Research Summary
I am a developmental biologist as well as a pediatrician and clinical geneticist, and I am interested in translating an understanding of developmental mechanisms into advances for regenerative medicine. After completing the MD/PhD degrees and a pediatric residency, I trained in Medical Genetics. As a physician scientist, I treat patients with various syndromes, including those that predispose patients to cancer. As the Chief of the Division of Genetics at UCSF and Chair of the Division of Craniofacial Anomalies at UCSF, I take a strong interest in integrating clinical and research activities. Work in my research group centers on organ development and regeneration, with a major focus on understanding the processes underlying stem cell-based renewal and on integrating evolutionary and developmental approaches.
Research Funding
September 15, 2020 - June 30, 2025 - The physical and molecular mechanisms of intestinal villus morphogenesis and repair , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01DK126376
September 5, 2014 - August 31, 2024 - The roles of regional specialization, mechanical forces and epigenetic memory after perturbation and injury of the intestinal stem cell microenvironment , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01DK103147
August 1, 2021 - July 31, 2024 - Enamel atlas: systems-level amelogenesis tools at multiple scales , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: UH3DE028872
September 22, 2016 - June 30, 2024 - Harnessing natural stem cell-based strategies for mammalian dental renewal , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R35DE026602
Education
University of California, Berkeley, B.A., 1993, Spanish
Yale University, New Haven, CT, Ph.D., 1999, Genetics
Yale University, New Haven, CT, M.D., 2000
Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, 2000-2003, Pediatrics
University of California, San Francisco, 2003-2007, Clinical Genetics