Year 5. September 14. More than 60 Million Dollars in Federal Research Grant Support Awarded in the Past 2 Months to DoM Faculty!
Our LEADERShip in innovation, transforming care and advancing health for all manifested itself in the past two months in terms of tangible results – success in obtaining competitive research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although the research funding landscape has become increasingly challenging, investigators in the UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM) have not wavered in their quest to compete for support of their most compelling ideas. I know that our research faculty have increased grant submissions by more than 30% in the past two years, with a success rate of ~16% at the federal level. As such, it gives me great satisfaction each time I learn of new grants (large or small) as they are awarded. This week, I highlight some of the recent big wins for grant funding, recognizing that this summary is a sample, and does not capture the full score of our recent successes.
John N. Mafi, MD, MPH, Joann Elmore, MD, MPH and Alex Bui, PhD Establish UCLA-Led National Center for AI Evaluation in Alzheimer's and Dementia Care
I begin by shining the spotlight on John N. Mafi, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine; Joann G. Elmore, MD, MPH, professor of medicine; and Alex Bui, PhD, professor of radiological sciences and bioengineering, who have been awarded a five-year, $25 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to lead a new national Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratory known as APEX-ADRD (Accelerating Platforms for Evaluating and eXecuting AI Lifecycles in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias).
The center will serve as a national proving ground for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies designed to support older adults and people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). While AI tools are being developed and adopted at an unprecedented pace, many are reaching clinical settings before they have been rigorously evaluated for safety, effectiveness and fairness. APEX-ADRD aims to change that.
Through recurring national competitions, the collaboratory will fund pilot projects across the country and provide investigators with access to one of the nation's largest health system datasets, expert guidance in study design and ethics and streamlined pathways for regulatory review. The goal is ambitious: reduce the time needed to evaluate promising AI technologies from years to months while maintaining the highest standards of scientific rigor.
More than 7.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, a number expected to rise in the coming decades. AI has the potential to help clinicians identify cognitive decline earlier, personalize care plans, support caregivers and reduce administrative burdens. Yet evidence supporting these tools often lags far behind technological development. Of the more than 28,000 AI-related healthcare studies published in 2024, only a small fraction reported findings with clear clinical impact, and very few Food and Drug Administration-approved AI devices have been tested in randomized clinical trials.
"Health systems are adopting AI far faster than anyone is evaluating it, and older adults living with dementia have the most to gain and the most to lose," said Dr. Mafi, who also co-directs Innovations and Outcomes Validation of AI (INOVAi) Center, UCLA Health’s Center of Excellence for AI validation. "APEX-ADRD starts from a simple premise: rigorous evaluation should accelerate trustworthy innovation rather than slow it down. By pairing one of the nation's largest health system datasets with fast, fair and transparent testing, we can make sure the AI tools that reach patients actually work, and work for everyone."
The initiative will draw on the UC Health Data Warehouse, which includes records from 8.7 million patients across six University of California health systems, including more than 150,000 individuals living with ADRD. The center will also leverage UCLA's experience conducting rapid, rigorous evaluations of AI tools, including the world's first randomized controlled trial of two AI-powered clinical scribes.
A distinguishing feature of APEX-ADRD is its commitment to ensuring that AI benefits all patients. The center will evaluate technologies across California's diverse urban, rural and socioeconomic populations and partner with external institutions, including Mayo Clinic, to validate findings in different healthcare settings. By incorporating fairness, safety and real-world performance monitoring from the earliest stages of development, investigators hope to identify potential risks before technologies are broadly deployed.
The impact of the center is expected to extend far beyond UCLA. Open-source evaluation toolkits, fairness frameworks and safety monitoring standards developed through APEX-ADRD will be shared nationally through the NIA collaboratory network, helping researchers and health systems across the country evaluate emerging technologies more effectively.
“AI has enormous potential to improve dementia care, but potential is not the same as evidence,” said Dr. Elmore. “The ultimate measure of an AI tool is not how impressive the technology is, but whether it improves care for patients and families. APEX-ADRD will allow us to evaluate these technologies rigorously and quickly, with patients, caregivers and clinicians at the center of that work.”
