whole-genome telomere length in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2026 Jul 2. Epub ahead of print. >> PubMed Citation

Yang T-C, Ha NB, Fan B, Barry F, Seetharaman S, Cho B... Sharma A, Usman L, Lai JC. Rate and clinical predictors of skeletal muscle loss in patients with cirrhosis. Gut. 2026 Jul 30. Epub ahead of print. >> 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, September 16 | 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Click here for more information.

Celebration of New AME Members
Join us to honor the incoming class of Academy of Medical Educators and recognize the contributions of our educators and mentors.
Tuesday, September 29 | 3:00-5:00 pm
Click here for more information.

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