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[Intro: We recently announced several new division chiefs, and this edition is dedicated to celebrating these outstanding LEADERS.]

Patricia Harris, MD

On December 30, the department announced that Patricia Harris, MD was appointed clinical chief of the division of geriatrics. Dr. Harris is an outstanding geriatrician who has made an enormous impact on the DoM community and our patients. She serves as the director of the Geriatric Medical Home Visit Program, a home-based primary care program for elderly patients that she started not long after joining our faculty in 2013. She is also physician lead for the UCLA Medical Group Primary Care at Home. Learn more about her career and vision for the geriatrics division in this special Q&A. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine? 

While working as a chemical engineer at United Engineering in Philadelphia, I would volunteer at a local community hospital emergency room in South Philadelphia. There I encountered many experiences and saw firsthand how a physician could make an incredible impact on patient lives through the power of medicine. Fortunately, multiple physicians encouraged me to consider changing my care to medicine, which lead to a few biology courses in the evening, then the MCAT, and medical school.

What are you most excited for in your new role? 

Helping pulmonary, critical care, sleep medicine, clinical immunology and allergy fellows and junior faculty discover the joys of becoming a clinician, clinician educator or physician-scientist. 

What are some challenges your field is currently facing?

Faculty are discovering it is difficult to find a great work-life balance that allows them to continue their joy while healing complex patients, educating medical students to fellows, or creating novel science that led to cures in diseases that take away our patients’ lives far too soon.  

What are some ways you hope to address these challenges in your new leadership role? 

Ensure everyone within the division is treated equally and fairly, as well as make sure we lean on each other for support and guidance. To remind our fellows and faculty to pace ourselves as if this is a marathon and not a sprint. We want all faculty to stay here for decades (the marathon) and not years (the sprint). Physicians (clinicians, educators, scientists) need to find the correct pace at work that will allow them to enjoy the journey as well as finish strong.

What are you most excited about for the future of your field? 

Seeing our young physicians come up with novel ways to change outcomes in pulmonary, critical care, sleep medicine, allergy and clinical immunology. 

What advice do you have for physicians and physician-scientists who hope to follow your path? 

At the start of one’s career it is fine to be broad regarding clinical, educational and scientific interests. This allows the individual to determine what their passion is. Once an area of interest is found, focusing will allow for expertise and over time will lead to a national to international reputation and a high chance of making an impact on patient care and clinical outcomes.

Raphael J. Landovitz, MD, MSc

This past Friday we announced that Raphael J. Landovitz, MD, MSc was appointed chief of the UCLA Division of Infectious Diseases and associate chair for clinical research, a new role that will help build the infrastructure for expanded clinical trials in the department of medicine. Dr. Landovitz is an infectious diseases physician and HIV/AIDS researcher who has demonstrated tremendous leadership here in at UCLA, where in addition to serving as interim chief of infectious diseases he is the director of the UCLA CARE Center and co-director of the UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services. Read on to learn about his career.

What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine? 

From a young age, I was hypothesis-driven, fascinated by the concept of surface tension inspired by bubble baths. My father, a physicist, was hoping that my curiosity would stay at the sub-atomic level of magnification, but organic chemistry became my college passion.  I almost pursued a graduate career in chemistry but felt that the humanity of medicine was inexorably compelling. Infectious diseases allowed me to never ignore an organ system and forced a focus on the social and structural barriers to health.

What are you most excited for in your new role? 

One of the great privileges of being division chief is redefining my personal success as the success of all faculty and trainees in the division. To have the opportunity to mentor, learn, and build collaborations with and for our faculty is the best thing about this opportunity.

How have you seen your field evolve over the course of your career?

Diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventive interventions have exponentially grown; the compendium of knowledge is unfathomably large.  Learning to collaborate, leveraging shared knowledge and expertise has made medicine an obligatorily collaborative science and practice.  We have all had to become chameleons, shifting and adapting to the needs of patients, systems, and pandemics.

What challenges is your field currently facing?

We must stay true to the principles, beliefs, and scientific processes that we hold near and dear; re-committing to equitable, outstanding clinical care for all, diversifying and being efficient in our research endeavors, and supporting each other in our self-care through all manner of successes and challenges.