Tannaz Moin, MD, MBA, MSHS and O. Kenrik Duru, MD, MSHS Lead New NIH-Funded Southern California Center for Diabetes Translation Research
Tannaz Moin, MD, MBA, MSHS and O. Kenrik Duru, MD, MSHS, have been awarded a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) P30 Center Core Grant to establish the Southern California Center for Diabetes Translation Research (SoCal CDTR), the only newly funded center in the nation joining the NIH-supported network of Centers for Diabetes Translation Research (CDTRs).
“The SoCal CDTR is joining seven existing sites, and I'm thrilled to direct this new P30 Center with an incredible team including my SoCal CDTR Co-Director, Dr. O. Kenrik Duru and our Core leads: Dr. Alex Bui, Carol Mangione, MD, Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, MPH, PhD, Donna L. Washington, MD, MPH, FACP and Lauren E. Wisk, PhD,” said Dr. Moin.
The new center aims to address one of the nation's most pressing public health challenges. More than half of U.S. adults have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, underscoring the urgent need to ensure that effective prevention and treatment strategies are implemented in real-world settings and reach the communities that need them most. The SoCal CDTR will focus on diabetes translation research, which moves scientific discoveries from controlled research environments into clinical practice, health systems and communities.
Under the leadership of Dr. Moin and Dr. Duru, the center will bring together investigators and resources from across Southern California and the Veterans Health Administration to advance innovative, multidisciplinary research in diabetes prevention and management. The center will provide infrastructure, consultation, pilot funding, training opportunities and specialized research support to investigators working to improve diabetes care and outcomes.
The SoCal CDTR includes an Administrative Core, two Translational Research Cores, a Pilot and Feasibility Program, and an Enrichment Program. The Person-Focused Intervention Core will support studies evaluating lifestyle, behavioral, pharmacologic and technology-based interventions for diabetes prevention and management. The Population Health Improvement Core will help investigators leverage advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning and causal inference methods to study large-scale real-world datasets, including electronic health records and claims data. The center will also provide pilot awards and educational programming to help investigators develop expertise in clinical and translational research.
By fostering collaborations among researchers, clinicians, health systems and community partners, the SoCal CDTR aims to accelerate the development, evaluation and implementation of strategies that improve diabetes prevention and care across diverse populations.
“Attracting, retaining and growing an engaged, collaborative and multidisciplinary base of both new and established research investigators as SoCal CDTR members is a key metric of success,” said Dr. Duru. The center will also strengthen regional and national partnerships and increase the visibility and impact of diabetes translation research.
Dr. Moin adds that “real-world impact is the name of the game. Our goal is to support investigators and research that demonstrates what can improve diabetes prevention and care, and then ensure those advances reach the individuals who need them most.”
Melissa G. Lechner, MD, PhD Receives NIH Grant to Advance Treatment for Immunotherapy-Related Diabetes
Melissa G. Lechner, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine in the UCLA Division of Endocrinology, has received a $7 million NIH grant to lead a first-in-human clinical trial investigating a potential treatment for immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced type 1 diabetes, a rare but often permanent complication of cancer immunotherapy. The study will be co-led by Zoe Quandt, MD, from the University of California, San Francisco.
Cancer immunotherapy has transformed outcomes for patients with cancers such as melanoma, lung cancer and kidney cancer. However, in a small percentage of patients, these therapies can trigger the immune system to attack healthy tissues, including the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. When this occurs, patients can develop a form of diabetes that often requires lifelong insulin therapy.
The newly funded multicenter phase 1/2 clinical trial, known as JAK STOP-DM, will evaluate whether JAK inhibitors, medications already approved for several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, can prevent or reduce damage to insulin-producing cells in patients who develop diabetes following cancer immunotherapy. The study will be the first prospective clinical trial specifically designed to treat this condition.
