1. < Message from the Chair

As a leading academic department of medicine, innovation and discovery are essential parts of our missions. This week, I chose to highlight recent successes of members of our department that provide examples of the multiple ways in which our faculty are embodying our strategic vision to:

LEAD IN INNOVATION.

TRANSFORM CARE.

ADVANCE HEALTH FOR ALL.

Gloria Yiu, MD, PhD Awarded 5-Year Burroughs Wellcome Fund Award to Support Cellular Immunology/Rheumatology Research

Gloria Yiu, MD, PhD is the recipient of the highly competitive Career Award for Medical Scientists (CAMS Award) from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. One of 13 awardees nationally, this award provides a five-year $700,000 grant to physician scientists transitioning from an advanced science training program to become an early career faculty in academic medicine. Dr. Yiu is a dedicated cellular immunologist and rheumatologist whose research focuses on how immune cell development can inform cell-based therapies that can be used to effectively treat rheumatologic and immunodeficiency diseases. 

Throughout her academic journey, Dr. Yiu has been driven by a desire to connect with others through scientific questions. She has experienced several pivotal moments at UCLA which have helped her achieve her this recent accomplishment as a physician scientist. She graduated from the UCLA STAR Program where she was exposed to rich and diverse opportunities for collaboration and mentorship in her pursuit to creatively impact how we treat human disease. She was previously awarded the A.P. Giannini Postdoctoral Research Fellowship & Leadership Award which allowed her to take some risks in research.

“I had more flexibility to take on high-risk projects and ultimately helped lead a project that used gene editing to correct a form of severe combined immune deficiency. This work was instrumental in my career and a master class in scientific and clinical collaboration.” 

While she has experienced great success, she notes that the physician scientist journey includes hardship and rejection along the way. She shares that “mentorship has been critical for me, it’s very difficult to succeed in science on your own. Finding mentors to help you through the path is vital. I have been fortunate to learn from scientists who do great sicence and see mentorship as an integral part of their work. That is a legacy I want to continue when I start my independent lab.”

I invite you to learn more about Dr. Yiu’s research in the researcher profile below, as well as join me in congratulating her on this prestigious award!

Kara Chew, MD, MS Awarded U01 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for Tfh-targeting Genetic Vaccine Adjvant Study

The approach, termed “s3”, was designed (by Dr. Hartigan-O’Connor) to bring more T-cell help to B-cells to generate bigger and longer-lasting antibody responses, as well antibody responses which remain protective against future variants and that might prevent infection itself at the site at which viruses enter (the respiratory mucosa). This strategy has broad applicability, not just for COVID-19, but other vaccines to prevent infection and disease. 

The trial, called the CONTENDER Study, will test the safety and compare the strength, breadth, and durability of immune responses generated by SARS-CoV-2 vaccines with or without the s3 adjuvant, and examine mechanisms of s3 adjuvant activity in lymph nodes. The trial will be conducted at UCLA and UCSF, leveraging partnership and infrastructure built between the two sites for a previous NIH/NIAID U01-funded HIV therapeutic vaccine trial and across the three UC campuses to bring pre-clinical discoveries into the clinic.

I wholeheartedly agree with Interim Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases Raphael Landowitz, MD who shares, “This has been a long time in incubation, and is a tremendous accomplishment and a true testament to Kara’s tenacity, hard work, determination, and innovation.”

Congratulations Kara!

Next, I shine the spotlight on faculty who are currently implementing their research into communities across Southern California and beyond.

Katie Fruin, MD's Fight Against Food Insecurity: "Planting for Veteran Health" Event at VA GLA

Diet related disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and globally. As a department, we are committed to addressing inequities such as food insecurity that contribute to health disparities in our patient populations.

Working alongside VA Chair of Medicine & DoM Chief of Clinical Nutrition Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD, upon its restoration, the farm will be the nation’s largest farm integrated into a health system with the capacity to produce fresh fruits and vegetables to the more than 1,200 veterans who will be living on campus.

It was truly an inspirational afternoon where members of our internal medicine residency program, colleagues from the Fielding School of Public Health and Anderson School of Management, joined our colleagues at the VA to mobilize resources and bring this project to life. The project was generously supported by the UCLA Department of Medicine which helped Dr. Fruin launch this initiative.

I invite you to check out highlights from the event.

Nina T. Harawa, PhD, MPH Launches California HUB/SUD Prevention Research with Reentry Population

Between 2019 and 2024, Nina T. Harawa, PhD, MPH, and her team developed and tested the Mobile Enhanced Prevention Support (MEPS) intervention which uses evidence-based strategies, such as trained peer support staff, cash incentives, and a mobile app, to encourage engagement in preventive health services. 

This year, Dr. Harawa, together with multi-PI Sandra McCoy from UC Berkeley, will begin studying MEPS on a broader scale with the support of a R61/33 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Harawa notes that the period following release from incarceration is associated with high risks for HIV and STI acquisition and transmission and for fatal drug overdose. This initiative, titled the California HUB for HIV/SUD Prevention Research with Reentry Populations will collaborate with community-based agencies to implement MEPS in three California counties and determine its effectiveness in increasing PrEP use and HIV/STI/hepatitis C testing and in reducing substance use harms among people reentering society after incarceration.

