Personalized medicine advances arising from genetic discoveries were the primary focus of wide-ranging presentations at the UCSF Institute for Human Genetics 2012 Symposium on Nov. 5.

A 20-year study following 110,645 workers who helped clean up after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in the former Soviet territory of Ukraine shows that the workers share a significant increased risk of developing leukemia.

One of the toughest issues facing patients who have surgery for very early-stage lung cancer is uncertainty: Despite complete removal of their small lung tumors and no evidence of metastasis, at least one quarter of patients harbor tiny, undetectable clumps of cancer cells that have already spread outside their lungs and will kill them within a few years.

Three UCSF faculty members are among the 70 newly elected members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service in the areas of medical sciences, health care and public health.

UCSF is one of six medical schools that will receive a total of $5.2 million in grant funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) to offer clinical research fellowships in global health over the next four years.

For the first time since 1997, UCSF is embarking on a new long-range development plan. The goal is to guide the University’s physical development through the year 2035, to support its long-term goals of providing excellence in patient care, innovative science and health sciences education.