The trial builds on years of laboratory and translational research by Dr. Lechner and her collaborators. In previous studies, the team identified a population of immune cells that appears to play a key role in driving immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced diabetes. They also found that JAK inhibitors can disrupt inflammatory pathways involved in the autoimmune attack on pancreatic beta cells. In preclinical models, these therapies halted the immune attack and, in some cases, reversed damage to the pancreas.
Researchers will evaluate both the safety of JAK inhibitors and their ability to preserve pancreatic beta-cell function while carefully monitoring whether the treatment affects the cancer-fighting benefits of immunotherapy. The study is part of broader efforts to better understand and treat immune-related adverse events through the UCLA Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, a collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“Cancer immunotherapy has changed the lives of so many patients, but some of the immune-related side effects can be devastating,” said Dr. Lechner. “We hope this is just the first of many trials that will allow us to better prevent and treat immune-related adverse events while preserving the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.”
This project brings together collaborators from across the DoM, including Li-Jung Liang, PhD from DoM Statistics Core; Willy Hugo, PhD from the division of dermatology, Matthew J. Freeby, MD, from the division of endocrinology, Alexandra Drakaki, MD, from the division of hematology-oncology, as well as multiple research trainees.
Priscilla Y. Hsue, MD Leads Multicenter Trial Investigating GLP-1 Therapy in HIV
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has awarded an R01 grant for $6.3 million to Priscilla Y. Hsue, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the UCLA Division of Cardiology, to lead the Olympic-HIVTrial, a multicenter study investigating how glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) may reduce inflammation and atherosclerosis in people living with HIV.
People living with HIV experience a significantly higher burden of cardiovascular disease, driven in part by chronic inflammation and immune activation. Although GLP-1 therapies have been shown to reduce cardiovascular events in the general population, researchers do not yet fully understand the biological mechanisms behind these benefits. The Olympic-HIV Trial seeks to address that gap by examining how these medications affect the underlying pathways of inflammation and atherosclerosis in people living with HIV.
The study will enroll participants aged 40 and older with at least one cardiovascular risk factor and randomize them to receive either oral semaglutide or placebo for 52 weeks. Investigators will evaluate changes in arterial inflammation, coronary plaque burden, systemic inflammation, immune activation and cardiometabolic health using advanced multimodal imaging and biomarker analyses. Conducted in partnership with UTHealth Houston and Mass General Brigham, the trial brings together leading expertise in HIV and cardiovascular research.
Importantly, this will be the first study to evaluate the impact of a GLP-1 therapy on both arterial inflammation and non-calcified coronary plaque in people living with HIV. Beyond advancing understanding of cardiovascular disease in HIV, the findings could help explain why GLP-1 therapies improve cardiovascular outcomes more broadly, potentially supporting their use among individuals with chronic inflammatory conditions and other populations at elevated risk for heart disease.
For Dr. Hsue, the award represents the culmination of years of scientific collaboration and persistence.
“It's humbling to reflect that the initial idea for this study came from Dr. Dale Abel during my UCLA job talk in late 2023,” said Hsue. “We worked with NHLBI to refine the proposal and submitted it in 2025. After the grant performed well in study section, government shutdowns and other NIH-related challenges made me wonder if this would ever happen. Our team is excited and grateful to finally begin this study here at UCLA.”
Dr. Hsue noted that understanding how GLP-1 therapies improve cardiovascular outcomes, independent of their effects on weight loss and glucose control, could have implications far beyond HIV care. “If successful, this study could broaden the use of these agents in HIV and potentially support their use in other populations with chronic inflammation or elevated cardiovascular risk,” she said.
Arpana Church, PhD Receives NIH Grant to Study the Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis in Obesity
Arpana Church, PhD, associate professor in the UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases and co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, has received a $4 million National Institutes of Health grant to investigate how probiotics influence communication between the gut microbiome and the brain in people with obesity.
The five-year project, Probiotic Regulation of Gut-Microbiome-Brain Interactions in Obesity and Eating Behaviors (PROBE), will examine one of the most intriguing and rapidly evolving areas of biomedical research: the microbiome-gut-brain axis, a complex bidirectional communication network linking the gut, its resident microbes and the brain.
