Year 5. September 8. Lead in Innovation, Transform Care and Advance Health for All
Our department’s forward looking vision statement is confirmed each time I learn about the accomplishments of our distinguished faculty, whose work epitomizes these goals. I am proud to have as colleagues, such a remarkable group of faculty in the UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM). This week, I share with you news of the international recognition recently received by some.
Joann G. Elmore, MD, MPH Receives American Cancer Society Research Professor Award to Advance Safe and Equitable AI in Cancer Care
Joann G. Elmore, MD, MPH has been awarded the prestigious American Cancer Society (ACS) Research Professor Award in recognition of her longstanding contributions to cancer research and her work to advance the safe, effective and equitable use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer care.
A nationally recognized physician-scientist, Dr. Elmore has helped shape the evaluation of cancer screening and diagnostic technologies, with a particular focus on improving diagnostic accuracy and ensuring that emerging technologies are rigorously assessed before they are widely adopted in clinical practice.
Through the American Cancer Society Research Professor Award, Dr. Elmore will develop and evaluate AI tools for cancer care, study how clinicians interact with AI in real-world settings and assess how these technologies perform across diverse patient populations. The award will also support training and engagement with researchers, clinicians and communities to help ensure that AI is implemented safely, equitably and effectively.
Dr. Elmore serves as the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Endowed Chair in Health Care Delivery, Professor in the David Geffen School of Medicine and Fielding School of Public Health, and Director of the UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Elmore on this important achievement and on this opportunity to advance responsible innovation in cancer care.
Gregg C. Fonarow, MD Receives HFSA Lifetime Achievement Award
On behalf of the department, I am delighted to congratulate Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, on receiving the 2026 Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the field's highest honors. The award recognizes his decades of leadership and transformative contributions to heart failure research, quality improvement and patient care.
Reflecting on the recognition, Dr. Fonarow noted that the award provided an opportunity to look back on a career devoted to improving how evidence-based therapies are delivered to patients with heart failure. “What I am proudest of is not a single trial or paper but a consistent thread running throughout my career: the conviction that patients should reliably receive the evidence-based, guideline-recommended therapies we know can help them, and that closing the gap between evidence and everyday care is itself a form of discovery,” he said.
That commitment began at UCLA with the Cardiac Hospitalization Atherosclerosis Management Program (CHAMP), where Dr. Fonarow and colleagues demonstrated that a structured hospital-based approach to initiating proven therapies before discharge could dramatically improve adherence and reduce all-cause mortality. The success of that work helped establish the idea that systems of care can save lives and laid the foundation for a career focused on translating scientific evidence into better patient outcomes.
Over the years, Dr. Fonarow has led several landmark initiatives that reshaped heart failure (HF) care nationally and around the world. His work contributed to the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines Program, which now spans more than 3,000 hospitals and has impacted more than 15 million patients. He also played key roles in the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry (ADHERE) registry, Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF), Registry to Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failure Therapies in the Outpatient Setting (IMPROVE-HF), and CHAMP-HF, studies and quality improvement efforts that advanced risk assessment, identified measures linked to improved outcomes and highlighted opportunities to improve the use of guideline-directed medical therapy.
While his scientific achievements have influenced the care of millions of patients, Dr. Fonarow emphasized that mentorship remains among the most meaningful aspects of his career. Having mentored more than 200 early-career investigators, he takes pride in the accomplishments of the next generation of cardiovascular researchers and clinicians. “Watching them grow into leaders and make their own mark on the field has been more rewarding than any publication or citation count,” he said.
Looking ahead, Dr. Fonarow sees tremendous opportunity to ensure that advances in heart failure treatment reach every patient who can benefit. He highlighted the potential of team-based care models, remote monitoring, digital clinical decision support tools, artificial intelligence and more inclusive clinical trials to help close persistent gaps in care. He shares that he is encouraged by growing efforts to improve prevention, expand early detection and advance health equity, with the goal of transforming heart failure care and improving outcomes for patients worldwide.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Fonarow on this well-deserved recognition and his extraordinary contributions to cardiovascular medicine, patient care and mentorship.
Gabriel Danovitch, MD Awarded the Prestigious Medawar Prize
For Distinguished Professor Emeritus Gabriel Danovitch, MD, the most meaningful measure of a career in transplantation has been the opportunity to witness the life-changing impact of kidney transplantation on patients and families.
That perspective has defined a distinguished career that recently earned him one of the field's highest honors. In August 2026, The Transplantation Society, an international organization providing global leadership in transplantation, named Dr. Danovitch the recipient of the prestigious Medawar Prize, recognizing individuals whose contributions have had a lasting impact on transplantation. The award is considered the society's highest distinction.
Reflecting on the recognition, Dr. Danovitch described receiving the award with both gratitude and humility.
