IHG 2026 Spring & Summer Newsletter | | |
Dear IHG Community,
I hope you are all enjoying the start of summer. I want to extend my warmest wishes to each of you for a happy, healthy, and safe season.
As we reflect on the past year, there is much to celebrate across our Institute. I am grateful for the dedication, collaboration, and accomplishments of our faculty, staff, trainees, and students, all of whom continue to make the Institute for Human Genetics a vibrant and innovative community.
I am pleased to report the continued success of our community events, including our Technology Seminar Series in partnership with the CAT & Co-Labs and our IHG Seminar Series. These programs have continued to thrive, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Chris Hsiung and Jeff Spence for leading the organization of the IHG Seminar Series this year.
In addition, our Rare Disease Symposium, held in collaboration with UCSF Innovation Ventures and Foundation Ipsen, was a tremendous success, highlighting the outstanding rare disease research taking place across UCSF. Events like these not only promote the exchange of knowledge but also strengthen the collaborative spirit that defines our Institute. We remain committed to providing opportunities for learning, networking, and showcasing the exceptional work of our community.
Looking ahead, I hope you will join us on September 23 for our 5th Annual Genotech Symposium. Since its inception, Genotech has served as a platform to bridge academia and industry, fostering meaningful collaborations that advance human genetics and genomics. Last year's symposium exceeded all expectations, welcoming more than 500 registrants, and we look forward to an even larger gathering this year. The program will feature speakers from diverse backgrounds, engaging panel discussions, a career panel for trainees, corporate partners, and valuable networking opportunities. We are excited to continue building connections that drive innovation and scientific discovery.
This year, we are also launching a new IHG faculty search. I would like to thank Alex Pollen for serving as chair of the search committee, along with Chris Hsiung, Gabe Loeb, Yin Shen, Marina Sirota, and Jeff Spence for their service. If you know outstanding candidates who would be a great fit for the Institute, please encourage them to apply. The application deadline is October 1.
I am also delighted to celebrate the continued success of our Genetic Counseling Master Program under the exceptional leadership of Adrienne Wakeling. The program continues to flourish, and we look forward to the many future contributions and achievements of its students and alumni.
I would also like to recognize and thank our outstanding IHG staff—Stewart Begliutti, Shelley Green, Tiffany Lai, Khang Nguyen, David Wong, and Sharice Young—for their dedication and hard work in supporting our Institute every day.
Finally, I want to extend a special thank you to Suzanne Mackey as she begins her well-earned retirement. Suzanne's many contributions to the Institute have had a lasting impact, and we are incredibly grateful for everything she has done. She will be deeply missed, and we wish her all the best in this exciting new chapter.
Thank you all for your continued dedication, hard work, and resilience. Your contributions are what make IHG such an exceptional community, and I look forward to another exciting year of discovery and collaboration together.
Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful summer.
Sincerely,
Nadav
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The UCSF Institute for Human Genetics (IHG), in collaboration with the UCSF Institute for Regeneration Medicine (IRM), is excited to invite you to the Annual Genotech Symposium on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at Genentech Hall.
This flagship gathering brings together an exceptional community of leaders across academia and industry for a full day of high-impact scientific exchange in genetics and genomics. It serves as a dynamic hub for sharing ideas, showcasing innovation, and strengthening collaborations that span sectors and disciplines.
This year’s program will feature inspiring talks, engaging panel discussions, and ample networking opportunities highlighting breakthrough advances in gene therapy, cell therapy, and genomic technologies. Building on the strong momentum of past years, when more than 500 participants registered from across academia and industry, the 2026 symposium is poised to be our most compelling and interactive event yet.
We are deeply grateful to our sponsors and speakers for their partnership and for helping shape a program that continues to elevate and expand the field.
We hope you will join us for this energizing opportunity to connect with colleagues, explore the latest discoveries, and engage with the leaders driving the future of genetics and genomics.
View our website to learn more and register.
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OPEN IHG FACULTY POSITION
The UCSF Institute for Human Genetics invites applications for multiple faculty positions at the Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor level, in the ladder-rank or in-residence series. Applicants with varied backgrounds in genetics and genomics will be considered, including those with expertise and interest in disease diagnosis and therapeutics, functional genomics, statistical genetics, and human population genetics. Candidates are expected to have demonstrated significant research accomplishments and potential, to foster equity and inclusion in human genetics, and to be committed to mentoring learners. A modern laboratory and/or computational space within the Institute for Human Genetics, along with a start-up package, will be available.
| | Staff Profile: Suzanne Mackey, JD | | |
We are deeply grateful to have had Suzanne Mackey, JD as part of the UCSF community, and we extend our warmest congratulations on her retirement, with June 26 marking her last day with us after many years of exceptional service.