Obesity remains a major public health challenge and is associated with an increased risk of numerous chronic diseases. While previous studies have shown that modifying the gut microbiome can improve metabolic health, researchers still do not fully understand how changes in the microbiome influence the brain pathways that regulate food cravings, reward-based eating and eating behaviors.
To address this gap, Dr. Church and her collaborators will conduct a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study involving 250 participants, including individuals with and without obesity. Participants will receive either a probiotic blend or a placebo over a 60-day period. The research team will focus on individuals with obesity who experience high levels of food cravings and reward-driven eating behaviors, allowing investigators to study a more defined obesity phenotype.
The study will evaluate whether targeted changes in the gut microbiome alter the production of metabolites and other biological signals that influence brain activity. Using advanced ultra-high-field 7 Tesla MRI technology, researchers will simultaneously examine the brainstem, a critical communication hub between the gut and brain, and the broader reward network involved in motivation, cravings and eating behavior.
By analyzing changes in the gut microbiome alongside changes in brain structure and function, the investigators hope to better understand how gut-directed therapies influence neural pathways associated with obesity. The findings could help identify biological markers that predict who is most likely to benefit from microbiome-based interventions and support the development of more personalized, cost-effective approaches to obesity prevention and treatment.
The project also has the potential to advance microbiome-based drug discovery by identifying specific gut-brain pathways that could serve as future therapeutic targets.
Reza Abdi, MD Receives NIH Program Project Grant to Advance Immune Tolerance in Organ Transplantation
Reza Abdi, MD, professor of medicine in the UCLA Division of Nephrology, together with Jonathan Bromberg, MD, PhD, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, co-principal investigator, and collaborators have been awarded a NIH Program Project Grant (PPG) to investigate new approaches for promoting immune tolerance in organ transplantation. The award will support a multidisciplinary research program focused on understanding how the lymph node microenvironment shapes immune responses and how it can be leveraged to improve long-term transplant outcomes.
“Lymph nodes are not simply sites where immune responses are initiated; they are dynamic environments that can determine whether the immune system moves toward rejection or tolerance,” said Dr. Abdi. “By understanding and therapeutically reshaping this environment, we hope to develop more precise approaches that promote long-term graft survival while reducing the need for lifelong systemic immunosuppression.”
Despite major advances in transplantation, long-term success remains limited by immune-mediated injury. Current immunosuppressive therapies have greatly improved outcomes but require prolonged treatment and carry significant risks, including infection and other complications.
This research program brings together complementary expertise from UCLA and the University of Maryland to study specialized structural cells within lymph nodes and their role in regulating alloimmunity. The investigators will define cellular and molecular pathways that influence the balance between rejection and tolerance.
The team will also develop targeted nanotherapies to modify the lymph node microenvironment and promote immune regulation. By integrating fundamental immunology with therapeutic development, the investigators aim to establish new strategies for achieving durable transplant tolerance with less systemic immunosuppression.
Ultimately, this work could provide a foundation for more precise therapies that protect transplanted organs while preserving the immune system’s ability to fight infection and disease.
Tamer Sallam, MD, PhD and Multi-Institutional Team Lead Landmark Study to Uncover the Genetics of Diabetes and Obesity
A multidisciplinary team led by Tamer Sallam, MD, PhD, professor of medicine in the UCLA Division of Cardiology, has received a prestigious National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) High Impact, Interdisciplinary Science Award (RC2) to launch the HERITAGE Study (Harnessing tandEm Repeats in MultI-Ancestry meTAbolic Gene-phenotype rElationships).
The project seeks to address one of the most persistent questions in metabolic disease research: why do known genetic risk factors explain only a small fraction of the inherited risk for diabetes and obesity?
Although genetics can account for up to 80% of an individual's susceptibility to these conditions, much of that inherited risk remains unexplained. Researchers refer to this gap as "missing heritability." The HERITAGE study will investigate whether an often-overlooked type of genetic variation known as tandem repeats, short DNA sequences that repeat a variable number of times throughout the genome, may hold important answers.