What are you most excited about for the future of your field? 

Artificial Intelligence and previously unthinkable computational powers have accelerated the science of therapeutic agent development beyond our imaginations.  Having the power to be nimble and thoughtful in response to emerging threats, and the opportunities to fight against forces that conspire to prevent equitable benefit from these advances on the global stage are all tremendously exciting and challenging.  The power of prevention and preventive interventions gaining more balanced attention compared to therapeutics to avoid disease states is also a particular passion that I hope to share with others.

What advice do you have for physicians and physician-scientists who hope to follow your path? 

We all have a part to play in the great theatrical production that is medical care; all are vital and incredibly valuable. Find the part that feeds your soul, and you will never be bored, aimless, or astray. And do not give in to despair – the work is too important to allow it to falter.  Watching our junior faculty and trainees, I know that the future is extremely bright, and we must support their success and perseverance with all available resources.

John Belperio, MD

Last Wednesday, the DoM announced that John Belperio, MD has been appointed chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. Dr. Belperio is world renowned for his clinical work of patients with severe complex lung diseases and for his research on lung transplant rejection. In December he was awarded the DoM’s Younes Nazarian Humanitarian Prize, an honor that recognizes clinicians whose research, clinical care or technological innovation is advancing humanity.

What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine? 

While working as a chemical engineer at United Engineering in Philadelphia, I would volunteer at a local community hospital emergency room in South Philadelphia. There I encountered many experiences and saw firsthand how a physician could make an incredible impact on patient lives through the power of medicine. Fortunately, multiple physicians encouraged me to consider changing my care to medicine, which lead to a few biology courses in the evening, then the MCAT, and medical school.

What are you most excited for in your new role? 

Helping pulmonary, critical care, sleep medicine, clinical immunology and allergy fellows and junior faculty discover the joys of becoming a clinician, clinician educator or physician-scientist. 

What are some challenges your field is currently facing?

Faculty are discovering it is difficult to find a great work-life balance that allows them to continue their joy while healing complex patients, educating medical students to fellows, or creating novel science that led to cures in diseases that take away our patients’ lives far too soon.  

What are some ways you hope to address these challenges in your new leadership role? 

Ensure everyone within the division is treated equally and fairly, as well as make sure we lean on each other for support and guidance. To remind our fellows and faculty to pace ourselves as if this is a marathon and not a sprint. We want all faculty to stay here for decades (the marathon) and not years (the sprint). Physicians (clinicians, educators, scientists) need to find the correct pace at work that will allow them to enjoy the journey as well as finish strong.

What are you most excited about for the future of your field? 

Seeing our young physicians come up with novel ways to change outcomes in pulmonary, critical care, sleep medicine, allergy and clinical immunology. 

What advice do you have for physicians and physician-scientists who hope to follow your path? 

At the start of one’s career it is fine to be broad regarding clinical, educational and scientific interests. This allows the individual to determine what their passion is. Once an area of interest is found, focusing will allow for expertise and over time will lead to a national to international reputation and a high chance of making an impact on patient care and clinical outcomes.

Dr. Belperio is leading the pulmonary division at a very exciting time. On March 6 it was announced that the Saul and Joyce Brandman Foundation has committed a $20 million donation to establish a new lung health center, which will provide research and training to physicians and scientists who are working on new ways to fight lung disease. Read more here!

Pulmonary Division Receives $20 Million Donation from the Saul and Joyce Brandman Foundation

It has been an exciting week for the pulmonary division. In addition to celebrating the appointment of Dr. Belperio, the division celebrated receipt of a generous donation!  On March 6 it was announced that the Saul and Joyce Brandman Foundation has committed a $20 million donation to establish a new lung health center, which will provide research and training to physicians and scientists who are working on new ways to fight lung disease. Read more here!

Celebrating Our New Chief of Geriatrics 

On Feb. 26, the DoM celebrated the appointment of Arun Karlamangla, MD, PhD to his role of chief of the division of geriatrics with a special reception in the UCLA Botanical Gardens. It was a pleasure to welcome him to his new role as we honored the division’s past and its future. There is much in store to be excited about!

Relive our lovely evening in the video below!

Dale

P.S.

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