Year 4. December 1. Take Some Deep Breaths
Our bodies are complex and as department chair I cannot officially show partiality to any specific part (apologies to fellow members of my endocrinology tribe). However, this week I have been thinking about lungs, given recent accolades and accomplishments of our colleagues in the UCLA Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine that embody our strategic plan to Lead in Innovation, Transform Care and Advance Health for All.
Trainees Shine at 2025 CHEST Conference
Our pulmonary and critical care fellows had an impressive turnout at this year’s American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) Annual Meeting, which was held in Chicago Oct. 19 through 22. Their posters and presentations reflected the outstanding scholarship they conduct here at UCLA.
"I am so proud to see our group of fellows, ranging from new first-year fellows to our senior third-year fellows, representing UCLA Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine,” Kathryn H. Melamed, MD, director of the UCLA Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program, said. “In addition to the day-to-day excellent patient care provided, our fellows are dedicated to the academic mission as well."
Emily Fiore, MD gave an oral presentation on a case of hyperviscosity syndrome caused by ECMO oxygenator failure, while Lindsey Ward, MD, PhD gave a talk on a case of a solitary lung metastasis of clear cell renal carcinoma that was discovered 20 years post-nephrectomy. Yuqing A. Gao, MD shared posters on critical care case reports during the chest infections and disaster response network session, while Mona Deng, MD, presented a poster detailing the results of a QI project at the VA on optimizing care transitions for patients with COPD. Catherine Durant, MD presented posters on two different cases from the ICU, one of refractory disseminated coccidioidomycosis in the ICU and another on a rare case of adult-onset sporadic Burkitt lymphoma. Jason Kirincich, MD shared a poster on a case of microcrystalline excipient lung disease; Monroe Wolf, MD presented one on the outcomes of a quality improvement project about reducing unnecessary CT scans in suspected pulmonary embolism.
“It was such a luxury to spend a couple of days connecting with learners and faculty from different institutions across the country to enrich my learning in pulmonary and critical care medicine,” said Dr. Ward, who along with Dr. Kirincich received an award for giving the top rapid-fire case report. “Having the chance to meet research mentors from different institutions in real life (instead of over zoom!) to collaborate on projects was fantastic — that in combination with learning of others' innovations during their presentations was great to jumpstart new ideas in our own research projects.” She added that she is grateful to UCLA and the UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM) for sponsoring fellows’ trip to the conference.
Congratulations to our fellows on a great showing! You make our department very proud.
Thanh H. Neville, MD, MSHS Gives Richard Irwin Honor Lecture at CHEST
On top of all the stellar work presented by our trainees at CHEST, I am proud to share that pulmonologist Thanh H. Neville, MD, MSHS was invited to give the Richard S. Irwin, MD, Master FCCP Honor Lecture. This lecture recognizes CHEST members who have advanced patient-centered care in chest medicine, and its selection is based on a nominee’s leadership in pulmonary and critical care medicine, patient advocacy work and research or practice improvements. Considering her phenomenal work establishing the UCLA 3 Wishes Program, which implements small but meaningful wishes for dying patients, it is no surprise that Dr. Neville was selected for this honor.
“Being invited to give the Richard Irwin Honor at this year’s CHEST conference allowed me to share the story of the UCLA 3 Wishes Program — a project that embodies the human side of critical care medicine,” Dr. Neville said. “Speaking to peers who are also passionate about advancing pulmonary and critical care made it especially meaningful, because these are the individuals who have the leadership potential to start similar programs at their institutions.”
Dr. Neville hopes her talk reminded attendees that compassion remains at the heart of critical care, even in the most technologically complex settings. There are already signs that it had an impact.
“I wanted to show that small, human gestures can profoundly shape how patients, families, and clinicians experience the ICU,” Dr. Neville said. “I have already received inquiries from physicians who want to start the program because of my talk, and I cannot be happier!”
Congratulations, Thanh!