Building on recent discoveries by the research team, the investigators will analyze large-scale genomic datasets from hundreds of thousands of individuals to create one of the most comprehensive tandem repeat resources ever developed for metabolic disease research. By identifying tandem repeat variations associated with traits such as body mass index, blood sugar levels and diabetes risk across diverse populations, the team hopes to reveal previously hidden genetic contributors to disease and better understand why diabetes and obesity affect individuals differently across ancestral backgrounds.
The study represents a highly collaborative effort that brings together expertise in metabolism, computational biology, bioinformatics and population genetics. The study is co-led by Dr. Sallam and Wei Li, PhD from the UCI. Other participating faculty include E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD (UCLA), Arleen F. Brown, MD, PhD (UCLA), Noel Burtt (Harvard), Ya Cui, PhD (UCI) Mark O. Goodarzi, MD, PhD (Cedars), Andrea Hevener, PhD (UCLA), Jessica Li, PhD (University of Washington), Aldons Jake Lusis, PhD (UCLA), Peter Tontonoz, MD, PhD (UCLA), Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD (UCLA) and Qin Yang, MD (UCI).
Beyond advancing scientific knowledge, the investigators hope the resources generated through HERITAGE will accelerate discoveries across the field and help pave the way for more precise and equitable approaches to prevention and treatment.
“You can make a case that we have been looking for the missing heritability of diabetes and obesity in the wrong places,” said Dr. Sallam. “Tandem repeats have been sitting in these datasets all along, but we just haven't had the tools to read them. HERITAGE is about finally making that variation visible.”
Ultimately, the promise of the project lies in what those discoveries may mean for patients. Dr. Li notes, “capturing this missing heritability could illuminate causality, inspire new treatments and allow more precise and equitable targeting of the subpopulations who need them most.”
Research Community Update: Strengthening Our Research Mission Together
The DoM’s research mission continues to demonstrate remarkable strength and resilience in the face of an evolving federal funding and policy landscape. On August 18th, research faculty and department leaders gathered at the James West Alumni Center for the first in our series of annual Community Faculty Meetings and reflect on the challenges and opportunities shaping our research environment and celebrate the collective accomplishments of our investigators and research teams.
Despite increased uncertainty and heightened competition for research funding, the department's research funding levels have remained constant relative to the prior year. Behind those outcomes is an extraordinary effort from our research community. Department data show a substantial increase in grant submissions, underscoring the persistence, adaptability and dedication of faculty who continue to pursue innovative ideas, drive discovery and advance scientific knowledge despite a more demanding funding environment. The department's federal grant tracking initiative, launched to better understand emerging funding trends and support strategic decision-making, has provided valuable insights that will help guide future investments and faculty support efforts.
DoM GRANT TRACKING PROJECT
- Centralized tracking of grant proposals and funding outcomes
- Monitoring award activity and funding trends
- Providing DoM data to support strategic decision-making
- Supporting faculty success through new tools, resources and strategies
- Report grant data to fund managers
DATA OVERVIEW
- Federal grants submitted by DoM Pls (January 2025 - July 2026): 424
- Submitted grants with any information (January 2025 - July 2026): 422 of 424 (99%)
- Submitted grants with reported review date (January 2025 - July 2026): 372 of 424 (88%)
- Submitted grants with reported funding outcome, NIH and non-NIH (January 2025 - July 2026): 284 of 424 (67%)
- Submitted NIH grants with reported funding outcome (January 2025 - July 2026): 257
The department also continues to strengthen its research pipeline and invest in the next generation of physician-scientists and investigators. Above, I highlighted a few of the recent federally funded awards that our department recently received. However, we are proud to share that the department currently has earned 32 active K Awards and 6 active VA Career Development Awards (CDAs), reflecting the depth of talent and commitment to advancing science and medicine within our community.
