1. < Message from the Chair

Despite the strong headwinds that we face as a department, school and health system, it is gratifying to receive news of multiple accolades and accomplishments by our faculty. They remain laser focused on being a community of LEADERS who lead in innovation, transform care and advance health for all. Spend a moment to learn about recent examples of good news from our faculty and share with them our collective pride!

Shawn Whelan, DO Named Among Pacific Business Coast Times’ 40 Under 40

Our excellence in patient care extends up and down the California coast. I’m excited to share that Ventura Primary and Specialty Care primary care physician Shawn Whelan, DO was named to Pacific Business Coast Times’ “40 Under 40” class of 2025.

For Dr. Whelan, the most rewarding part of being a family medicine physician is being able to provide care that truly makes a difference, especially for those who may not have had access to comprehensive care before.

“Whether it’s helping someone better manage chronic conditions, offering lifestyle guidelines that result in real change, or using osteopathic techniques to relieve long-standing pain, it’s incredibly fulfilling to see patients thrive,” Dr. Whelan said. “I especially love caring for people across all ages and generations — when I get to treat parents, children, and grandparents, I see the ripple effect of health and healing across entire families. I also really enjoy teaching and mentoring student doctors, helping to shape the future of medicine through an integrative lens.”

One of the biggest challenges currently facing family medicine practitioners is time and resource limitations. Family doctors often work with individuals over the lifespan and address not only physical symptoms but mental health and lifestyle factors like sleep, diet, social connection, time in nature and more.

“All of that takes time to do well,” Dr. Whelan said. “Meanwhile, specialists often focus on a single system and typically have longer visits by default. I believe family medicine visits may be longer to reflect the comprehensive nature of our care.”

Dr. Whelan views a potential solution to this problem in greater compensation and more support, such as through well-trained nurse practitioners or physician assistants who can help manage same-day urgent visits and patient messages. He also thinks mentorship could play a role: Instead of closing to new patients, they could be given the opportunity to mentor a mid-level provider within their practice.

“This would improve continuity of care and expand access while preserving the quality of personalized care,” Dr. Whelan said. Additionally, “giving physicians more flexibility in scheduling and having leadership that supports innovative models of care will help improve job satisfaction and, ultimately, the health of our communities.”

Dr. Whelan notes that while he could practice family medicine in any town or with any organization, he’s chosen to be in Ventura because he truly loves the community — and UCLA Health and the UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM) because it’s a forward-thinking institution with talented, dedicated doctors and staff.

“I’m honored to be part of an organization that’s leading the way in innovation, science, and care — and I’m proud to help move the needle forward toward a new standard of total wellness for individuals and our greater community,” Dr. Whelan said.

Congratulations, Shawn, on this important recognition, and thank you for your advocacy and commitment to providing excellent care to our patients!

Ashley F. Stein-Merlob, MD, PhD Recognized Internationally as an Emerging Investigator in Cardio-Oncology

I am happy to announce that Ashley F. Stein-Merlob, MD, PhD was named one of three finalists in the 2025 Global Cardio-Oncology Summit (GCOS) Young Investigator Competition, which will be held on Oct. 31 in Cape Town, South Africa. She will give an oral presentation on her abstract, “Mathematical Modelling of Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis: Sensitivity Analysis Identifies Treatment Targets”. 

Emily Hotez, PhD Approved for K01 to Study Link Between Autism, Stress and Obesity

Despite some grants being suspended, others continue to be awarded. Let me share one that was recently awarded to Emily Hotez, PhD, assistant professor in in the medicine-pediatrics section of the division of general internal medicine and health services research and the research director for the UC Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (UC-LEND) program.

One in every 31 people in the U.S. is believed to have autism, a diagnosis that is associated with obesity and related health conditions from early in life. Thanks to a new K01 grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Dr. Hotez will study the role that chronic stress plays in this link.

“This award will allow me to hone biomedical research skills that will enhance the impact of my work and support my long-term goal of integrating developmental psychology and biomedical science to address obesity,” Dr. Hotez said. “As a developmental psychologist who has studied autism for more than a decade and the sister of an autistic adult, I am deeply committed to conducting research that informs efforts to support this population. The K01 will enable me to achieve this goal.”

With the funding from her K01 award, Dr. Hotez will work with her mentor Janet Tomiyama, PhD in the UCLA Department of Psychology to collect survey responses, hair samples and body measurements from 250 adolescents and young adults with autism. They will examine the associations between chronic stressors, such as camouflaging, and obesity and cortisol levels. They will also explore differences between people with different autism traits.

“These analyses will help identify autistic individuals at highest risk for adverse health outcomes and highlight potential targets for obesity interventions,” Dr. Hotez said. Ultimately, they will also inform the effectiveness of obesity interventions across all populations during a time of life when new behaviors are likely to stick.

“As a developmental psychology researcher, I recognize the importance of aligning research with sensitive developmental periods,” she said. “My work centers on adolescence and emerging adulthood — critical stages when interventions have the greatest potential for lasting impact.”

Dr. Hotez added that a key goal of her research is to bring more autistic participants into biomedical research. She noted that many autistic individuals face unique obstacles to taking part in scientific studies, such as heightened sensory sensitivities, anxiety and challenges with providing blood samples in a lab setting. Her research methods circumvent these problems through the use of remote sample and data collection.