William B. Feldman, MD, DPhil, MPH Recounts Congressional Testimony on Drug Pricing
I will now introduce you to William B. Feldman, MD, DPhil, MPH, an associate professor of medicine and new faculty member in the pulmonary and critical care division who is establishing a research program on pharmaceutical policy. Dr. Feldman was asked by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to testify before Congress in September as an expert on proposed changes to the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
“The chair wanted this hearing to be educational, so I was asked to testify about some of the research I’ve done on this drug pricing program and pharmaceutical policy more generally,” Dr. Feldman explained. “The focus was on educating senators about the program’s strengths and weaknesses and how to make it better.”
The 340B Drug Pricing Program was established in the 1990s as a way for safety net healthcare organizations and federally qualified health centers to purchase medications at a discount; 40% of acute care hospitals in the U.S. now qualify. Hospitals use the revenue from the program to offset losses from caring for uninsured patients who cannot pay for services. The hearing examined the program’s pros and cons — for instance, it allows some safety net hospitals to stay afloat but can also create some incentives that raise costs.
“My message in the hearing was really about making sure that 340B reform solves problems that need to be solved without compromising the ability of safety net hospitals and clinics to serve patients and further their mission,” Dr. Feldman explained. “Lots of people are losing health insurance in our country right now, and these safety net hospitals and clinics will come under increased strain in the coming years.”
This was Dr. Feldman’s third time testifying before Congress. The first time was in May 2024 for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on competition in the drug pricing market; the second was in May 2025 before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, where he spoke on the residency match system and the biomedical research enterprise.
While Dr. Feldman is not always entirely sure how he winds up on lists of potential experts to testify in congressional hearings, he believes that it generally stems from his research. He was invited to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2024, for example, after publishing a series of high-profile papers examining how patenting practices on drug-device combinations such as inhalers, GLP-1 receptor agonists and insulin pens can delay generic competition and ultimately harm patients.
“To me, the most powerful thing we can do as academics in shaping policy is generate high-quality, rigorous research that answers important questions lawmakers care about,” he said. “In each of these cases, when I’ve testified, I have shared insights gleaned from large empirical research projects conducted over years focused on very pragmatic policy challenges.”
Although our hyper-partisan political environment is disheartening for those who are involved in shaping health care policy, Dr. Feldman has so far been encouraged by his interactions with lawmakers.
“I really think careful research matters a lot and can move the needle on legislative and regulatory reform,” he said. “My experience is that many lawmakers, at least in these hearings, genuinely care about what the data show.”
Tomas Ganz, MD, PhD Honored for Achievements in Blood Research
I am pleased to share that Tomas Ganz, MD, PhD, a pioneering blood researcher who characterized a pair of hormones that control iron levels, was honored for his outstanding contributions to the field with the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) 2025 Landsteiner-Alter Award and Lectureship. The ceremony and his lecture took place in October at the annual AABB meeting.
The Landsteiner-Alter Award is named for Karl Landsteiner and Harvey Alter, two highly accomplished blood scientists and Nobel laureates. Dr. Ganz said he was “happy and humbled” to join its inimitable roster of past recipients.
“I was happy that the work of our relatively small iron research community was recognized. Compared to research on cancer, neurodegenerative disorders or cardiovascular disease, our field is not very visible or glamourous,” he said. “I was humbled because the list of previous honorees is very impressive.”
Dr. Ganz and his colleagues were the first to characterize a pair of proteins called hepcidin and erythroferrone. Hepcidin and erythroferrone together regulate iron metabolism; their discovery opened a door to new therapeutic strategies for treating blood disorders, such as anemia. Dr. Ganz has authored more than 400 publications and 34 book chapters on his lab’s work. He has also launched three biotech companies.
Dr. Ganz’ contributions to the field also include helping to shape the next generation of blood researchers.
“I am proud of playing a role in a scientific revolution which changed our understanding of iron metabolism and resulted in new ways of treating blood diseases and disorders of iron metabolism,” he said. “I am equally proud that I have been able to help several of my junior colleagues grow into creative and successful scientists.”
When asked for career pearls for those who wish to follow in his footsteps, Dr. Ganz encouraged physician-scientists to consider planning their research and clinical careers, so they do not have to choose one over the other.