K and career development awards
K Awards
32
Active Awards
- K01 - 6
- K08 - 15
- K23 - 8
- K24 - 2
- K99 - 1
VA CDAs
6
Active Awards
Growth remains a defining theme across the research enterprise. Since July 2025, the department has welcomed over 60 new research faculty across multiple divisions, further expanding our scientific expertise and creating new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
NEW RESEARCH FACULTY 07/01/25-PRESENT
| LAST NAME | FIRST NAME | DIVISION | START DATE | TITLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xiang | Yang Kevin | Cardiology | 7/1/25 | Professor |
| Durstenfeld | Matthew | Cardiology | 10/1/25 | Assistant Professor-in-Residence |
| Park | David S. | Cardiology | 7/1/25 | Professor-in-Residence |
| Wang | Diana | Dermatology | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Donaldson | Gregory | Digestive Diseases | 7/1/25 | Assistant Professor |
| Lowe | Sarina | Digestive Diseases | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Cai | Bishuang | Digestive Diseases | 8/11/25 | Associate Professor-in-Residence |
| Hernandez-Kapila | Yvonne | Digestive Diseases | 3/1/26 | Professor |
| Leiter | Amanda | Endocrinology | 9/2/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Williams | Kevin | Endocrinology | 10/1/25 | Associate Adjunct Professor |
| Wang | Yijie | Endocrinology | 12/1/25 | Assistant Adjunct Professor |
| Horvath | Steve | Geriatrics | 7/1/26 | Professor |
| Ohashi | Minori | Geriatrics | 7/1/26 | VA-CHS Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor |
| La Charite | Jaime Michelle | GIMHSR | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor |
| Linares | Miguel | GIMHSR | 7/1/25 | Assistant Professor-in-Residence |
| Stokes | Daniel | GIMHSR | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Professor (Concurrent Fellow) |
| Tsevat | Rebecca | GIMHSR | 9/1/25 | Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor |
| Jiang | Yiqun | GIMHSR | 11/1/25 | Assistant Adjunct Professor |
| Yuan | Anita H. | GIMHSR | 11/1/25 | Associate Adjunct Professor |
| Patorno | Elisabetta | GIMHSR | 1/2/26 | Professor-in-Residence |
| Baclig | Nikita V. | Hem-Onc | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor (Concurrent Fellow) |
| Chen | Caroline | Hem-Onc | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Huang | Xin | Hem-Onc | 7/1/25 | Assistant Professor-in-Residence |
| Shah | Manan P. | Hem-Onc | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| LeVee | Alexis Ann | Hem-Onc | 8/18/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Jeyakumar | Nikeshan | Hem-Onc | 11/3/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Hirt | Christian K. | Hem-Onc | 3/1/26 | Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor |
| Carlson | Sophie | Hem-Onc | 7/1/26 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Silverstein | Jordyn Freddi | Hem-Onc | 7/1/26 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Thomson | Alexandra | Hospitalist | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Qureshi | Hasham Masood | Hospitalist | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Judson | Seth | Infectious Diseases | 7/1/25 | Assistant Professor-in-Residence |
| Allan-Blitz | Lao-Tzu | Infectious Diseases | 1/2/26 | Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor |
| Gorin | Aleksandr | Infectious Diseases | 9/14/26 | Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor |
| Fruin | Kaitlyn Michelle | Med-Peds | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Zhang | Jessica | Med-Peds | 12/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor (Concurrent Fellow) |
| Abdi | Reza | Nephrology | 11/1/25 | Professor |
| Paik | Julie M. | Nephrology | 3/1/26 | Associate Professor-in-Residence |
| Brownstein | Adam | Pulmonary | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Channick | Jessica | Pulmonary | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Koehler | Clara | Pulmonary | 7/1/25 | Professor |
| Ren | Jing | Pulmonary | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor (Concurrent Fellow) |
| Ross | Jesse | Pulmonary | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Tripsas | Christina | Pulmonary | 7/1/25 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Rahaghi | Farbod N. | Pulmonary | 9/1/25 | Associate Professor-in-Residence |
| Feldman | William | Pulmonary | 9/8/25 | Associate Professor-in-Residence |
| Te | Tue | Pulmonary | 1/2/26 | Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor |
| Liao | Shu-Yi | Pulmonary | 1/12/26 | Associate Professor-in-Residence |
| Brownstein | Adam | Pulmonary | 7/1/26 | Assistant Professor-in-Residence |
| Hayes | Tikvah Katheryn | Pulmonary | 7/1/26 | Assistant Professor |
| Ren | Jing | Pulmonary | 7/1/26 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor |
