• Research Programs
  • Pathology Research Programs
  • Laboratory Medicine Research Programs
  • At the University
• Research Pathology Core Facility
• UCSF Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center (VDDC)
• Guide for Researchers

The Department of Pathology has numerous vibrant research programs and strives to be a leader among academic Pathology departments in both basic and clinical research. The research activities of the Department interface closely with numerous research programs at UCSF, including those at the Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our research faculty are members of the two large graduate programs at UCSF: the Program in Biological Sciences and the Biomedical Sciences Program. Well over one hundred postdoctoral research fellows and graduate students are being trained in the laboratories in the Department.

In addition, investigators in the Department are involved in a large number of translational research projects on diverse topics, including: breast tumors; liver, kidney and gastrointestinal diseases; transplantation; lymphoid neoplasms. Information about the research activities of individual faculty members may be found in their biographical sketches.

Major Research Themes

Although our research activities span a wide range of interests, many of our large, independently funded research groups fall into the following major thematic areas:

Infection and Immunity

• Abul K. Abbas, MBBS
• T cell biology, autoimmunity

• Matthew K. Krummel, PhD
• immune cell interactions, imaging

• James McKerrow, MD, PhD
• parasitic diseases, host defense

Cancer

• Boris Bastian
• Genetics and biology of melanoma

• Robert Blelloch, MD, PhD
• microRNAs, stem cells, and cancer

• Teresa Darragh, MD
• HPV tumors

• Jayanta (Jay) Debnath, MD
• cancer pathogenesis

• Gerard Evan, PhD, FRS, FMedSci
• making and breaking tumors

• Britt-Marie Ljung, MD
• breast cancer markers

• Joanna Phillips, MD, PhD
• Glioblastoma and tumor microenvironment

• Bradley A. Stohr, MD, PhD
• telomere biology of human cancers

• Thea Tlsty, PhD
• cancer progression, genomic instability

Neuropathology

• Stephen DeArmond, MD, PhD
• prion diseases

• Eric Huang, MD, PhD
• neural development

• Marta Margeta, MD, PhD
• neuronal death

• Joanna J. Phillips, MD, PhD
• brain tumor microenvironment

• Tarik Tihan, MD, PhD
• brain tumors

Inflammation and Tissue Injury

• Walter Finkbeiner, MD, PhD
• lung pathology

• Stephen L. Nishimura, MD
• integrins

• Scott A. Oakes, MD
• apoptosis in response to cell injury

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