Over the course of the next year, Dr Harawa’s team will pilot the MEPS intervention in Riverside County and establish processes for intervention implementation in three California counties. Upon meeting the required milestones for this R61 phase, Dr. Harawa will proceed with the R33 phase where researchers will recruit and test the intervention with 300 people. They are partnering with the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Coalition to put together a statewide coalition of project advisors and to develop and disseminate resources for agencies that serve reentry populations. Each study participant will be given a baseline needs assessment and then proceed through a series of client-centered sessions to support them in meeting their personal wellness-related goals. The study will include regular follow-up assessments and sample collection for PrEP adherence monitoring. MEPS will undergo an implementation-effectiveness study to determine strategies for scaling and sustainability so that it can help address disparities in health outcomes among the reentry population.

"We look to create an intervention that can be readily adapted and implemented by a range of service agencies throughout the state," adds Dr. Harawa.

Congratulations Nina!

DoM Executive Vice Chair for Research Judith Currier, MD, MSc Heads to Washington in Support of Clinical Trials Expansion

Clinical trials are critical towards helping us identify new interventions that transform patient care. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has been leading a nationwide effort to increase clinical trial capacity in the United States. As part of this initiative, the OSTP hosted a Clinical Trials Forum where the DoM’s Executive Vice Chair for Research Judith Currier, MD, MSc, researchers, physicians, private sector leaders, patients and caregivers voiced how we can effectively improve clinical trials. Issues addressed included increasing access, addressing participation barriers, and increasing the speed at which we introduce new effective therapies. We are proud to have Dr. Currier represent the DoM and UCLA Health at this important forum which seeks to improve health outcomes for all Americans and support the Biden Cancer Moonshot goal to end cancer.

You may view a recording of the forum by visiting the link below.

We recognize that advancements in science do not occur in silos. It is essential that we learn about and collaborate with investigators across disciplines. There is a great wealth of knowledge and talent at UCLA. I am pleased to share highlights about recent events hosted by DoM which brought together our colleagues in the spirit of driving innovation and celebrating their accomplishments.

2024 Joint UCLA Department of Medicine and Department of Bioengineering Research Symposium

On June 6^th, the UCLA Department of Medicine teamed up with the Department of Bioengineering to host the inaugural joint research symposium. Dozens of participants from medicine and bioengineering convened at the Luskin Center to learn about the latest technology, current bioengineering updates, and 3-minute pitches from faculty and trainees seeking collaborators which will help them move their research forward.

Twenty-four pitches were made throughout the half-day event which highlighted some of the transformative projects happening across this campus. We heard for example, about projects that incorporate AI aimed at enhancing physician and patient communication. We learned about projects which will improve testing and diagnostics that may lead to improved patient health outcomes. We were inspired by research which has the potential to change how we treat medical illness. The energy was electric throughout the event where we saw collaborations form between our departments, and across two schools, as we both seek to drive innovation, transform care, and advance health for all.

Hear directly from DoM leaders which pitch was their favorite!

18th Annual Iris Cantor-UCLA Women's Health Center Lunch with Scientists

The 18^th annual “Lunch with the Scientists” was held June 10^th at the Luxe Hotel in Brentwood. This event brings together donors to the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center Executive Advisory Board Fund, with recipients of pilot research awards funded jointly by UCLA CTSI and the Iris Cantor Women’s Health Center. This year, awardees included Dr. Kortney Floyd James, who received funding while a fellow in the Division of GIM/HSR to study peripartum depression among Black women, and Drs. Molly Zielenbach and Christine Holschneider of the Department of OB/GYN at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, who worked with Alison Hamilton, PhD, MPH of the VA Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation to evaluate a novel hereditary cancer risk screening and genetic testing program, which was published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. Researchers from Harbor UCLA, the UCLA Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, and the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute also presented their work.

Since 2004, this program has awarded over $1 million in donor funds to 70 UCLA investigators in women’s health and sex and gender-based medicine, resulting in $50 million in competitive external funding that leveraged the pilot data. Kim Narain, MD, PhD, MPH, Director of Health Services and Health Disparities Research, Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, Assistant Professor-In-Residence, Division of GIM/HSR, and Andrea Hevener, PhD, Sidney Roberts and Clara Szego Roberts Chair in Molecular/Cellular Endocrinology; Director of Basic Science Research, Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, co-chaired the panel discussion.

I hope you will agree that our department is a magnet for innovation, and we will continue to support and facilitate growth in new areas of collaboration.

Dale

P.S.

Some of you asked about how my family fared after Hurricane Beryl impacted Jamaica last week. I am happy to share that my immediate family were spared major damage and are doing well. My mom’s home was without power for about 48 hours, but did not have any structural damage. I appreciate the messages of concern.

Also...

Dr. Brent turned three recently. During remarks he noted that he had recently run a half marathon and came first in his age category. Since when were 3-year-olds running marathons?

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