"I felt a combination of humility and pride to receive the Medawar award," he said. "I was grateful to UCLA for providing a work environment that allowed me to pursue my passion for transplantation and to my wife for allowing me to do so while we built a wonderful family. I feel blessed."
Throughout his career, Dr. Danovitch has helped shape the field of kidney transplantation through clinical care, scholarship, mentorship and advocacy. He served as the longtime medical director of UCLA's Kidney Transplant Program and held the inaugural John J. Kuiper Chair in Nephrology and Renal Transplantation at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His work has influenced transplant practice around the world through more than 250 scientific publications, numerous leadership roles and his widely used Handbook of Kidney Transplantation, a foundational text for generations of transplant professionals.
When asked what has been most rewarding about his work, Dr. Danovitch noted:
"The greatest reward was seeing the transformative impact of kidney transplantation on the lives of long-suffering patients with kidney disease, and to be involved in the fascinating ethical and public policy issues that are an essential part of the organ transplant endeavor."
Today, Dr. Danovitch's influence continues through the many physicians he has mentored, the patients he has served, and the enduring contributions he has made to the science and ethics of transplantation. Join me in congratulating him on this well-deserved honor and thanking him for being an inspiration, and his extraordinary impact on the field.
A Personal Reflection on Receiving Jamaica's Order of Distinction
You might have seen the news about a national award that I recently received from my home country of Jamaica. I am deeply honored to have been awarded the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander (CD) by the Government of Jamaica, one of the nation's highest honors, in recognition of contributions to medicine and endocrinology.
This recognition carries special significance for me because of what Jamaica's National Honours have represented throughout my life. Growing up, Independence Day was always accompanied by anticipation as my family and I, would look through the newspaper to see the list of Jamaican luminaries whose contributions to our country and the world were being recognized. These included familiar names in arts, culture, sports, public service and medicine. I never imagined that one day my name would appear alongside those individuals.
When I woke up on August 6 and found my phone filled with congratulatory messages, I was initially unsure what had happened. It wasn't until I opened the online edition of the local newspaper and saw the announcement that I realized I had been selected for this extraordinary honor.
As I reflected on the news, my thoughts immediately turned to my family. I dedicate this recognition to my mother and extended family for their unwavering support and for the values, work ethic and sense of purpose they instilled in us as we were growing up. Their influence has shaped every step of my journey.
The occasion was made even more meaningful because my older brother, Colin, was also recognized this year, receiving a Badge of Honour for meritorious service in recognition of his contributions to medicine and surgery in the region. Needless to say, our mother was doubly proud.
Throughout my career, I have been privileged to pursue research aimed at understanding the cardiovascular complications of diabetes and obesity, while also mentoring future physicians and physician-scientists, and serving in academic leadership roles. I have been fortunate to work alongside outstanding colleagues and trainees whose dedication and partnership have enriched my professional life immeasurably.
I am grateful to Jamaica for this recognition and to the many mentors, colleagues, trainees, friends, and family members who have supported me throughout my career. I will travel home in October to receive the award from the Governor General. I am still mulling the possibility of having you now address me as Commander Dale.
Investing in the Next Generation of Researchers
As I conclude this week’s reflection, I would like to recognize the work of O. Kenrik Duru, MD, MSHS, and the Cultivating Interest in Research Careers (CIRC) Program, which continues to introduce students to the possibilities of careers in biomedical research and academic medicine.
Programs like CIRC are essential to our mission as an academic health system. By providing meaningful research experiences, mentorship and exposure to scientific discovery, CIRC helps inspire the next generation of physician-scientists and researchers who will advance medicine and improve patient care.
I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the DoM faculty and postdoctoral scholars who served as mentors to CIRC students this summer: Hrishikesh Kulkarni, MD, MSCI; Otto Yang, MD; Rajat Singh, MD, MBBS; Pamela Mattar, PhD; Olujimi Ajijola, MD, PhDD; Joann Elmore, MD, MPH; Marmar Vaseghi, MD, PhD; Tzung Hsiai, MD, PhD; Enbo Zhu, PhD; Kalyanam Shivkumar, MD, PhD; and Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD.
Mentorship is one of the most meaningful ways we contribute to the future of our profession. By sharing their expertise, time, and enthusiasm for discovery, these mentors have helped students gain invaluable insight into research while fostering the curiosity and confidence that will shape future careers.
My thanks to Dr. Duru for his leadership and to all our mentors for their commitment to developing the next generation of scientific leaders. Their efforts reflect the very best of our department's dedication to education, innovation and service.
Dale
P.S.
My mother is very proud of her children, but she truly is the rock star around here. She visited LA for a few weeks in the summer, and every time I walk on campus with her, she is the one who gets stopped, not me!
It was wonderful to meet Romie Angelich, who provides critical support to our faculty in the pulmonary clinic providing important coordination for complex patients with advanced lung disease, and those who need or who have had lung transplantation. She shared with my mom how much of an inspiration she is, and that her mom and my mom share the same age.
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