As a pediatric gastroenterologist and physician scientist, I am keenly aware of the challenges faced by our pediatric population. The intestinal epithelium comprises the human body’s greatest environmentally exposed surface and is the largest sensory and endocrine organ. My research utilizes human intestinal organoids and animal models to understand how the intestine senses and responds to both regular and inflammatory stimuli.

The Ahituv lab is focused on identifying gene regulatory elements and linking nucleotide variation within them to various phenotypes including morphological differences between species, drug response and human disease. It develops and uses massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs) that allow for high-throughput functional characterization of gene regulatory elements.

As a physician-scientist and practicing breast medical oncologist, I have dedicated my career to understanding and treating aggressive breast cancers, with a particular focus on metastatic disease. In my dual role as Co-Leader of the UCSF Breast Oncology Program and Vice-Chair of the Cell & Tissue Biology Department, I bridge the gap between basic research and clinical practice, working to translate laboratory discoveries into meaningful treatments for patients.

As an Assistant Professor in the Division of GI at UCSF, I am interested in the molecular underpinnings of intestinal inflammation and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). We employ a variety of tools to study intestinal epithelial cells and death signaling pathways in mouse models, patient-derived biopsies, and organoids.

Dr. Jonathan P. Terdiman is a Professor of Clinical Medicine and Surgery and the Chief of the Gastroenterology Division at UCSF Health. He earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1985 and his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1989. Dr. Terdiman then completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowships in critical care medicine and gastroenterology at UCSF before joining the faculty in 1996.

Uma Mahadevan, MD
Lynne and Marc Benioff Professor of Gastroenterology
University of California, San Francisco
Director, UCSF Center for Colitis and Crohn's Disease
Website: IBD.UCSF.EDU
Twitter: @UmaMahadevanIBD

Dr. Ma is Director of the UCSF IBD Center and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology.
He oversees translational and basic research in IBD and related inflammatory diseases.

The Spitzer Lab is working to develop our understanding of how the immune system coordinates its responses across the organism with an emphasis on tumor immunology. We combine methods in experimental immunology and cancer biology with computation to understand the modes in which the immune system can respond to tumors and to rationally initiate curative immune responses against cancer.

Dr. Chloe E. Atreya specializes in gastrointestinal cancer, particularly colorectal cancer, at the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center. She also co-directs the Integrative Onolcogy Program and Research Hub. Her research focuses on the interplay of tumor genetics and response to therapies for colorectal cancer, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and quality of life by personalizing treatment.