| Good | Samuel | Rheumatology | 7/1/26 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor (Concurrent Fellow) |
| Young | Arissa | Rheumatology | 7/1/26 | Health Sciences Clinical Instructor (Concurrent Fellow) |
| Haussman | Alana Jaclyn | Rheumatology | 7/1/26 | Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Instructor |
| Kellner | David Aaron | Rheumatology | 7/1/26 | Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Instructor |
| Sasson | Comilla | VA Addiction Medicine | 7/27/26 | Professor-in-Residence |
| Cho | Jae Min | VA Cardiology | 8/1/26 | Assistant Adjunct Professor |
| Sandhu | Alexander Tarlochan | VA Cardiology | 12/15/25 | Associate Professor-in-Residence |
| Zhu | Enbo Min | VA Cardiology | 8/1/26 | Assistant Adjunct Professor |
| Oh | Michael | VA Hem-Onc | 7/1/25 | VA-CHS Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor |
Internal Recruitment
External Recruitment
ICYIMI: As our research community continues to grow, we are excited to welcome two internationally recognized scientific leaders to the DoM this October: David Artis, PhD, a researcher in immunology, host-microbe interactions, and barrier tissue biology and Greg F. Sonnenberg, PhD a leading expert in mucosal immunology, inflammation and microbiome science.
If you missed the original announcements, we encourage you to learn more about their appointments and research programs by clicking below.
At the same time, the department is launching several new initiatives designed to strengthen engagement, foster collaboration and enhance support for investigators at every stage of their careers. These efforts include a new research faculty onboarding program, an Early Career Roundtable to connect emerging investigators with departmental leadership, expanded mentorship and faculty development resources through the Office of Faculty Advancement, Development and Mentorship (FAME), and new opportunities to engage with the broader scientific community through initiatives such as the Keystone Symposia Digital Pass pilot program. The department is also continuing to invest in research infrastructure, including clinical trials support services, research resource development and strategic communications efforts that elevate the visibility and impact of our research portfolio.
RESEARCH Strategy Spotlight
Aligned with our strategic objectives to strengthen the research infrastructure and raise the profile of the DoM research portfolio, internally and externally, active initiatives include:
Research infrastructure:
- DoM clinical trials program services
- DoM research faculty onboarding program
- DoM early career roundtable
- DoM Office of Faculty Advancement, Development, and Mentorship (FAME)
- Keystone Symposia pilot
Strategic communication support:
- Weekly department updates
- DoM and division research websites (in progress)
DoM research resources website - Research impact stories
Most importantly, the meeting reinforced the value of community. As we navigate a changing research environment together, we remain committed to building a connected and supportive ecosystem that promotes innovation, mentorship, collaboration and scholarly success. We are deeply grateful to our faculty, trainees, research staff and administrative teams whose dedication continues to drive the success of our research mission. We are proud to call you our partners and look forward to working together to advance discovery, improve health and shape the future of medicine.
New Department of Medicine Research Website Now Live
As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen communication, collaboration and visibility across the research enterprise, we are pleased to announce the launch of the DoM’s new research website.
Designed as a central place on the web for our research community, the site highlights the breadth and impact of research taking place across the department. Learn about the latest research news, learn about major areas of investigation across our divisions, connect with faculty through a searchable researcher directory and discover training and career development opportunities for students, trainees and early-career investigators.
In parallel with this effort, we have also launched new or significantly enhanced research websites for many of our divisions, creating a more cohesive and accessible digital presence for the department's research programs. A few division websites are still in development and will be launched by end of year.
Once completed, these resources will help showcase our scientific achievements, connect investigators across disciplines and create new opportunities for collaboration, mentorship and discovery. We look forward to using these platforms to celebrate and share the remarkable work happening throughout our department.
Dale
P.S.
No matter where I run, or hike, UCLA Health seems to be there.
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