“Including more autistic people in research will lead to an increased understanding of how to promote their health and well-being and will support the development of more effective programs and services,” Dr. Hotez said.

Dr. Hotez is grateful for having such a fantastic group of colleagues, including colleagues in the department of medicine. One of her co-mentors is Alice A. Kuo, MD, who studies access to and delivery of development services for children and adults with autism and other neurodevelopment disabilities. Her other co-mentors are UCLA Senior Associate Dean and Associate Vice Chancellor for Precision Medicine Daniel Geschwind, MD, PhD and Amanda Velazquez, MD, at Cedars-Sinai; her advisory board is composed of leading scientists from across the country.

“This exceptional team has been crucial in shaping a project that is both scientifically rigorous and impactful, and I look forward to their continued mentorship over the next five years,” Dr. Hotez said.

Congratulations, Emily, and I look forward to the results of this impactful work!

Anna S. S. Gukovskaya, PhD Wins George E. Palade Prize

I am delighted to share that Anna S. S. Gukovskaya, PhD, director of the pancreatic research group at UCLA and the VA, is this year’s recipient of the George E. Palade Prize, also known as the Palade Prize. This prestigious award is the highest honor from the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP) and recognizes scientists who have made major contributions to the field’s understanding of basic mechanisms behind pancreatic function and disease.

As the winner of the Palade Prize, Dr. Gukovaskaya will give a lecture on organelle disorders in pancreatitis at the end of September during the IAP’s Pancreas Summit 2025 in Melbourne, Australia.

Congratulations, Anna!

Meet Our 2025 Outstanding Practice Partners

Let me now introduce you to our 2025 Outstanding DMPG Physician Onboarding Program Practice Partner awardees. Practice partners are clinicians who have been elected by their division chiefs to provide informal advice to new faculty around the many day-to-day questions that come up in clinical care, such as what to do with a mildly abnormal lab result or which specialists care for a particular disease niche. The awardees were nominated by onboarding faculty members for serving as exceptional resources as they begin their journeys at UCLA.

“The practice partner awardees have displayed exceptional peer mentorship, being available and welcoming to onboarding faculty as they navigate the nuances in clinical care and our UCLA Health system,” Arielle Bilek, MD, FACP, UCLA Department of Medicine Physician On-boarding Program Co-Chair, said. “We are grateful to them and all our practice partners for providing support and guidance for our new faculty!”

Please join me in thanking our Outstanding Practice Partners for their commitment to the strength of our DoM community!

MSTAR Program to Continue to Educate Future Geriatricians with Grant Renewal

There is a shortage of geriatricians, and as the home of one of the most expansive geriatrics programs in the country, the DoM is dedicated to filling that gap by educating future doctors in this much-needed specialty. For the past 21 years we have done so through Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR), an eight-to-12-week summer program that introduces medical students to geriatrics care and research. I was thrilled to learn recently that a National Institutes of Health grant supporting the MSTAR program was renewed — an indication of just how valuable this program is to the future of medicine and a welcome development amid a challenging funding climate.

“We were excited and relieved at the same time,” Cathy C. Lee, MD, MS, division chief of geriatrics at the VA Greater Los Angeles and principal investigator of MSTAR, said. “It was so affirming that NIH recognized the strength of our program.”

Dr. Lee co-directs the MSTAR program alongside Benjamin J. Seligman, MD, PhD; it is coordinated by Ana Reynoso. Please join me in congratulating all of them and the rest of the MSTAR program on its continued success!

UCLA Medical Weight Management Clinic Named a Top Center by Newsweek

Finally, it gives me great satisfaction to share that UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center was named among the nation’s top institutions for medically assisted weight loss in Newsweek’s first-ever report on the U.S.’s best weight loss clinics and centers for 2025. The UCLA Division of Clinical Nutrition has worked hard to make this program so robust, and this recognition is much deserved.

“I am excited and proud of everyone on the team!” Vijaya Surampudi, MD, associate director of the UCLA Medical Weight Management Clinic. “To me, this is just the beginning of the journey as we march forward.”

The clinic was one of the few centers on the list to be recognized for outstanding performance in both medical and surgical weight loss. It has long been recognized that one size does not fit all when it comes to medical weight loss options. Therefore providing personalized approaches that may include diet, exercise, lifestyle modification, pharmacotherapy and surgery to help patients achieve a healthy weight, with input from wide-ranging multidisciplinary teams supports the varied needs of the patients who come to our program. The clinic also offers individualized nutrition care for chronic disease management and overall health.

“We focus on helping everyone who sees us, to understand how nutrition affects your health and wellness,” chief of clinical nutrition division Zhaoping Li, MD said. “Our services are guided by our philosophy and research that food is a powerful medicine.”

Long-term, the clinic plans to expand its research and clinical programs in weight management. There is much to learn about what are the best options for dietary, medical or surgical treatment for each patient.

“We want to continue to improve our care model by providing not only personalized nutrition but take it to the next level to precision nutrition,” Dr. Surampudi said. “We are excited to continue to grow our access and embrace this growing field of medicine.”

Please join me in congratulating the weight loss center team!

Dale

P.S.

The hiking/running trails in the San Vicente Hills were closed for a while after the wildfires earlier this year. They are now open, so I did my weekend running up there for the first time since the fires. It was sobering yet hopeful to see recovery in the midst of the destruction. An allegory for the institutional challenges that we are currently facing. We will recover and come back stronger.

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