Suzanne has provided UCSF with outstanding administrative support across a wide range of roles, bringing deep institutional knowledge and a strong command of university policies and systems. She has been a trusted resource for colleagues navigating complex administrative processes and an invaluable member of the teams she has supported.
In her role as an Administrative Officer with IHG, Mackey has made a meaningful impact across multiple areas of the organization. She provides dedicated support to several IHG committees, including the Executive Committee, along with high-level administrative assistance to faculty and support for four principal investigators. Her responsibilities include expense processing, travel coordination, calendar management, and close collaboration with Human Resources to ensure smooth onboarding for new lab members.
Suzanne’s professionalism, reliability, and collegial spirit have made her an invaluable member of the UCSF community. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for her many contributions and wish her all the best in her retirement!
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Dr. Calderon serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and is a faculty member at the Institute for Human Genetics. The Calderon Lab aims to understand how DNA is translated into life. To study this transformation, we use cutting-edge computational and experimental techniques. Recently, the lab has been excited to apply deep learning and other machine learning methods to interpret results from massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs), single-cell assays, and CRISPR screens. His projects typically focus on using these technologies to study how DNA mutations can lead to disease or characterize cellular control of gene expression, but they also encompass many topics generally related to DNA.
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We’re excited to celebrate the recipients of the 2026 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars, honoring faculty whose commitment to mentorship continues to strengthen the UCSF community.
This year’s awardees are Andrea DeRogatis, Konstantinos Stasinos, and Minjie Zhu. We also recognize Honorable Mentions Jon Gauthier and Honesty Kim, along with Han Yang, PhD (Yin Shen Lab), for their outstanding contributions and dedication to trainee development.
Among this year’s honorees, we would like to especially highlight Han Yang, PhD (Institute for Human Genetics; Department of Neurology; Yin Shen Lab), whose mentorship was described as having a transformative impact on trainees and serving as a cornerstone of the lab’s training environment. Nomination materials emphasize his inclusive approach to mentorship and his sustained commitment to fostering scientific growth, confidence, and independence among trainees.
As reflected in the nomination packets submitted by Yin Shen and Zoe Chen, Dr. Yang’s mentorship extends far beyond technical instruction. Trainees describe his guidance as instrumental in shaping how they approach scientific questions, communicate ideas, and develop as independent researchers.
A few words from those nominations capture the spirit of his mentorship:
“Dr. Yang has demonstrated exceptional mentorship characterized by transformative impact, inclusive excellence, and sustained institutional contribution. Dr. Yang is the central pillar of our lab’s training environment.”
“From the beginning, Han’s mentorship reached far beyond technical instruction; he played a central role in shaping how I approach scientific questions, how I communicate my ideas, and how I have begun to build the confidence necessary for independent research. His guidance has had a lasting impact on my growth as a young scientist.”
2026 Dean’s Award Recipients (Postdocs):
Andrea DeRogatis, PhD, MS — Department of Dermatology
Konstantinos Stasinos, PhD, MD — Department of Pathology
Minjie Zhu, PhD — Department of Radiology
Honorable Mentions (Postdocs):
Jon Gauthier, PhD — Department of Neurological Surgery
Honesty Kim, PhD — Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Han Yang, PhD — Institute for Human Genetics; Department of Neurology (Yin Shen Lab)
We extend our warm congratulations to all of this year’s honorees and our sincere appreciation for the many ways they elevate mentorship at UCSF.
| | | | Distinguished Scientist Award | |
The Sontag Foundation has announced its 2025 Distinguished Scientist Award recipients, including John Liu, Christina Tringides, and Tyler Miller. We extend our special congratulations to John Liu for this well-deserved recognition of his innovative research and contributions to the field. All three awardees will join a cohort of leading experts advancing critical scientific inquiry and collaboration. | | | | Winter 2026 First Gen Scholarship | |
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We’re excited to celebrate the Winter 2026 First Gen Scholarship recipients!
For the past five years, in partnership with Student Financial Services, the Office of Education and Student Affairs has supported UCSF First Generation to College students through this $3,000 scholarship. Each year, 20–21 students are selected by UCSF First Gen alumni in recognition of their contributions to the First Gen community.
