News & Events

Point Break LIVE! - a stage adaptation of the 1992 cult classic film starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, held its last San Francisco engagement on Saturday, July 31 st. As a tribute to Patrick Swayze, who died of pancreatic cancer last year, donations were collected to benefit the work of Kimberly Kirkwood...

The Department of Surgery's Scientific Publications Manager, Pamela Derish, M.A., has coauthored a paper on how to write scientific papers for many high-impact basic research journals, such as Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and Journal of Cell Biology...

UCSF recently hosted the dedication of the Connie Frank Transplant Center, bringing into reality an idea that philanthropic visionary, Connie Frank, first conceptualized in 2006. Designed around the patient, the facility co-locates all staff and services to provide a comfortable and familiar home. Throughout the...

Take Steps for Crohn's & Colitis is an evening walk and fundraiser supporting the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. Team UCSF, led by the Section of Colorectal Surgery's nurse practitioner Lois Anne Indorf, placed second, raising over $7,500. Chief of the Section, Madhulika Varma, M.D., pictured left...

Felsen, a classic and Indie rock band founded by drummer Andrew Griffin, Luce, Jesse Brewster and Brad Brooks held a benefit concert on Thursday, July 15th at 8 p.m at San Francisco's Red Devil Lounge. Proceeds from this exciting evening of music and dancing supported the research of the UCSF GI Oncology Research...

Sharon Blaschka, a Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Research Coordinator in post-liver and kidney transplantation in the UCSF Department of Surgery, is the 2010 recipient of the International Transplant Nurses Society (ITNS) Award. The award came by virtue of a nominating essay submitted by Jeanette Forbes...

Thierry Jahan, M.D., an Associate Professor of Medicine Bonnie J. and Anthony Addario Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology, is one of four recipients of the 2010 UCSF Medical Center Exceptional Physician Award, an honor recognizing dedication to outstanding patient care and to the instiutions' values of...

Valerie Weaver and collaborators have identified the first positive regulator of BRCA1, establishing that the loss of the homeobox gene HoxA9 promotes tumor growth in breasts. The scientists found that restoring HoxA9 in breast cancer cells inhibited their malignant behavior in culture and in vivo. Intriguingly...

SFGate, the sister-site of the San Francisco Chronicle, reports on a new study that suggests that the city could not only save millions, but also improve the quality of life for some of the city's neediest residents: Facing a $522 million budget deficit, San Francisco needs to look at every possible way to save...

Weaver and colleagues showed that collagen crosslinking drives tumor progression. The report established a correlation between collagen crosslinking and extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness in mouse models and implicates the ECM-crosslinking enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX) as a culprit driving stiffness-associated...

UCSF celebrated the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., with a series of events beginning January 15th. At the Awards Ceremony in Cole Hall, Dr. Andre Campbell was one of several individuals recognized for extraordinary leadership in promoting and advancing mutual respect, understanding...

UCSF Medical Center's Liver Transplant Program exceeded all standards for adult transplants in an annual review by the Kaiser Permanente National Transplant Network. Outcomes data, including national benchmarks of the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), were used in the review. Dr. Ronald Potts, quality...

In our efforts to establish a distinguished professorship in honor of Michael R. Harrison, M.D, an extremely generous donor has called for a challenge. The anonymous donor has pledged a gift of $500,000 in the form of a match. Our goal must be met by Dec 31, 2009.

Michael Harrison M.D., a renowned pioneer in fetal and pediatric surgery, Professor Emeritus of Surgery and Pediatrics, and Director Emeritus of the Fetal Treatment Center at UCSF, has been elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM), one of the U.S. National Academies. Membership in the IOM reflects...

William Y. Hoffman, M.D., Chief of the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, has led a successful effort to pass legislation in California via the Cleft Palate Foundation greatly expanding insurance coverage for children with disfiguring cleft palate and other craniofacial anomalies. Hoffman, a pioneer of...

Dr. Alfred de Lorimier, a pioneer in pediatric surgery and founder of the Division of Pediatric Surgery at UCSF, has died. We owe much to his contributions and express our heartfelt sympathies to his family.