“If you wish to continue being an active physician and an impactful scientist, it is important that your two roles align with each other,” Dr. Ganz said. “Otherwise, you have two unrelated jobs, each of which is full-time. This is especially problematic for basic scientists."
Looking back on how the UCLA DoM shaped his career, Dr. Ganz expressed appreciation for the creative license he was given over his work.
“The greatest gift the UCLA Department of Medicine gave is the freedom to pursue my scientific interests, without the restrictions of subspecialty or hierarchy. This came with certain financial and career development risks which I understood and accepted,” Dr. Ganz said. “Admittedly, times were different when I was starting out, there was a lot of good luck involved, and I had great support from my family who shared my values.”
He also noted that public support of biomedical science is not guaranteed — a challenge we are witnessing now. Trust in medicine came about largely during his lifetime following the advent of antibiotics, highly effective vaccines against killer diseases, understanding and effective targeting of the molecular basis of biological processes including cancer and atherosclerosis, and surgical treatments such as cataract extraction and hip joint replacement.
“These advances in public health and medicine had dramatic and easily visible effects on human well-being and longevity, often at a very reasonable cost. There is no guarantee that similar breakthroughs will occur at the same rate as before,” Dr. Ganz said. “We need to find new ways of convincing the public that what we do is important, that their investment will pay off, and that our work will improve their lives.”
Thank you, Tom, for your tremendous contributions to science. Congratulations on your award!
A Research Town Hall Recap
As you all know, our research mission has faced multiple potential existential challenges this year. We are dedicated to ensuring that the critical work of our faculty and trainees carries on without interruption. We discussed our approach during our Research Faculty Town Hall on Oct. 28. I will review some highlights from that presentation here.
Non-Federal Funding and Clinical Trials Should Diversify Our Funding Portfolio
The total value of funded awards from all sources to the DoM declined from $342 million to $321 million between fiscal year 2024 to 2025. Most of this is attributed a reduction in federal NIH funding, from $144.6 million to $134.3 million, and a drop in private funding from $167 million to $157 million. Federal funding for scientific research remains unstable, and it is not clear how the outlook will change moving forward. For that reason, it is more imperative than ever to find alternative sources of funding. Since the recent pauses and changes in federal research funding, increased collaboration between the University Foundation and Research Relations Office and UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute have actively identified and disseminated funding sources and mechanisms broadly to the faculty to increase awareness of these opportunities. The UCLA DGSOM Foundation and Research Relations and the UCLA Clinical & Translational Science Institute offer resources for additional sources of funding that you may explore by regularly visiting their websites. They also offer support with your funding applications.
A promising area of growth is industry-sponsored clinical trials which grew from $44.5 million to $58.6 million between fiscal year 2024 and 2025. Below I expand more on how clinical trials will feature in our strategy moving forward. For those who would like to learn more about what it is like to be a clinical trialist, please see the articles in our Feb. 10 newsletter highlighting the work of endocrinologist Dianne Cheung, MD, MPH and oncologists Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD and John Glaspy, MD, MPH, all of whom have been leading clinical trials in their fields.
Clinical Trial Services and Communications as Critical Elements of Our Research Strategy
Clinical trials are an important element of the DoM’s research strategy. We are expanding our clinical trials program services, which provide the infrastructure for clinical trials to DoM investigators who do not have these resources themselves or within their divisions. These services include a clinical research coordinator; regulatory and finance/recharge service support; equipment, kit and supply storage; and contract negotiation. Those who wish to request these services can apply through the DoM Office of Research Administration here. Please send questions to domctp@mednet.ucla.edu.
We will hold quarterly meetings over Zoom for those who are interested in addressing improvements to clinical trials operations or navigating infrastructure use. If you would like to be part of this effort and were not able to attend the breakout session on this at this year’s Research Day, please contact Raphael J. Landovitz, MD at rlandovitz@mednet.ucla.edu.
Another key aspect of our strategic plan for research is the expansion of our strategic communication support to boost the visibility of our investigators’ scientific discoveries. That includes weekly departmental updates, such as those in DoM newsletter and DoM Connect blog; DoM and division research websites, which are currently in progress and will roll out beginning in 2026; a website on the intranet that compiles research resources for DoM faculty; and the dissemination of stories about the impact of our science on patient lives. Those of you who have not already had a chance to check out the research resource website will find much to explore there, including weekly updates for leadership, administrative forms and tools and all of the onboarding sessions we have hosted for investigators this fall.