These students go beyond their academic programs to strengthen community at UCSF—mentoring peers, leading workshops and panels, organizing gatherings, and creating supportive spaces for fellow First Gen students.
Within the Graduate Division, we would like to especially highlight Megan Gallagher (Genetic Counseling) for her outstanding contributions to the First Gen community and across UCSF.
Winter 2026 First Gen Scholarship Recipients
Dentistry:
Sebastian Munoz, Betty Birbo, Monneca Rim, Winston Li, Richard Hong, Cristal Chavez, Mia Espinoza
Graduate Division:
Megan Gallagher (Genetic Counseling), Caitlyn Dang (Biomedical Sciences)
Medicine:
Sydni Sheff, Camila De Pierola Casalino, Daniel Chan, Dayana Shariff, Tiffany Cao, Anthony Peraza, Semira Sherief, Aileen Rodriguez (Post-bac)
Nursing:
Nancy Oros Tinoco
Pharmacy:
Vivian Pham
Physical Therapy:
Alexa Ortega, Romane Vigouroux
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all recipients and our sincere appreciation for their leadership, energy, and care in the UCSF First Gen community.
| | | | We are excited to share that the outstanding genomics work done by Peng He, IHG member, has been published in Nature! Read more below. | | | |
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Abstract:
Over the past decade, single-cell datasets have grown in both size and complexity, enabling the construction of large-scale cell atlases. Technical variability in data generation, also known as batch effects, hinders meaningful comparisons. Although numerous batch-correction algorithms have been developed, they often struggle with overcorrection or undercorrection. Here we review commonly used data cleaning and integration methods. We envision that future frameworks will learn interpretable gene and cell representations and achieve informed modeling of technical and biological variation.
| | | | IHG Faculty Seminar Series | | |
Building on the enthusiasm and engagement of this year's Faculty Seminar Series, the Institute for Human Genetics (IHG) is excited to continue the series in 2027.
Designed to foster connection and scientific exchange, this faculty series brings colleagues together across campuses to share ideas, spark new collaborations, and stay engaged with the innovative research taking place throughout IHG.
Series Highlights
Audience: Open to IHG faculty.
Goal: Foster meaningful interaction, discussion, and collaboration among faculty members.
Format: Each session begins with a brief 10-minute IHG update, followed by a faculty scientific presentation.
Presentations: Speakers are encouraged to make their talks both personal and scientific. Share a bit about your journey into science, interests outside the lab, or what inspires your work, alongside current research, unpublished findings, emerging ideas, or projects you'd like to discuss and brainstorm with colleagues.
Location & Time: Seminars alternate between the Mission Bay and Parnassus campuses and are held from 10:00–11:00 AM to support participation across both sites.
Breakfast: Breakfast is provided.
We look forward to another year of engaging discussions, new collaborations, and stronger connections across the IHG faculty community.
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November 16, 2027
Tom Nowakowski
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September 21, 2027
Jill Hollenbach
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May 18, 2027
Bhairavi Tolani
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April 20, 2027
Kyle Cromer
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March 16, 2027
Diego Calderon
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February 16, 2027
Alex Brown
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January 19, 2027
Bruce Conklin
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December 15, 2026
Marina Sirota
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November 17, 2026
Gabriel Loeb
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October 13, 2026
Michael T. McManus
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September 15, 2026
Ed Hsiao
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August 18, 2026
Jeff Spence
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July 14, 2026
Akinyemi Oni-Orisan
| | Technology Seminar Series | | The UCSF Institute for Human Genetics, Center for Advanced Technology, and CoLabs co-host the technology seminar series, where you can stay informed about the latest technological advancements from various partners in the industry. | |
November 17, 2026
Dovetail Genomics
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November 3, 2026
Vector Builder
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September 22, 2026
EditCo Bio
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September 8, 2026
Bruker
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Nucleate Bay Area and Phylo hosted an evening of innovation, networking, and scientific exploration at UCSF Mission Hall, bringing together students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and biotech professionals to discuss the intersection of artificial intelligence and biomedical research.
Held on June 4, 2026, the Innovation Showcase featured a keynote and live demonstration from the Phylo team, highlighting Biomni Lab—an AI-powered platform designed to transform scientific workflows through agentic AI tools for research and discovery.
