David Artis, PhD Appointed Inaugural Chief of the Division of Experimental Medicine
We are pleased to announce that David Artis, PhD, has accepted the appointment as the inaugural chief of the Division of Experimental Medicine in the UCLA Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Artis will serve as assistant dean and special advisor to the dean for immunology strategy. These appointments reflect the department of medicine’s commitment to advancing discovery science and strengthening our leadership in immunology and immunobiology.
“Dr. Artis’ recruitment to lead a new research division, represents an important milestone for the UCLA Department of Medicine that underscores our commitment to leading scientific innovation. Dr. Artis’ scientific accomplishments and vision for the future of immunobiology will position us at the forefront of scientific advances in the areas of inflammation and immunity, accelerating breakthroughs that will lead to new therapies for a broad range of diseases. This recruitment aligns with the broader strategic priorities of UCLA Health and the DGSOM that will strengthen our impact in this burgeoning field,” states E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, chair and executive medical director of the UCLA Department of Medicine.
The UCLA Division of Experimental Medicine is a newly established basic science division within the UCLA Department of Medicine that will focus on immunobiology and foster collaborations across disciplines to accelerate scientific discovery and translation. As its founding chief, Dr. Artis will play a central role in shaping the division's vision, recruiting outstanding faculty and building an innovative research environment that advances our understanding of human health and disease.
“I am delighted to be joining the UCLA Department of Medicine and look forward to launching the new UCLA Division of Experimental Medicine and growing and integrating this program with other outstanding programs at the University of California,” shares Dr. Artis.
Dr. Artis joins the department from Weill Cornell Medicine, where he serves as the Michael Kors Professor of Immunology, founding director of the Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, founding director of the Friedman Center for Nutrition and Inflammation and co-director of the Allen Discovery Center for Neuro-Immune Interactions. Previously, he held faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania, where he rose to become professor of immunology and microbiology. He completed his doctoral research training at the University of Manchester, UK focusing on regulation of immunity and inflammation.
Among the most influential immunologists in the world today, Dr. Artis has transformed our understanding of how the immune system functions at barrier tissues, including the skin, lung and intestine. His pioneering work has helped define fundamental mechanisms governing immune regulation, host-microbiome interactions and inflammation. Among his many scientific contributions are landmark discoveries that reshaped understanding of epithelial-immune communication, advanced the field of microbiome research and contributed to the discovery and characterization of innate lymphoid cells, an immune cell population that has become central to modern immunology. More recently, his research has revealed critical interactions between the nervous and immune systems that influence tissue health, inflammation and disease.
Throughout his career, Dr. Artis has built internationally-recognized research programs, mentored the next generation of scientific leaders and received sustained support from the National Institutes of Health, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund and other major foundations. His scientific achievements have been recognized through numerous honors, including the Lady Barbara Colyton Prize for Autoimmune Research, the AAI-BD Biosciences Investigator Award, the William E. Paul Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cytokine Research and numerous distinguished awards in immunology and inflammatory disease research.
“Dr. Artis brings an extraordinary record of scientific discovery, transformative mentorship, extramural grant funding and scholarly achievement. We are thrilled to see the creation of a new scientific division in partnership with Dr. Artis, whose work has reshaped our understanding of immune function and disease. The concurrent recruitment of Gregory Sonnenberg, PhD, the colleagues that they will recruit in the future and the many careers that will develop at UCLA through their mentorship and expertise, will create a legacy at UCLA and change the trajectory of immunology research in California. With the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center thriving at UCLA, and the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy (CIII) taking shape at the UCLA Research Park, the arrival of these exceptional new colleagues will turbocharge our ecosystem, and we could not be happier,” adds Eric Esrailian, MD, chief of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, co-founder and president of the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy (CIII).
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Artis to UCLA and the UCLA Department of Medicine. We look forward to the vision, leadership and scientific excellence he will bring as we launch the UCLA Division of Experimental Medicine and advance UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine’s growing strengths in immunology, inflammation and human health.
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