Burnout Grows Among Physician-Scientists
I previously shared the results of our 2025 DoM Wellness Survey, but I would like to note some findings that are specific to physician-scientists. The overall rate of burnout grew 5.1% between 2024 and 2025, going from 38% (n=102) to 43% (n=138). The gap between male and female physician-scientists remains substantial: 50% of female physician-scientists (n=56) reported feeling burned out in 2025, compared to 34% of male physician-scientists (n=61). Contributors to this were the uncertainty of research funding, the growing time spent applying for multiple grants and the need for more robust support infrastructure to facilitate research success. We are actively focusing on solutions to address these concerns in our Research Strategic Plan pillar and on other innovative ways to combat burnout, such as through the DoM Professional Coaching Program, which expanded to research faculty in May.
For a more detailed summary of this year’s survey results, please refer to the Oct. 6 newsletter.
A Call to Action
Let me close out this review of our research town hall by noting a forthcoming piece of legislation that I believe warrants our backing: SB607, or the California Science and Health Research Bond Act. SB607 places a bond on the 2026 ballot to create and establish a tax to fund the California Foundation for Science and Health Research, which could prove to be a critical lifeline for research in the wake of federal funding cuts. If the bill passes, the new foundation will manage a fund — established by legislative appropriation — to award grants to state organizations that lead scientific research and development. It will also set up a council to determine funding priorities and decisions using a scientific peer review panel to ensure fair evaluation of proposals and that they are aligned with the needs of California’s population, natural resources and environment. Please visit CalMatters to learn more and register your support here.
A Word of Gratitude for Your Leadership and Service
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a day that encourages people to give back to their communities through volunteering, charitable donations or simple acts of kindness. Our department has demonstrated the spirit of this movement and our department’s values all year long through your unparalleled commitment to leadership and service, both right here in our local communities and across the world. You stepped up tremendously to help your colleagues in the wake of the L.A. fires and gave generously to communities around the world affected by conflict and natural disasters. You raised funds to fight AIDS and HIV, volunteered at the L.A. Food Bank and the VA Community Garden, and so much more. This Giving Tuesday I encourage you to give to the causes that are closest to your heart, whether local or abroad.
We recently learned that B. Sean Nguyen, MD, a gastroenterologist based at UCLA Torrance Digestive Diseases, in November traveled to Rwanda for Rwanda Endoscopy Week (REW), a national effort to improve access to GI specialty care. Dr. Nguyen and his colleagues provided colon cancer screenings and other services to more than 1,000 patients. He also educated trainees from Rwanda, the U.S. and other nations, and studied how to improve dyspepsia clinical workflows and patient education around H. pylori.
“After the week was through, I learned valuable lessons on the delivery of gastroenterology care to under-resourced areas, refined my leadership and endoscopic skills, and once again immersed myself in the beautiful cities and countryside of Rwanda,” Dr. Nguyen recalled in a write-up for the Doximity Foundation about his experience, which you can read here. “I was grateful to see new parts of Rwanda — to appreciate the hills and wild unpaved roads of Butaro, observe mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, and explore new neighborhoods of Kigali with Rwandan friends made during previous years.”
Looking ahead, I have heard from some of you that you are interested in developing a resource to share charities and organizations that you are passionate about and would like to promote. The DoM is working with the health system to determine the best way for us to share this information and look forward to updating you on this very soon. In the meantime, do not hesitate to share with colleagues the humanitarian and charitable causes that you currently support in your personal capacity.
I am honored to work alongside such a committed group of LEADERS who embody our department’s mission to serve our community. Thank you for all that you do.
Dale
P.S.
I hope, for those of you who had the opportunity, that you enjoyed a meaningful Thanksgiving holiday with your family and loved ones. I also hope that for those of you who traveled, you have returned safely. Here is a picture of our Thanksgiving turkey and a bouquet that was sent to us by some out-of-state friends.
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