Attendees experienced firsthand how AI-driven technologies are reshaping biotech, translational science, and entrepreneurship, sparking conversations around scientific discovery, collaboration, startup innovation, and emerging career pathways.
The evening included a keynote and live demo, discussions on AI-enabled research workflows, networking across academia and industry, and opportunities to connect around internships, recruitment, and collaboration—all accompanied by food, drinks, and event swag.
The event opened with remarks and transitioned into the keynote and demonstration, followed by an open networking session fostering interdisciplinary connections.
Nucleate, a global nonprofit supporting biotech entrepreneurship across 41 regions and 280+ institutions, continues to advance accessible innovation programming. Phylo’s participation underscored the momentum behind AI-native tools accelerating biomedical discovery.
Thank you to all who attended and contributed to an inspiring evening exploring the future of AI in biotech and biomedical research.
| | UCSF Genetic Counseling Student Capstone Symposium | | |
The UCSF Genetic Counseling Student Capstone Symposium took place on Monday, June 1st at the Nancy Friend Pritsker Psychiatry Building (675 18th St, San Francisco).
It was a wonderful day of presentations, connection, and celebration. Thank you to everyone who attended, whether in person or online!
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We are pleased to share highlights from the recent Joint Symposium, which brought together attendees representing multiple institutes for a day of engaging scientific exchange and collaboration. The symposium featured outstanding poster presentations alongside a series of short talks showcasing innovative research across disciplines.
We would like to congratulate this year’s award recipients:
🏆 Best Short Talk
Grace Ramey (Tony Capra’s Lab – IHG)
“Leveraging Human Genetic Variation to Therapeutically Target Genes Linked to Skeletal Dysplasias, Bone Disorders, Myopathies, and Other Dominant Conditions”
🏆 Best Poster
Nicha Tokavanich, PhD (Wanida Ono’s Lab – PCB)
“Salt-inducible Kinases Inactivation Reverses Primary Failure of Eruption in Mice”
Thank you to all presenters, attendees, organizers, and participating labs for contributing to a successful and collaborative event. We also appreciate everyone who helped make the symposium a memorable experience.
Event photos are available via Box here.
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The Life Science Vendor Show brought energy and excitement to UCSF, giving researchers a chance to step away from the bench and explore a wide range of innovative tools, technologies, and services designed to support their work.
Hosted at UCSF Health Sciences West (HSW), 9th Floor Elevator Bank (513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143), the event featured an impressive lineup of vendors eager to connect with the research community and showcase what’s new in the life sciences space.
Attendees had the opportunity to meet directly with representatives and discover resources tailored to their needs, with support from event organizers Hope Achterberg, Scientist Solutions Director of Event Operations and Patrick Neis, Scientist Solutions Territory Director.
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The Institute for Human Genetics, together with LaunchBio, the UCSF Catalyst Program, and Fondation Ipsen, recently hosted Invest in Cures San Francisco and the Rare Disease Symposium, bringing together researchers, clinicians, industry leaders, investors, and patient advocates for two days of impactful discussion and collaboration.
The Invest in Cures program convened stakeholders across biotech, venture philanthropy, and academia to explore innovative funding models and partnerships aimed at accelerating the translation of early-stage discoveries into therapies for rare diseases.
The following Rare Disease Symposium built on this momentum, highlighting cutting-edge advances in human genetics, functional genomics, and therapeutic development, while also centering patient perspectives and the urgent need for improved diagnostics and treatments.
Together, the events fostered meaningful cross-sector dialogue and reinforced a shared commitment to advancing cures for rare diseases through collaboration and innovation.
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May 28, 2026
A Single-Cell Nanoparticle Delivery Atlas in Nonhuman Primates
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March 18, 2026
UCSF PSPG Seminar Series
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March 16, 2026
Medical Genetics & Genomics:
From bench to bedside
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March 9, 2026
Medical Genetics & Genomics:
From bench to bedside
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March 2, 2026
Medical Genetics & Genomics:
From bench to bedside
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February 23, 2026
Medical Genetics & Genomics:
From bench to bedside
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January 26, 2026
Medical Genetics & Genomics:
From bench to bedside
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We invite you to join us in advancing our mission. Your support helps strengthen our Institute and fuels our efforts in human genetics research and education, with real-world impact on understanding human disease and improving patient care.
Every contribution—of any size—makes a meaningful difference, expanding our ability to support faculty and student researchers and to broaden the reach of human genetics research across the field.
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and partnership.
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| | Thank you - We appreciate your support | | | | |
