Jennifer

O'Brien

Executive Director

Email

Jennifer O’Brien is Executive Director/Public Affairs. She previously covered UCSF’s research in neurology, the neurosciences, telomerase research and stem cell science. She continues to report on Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann’s efforts to advance the goal of “precision medicine” – the effort to integrate the wealth of data emerging from the human genome and studies on the molecular basis of disease with information on environmental factors and patients’ electronic medical records. The accumulated data would inform laboratory research and patient care, ultimately leading to ways to precisely diagnose the individual patient, based on his or her own genetics and background, and to customized therapies that are more effective, with fewer side effects. The plan grew out of a National Academy of Sciences committee report in 2011 co-chaired/co-authored by Desmond-Hellmann. O’Brien holds degrees from Williams College (BA, English) and Johns Hopkins University (MA, Science Writing). 

Recent articles by Jennifer O'Brien

Genetic Mutation Linked with Typical Form of Migraine

May 01, 2013
A UCSF-led research team has identified a genetic mutation that is strongly associated with a typical form of migraine. The discovery could lead to more effective therapies for people with this condition.

Transplanted Neural Stem Cells Produced Myelin, UCSF Study Shows

October 10, 2012
For the first time, a clinical trial led by UCSF investigators and sponsored by Stem Cells Inc., has shown that transplanted neural stem cells appear to produce myelin in the brains of four young children with an early-onset, fatal disease.

UCSF Names New Vice Chancellor for University Development

August 15, 2012
John B. Ford, a longtime leader in fundraising for top universities, has been named Vice Chancellor, University Development and Alumni Relations at UCSF.

Depression Linked with Increased Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease

August 08, 2012
Depression was linked with an increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in a study of more than 1,000 men and women with heart disease conducted by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

Increasing Dopamine in Frontal Cortex Decreases Impulsive Tendency, UCSF-Gallo Scientists Find

July 25, 2012
Raising levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the frontal cortex of the brain significantly decreased impulsivity in healthy adults, in a study conducted by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco.

Media Advisory: UCSF AIDS Blog Covers News as It Unfolds at International AIDS Meeting

July 19, 2012
On the eve of AIDS 2012, the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, UCSF has launched the blog UCSF AIDS 2012, to cover the news as it unfolds in the days leading up to and during the meeting and to offer daily expert analysis and insight along the way.

Media Advisory: UCSF AIDS Blog Covers News as It Unfolds at International AIDS Meeting

July 19, 2012
On the eve of AIDS 2012, the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, UCSF has launched the blog UCSF AIDS 2012, to cover the news as it unfolds in the days leading up to and during the meeting and to offer daily expert analysis and insight along the way.

Deadly Liver Cancer May Be Triggered by Cells Changing Identity, UCSF Study Shows

July 16, 2012
UCSF researchers triggered cellular transformation — and caused tumors to form in mice — by activating just two genes, a discovery that suggests drugs that are able to target those genes may provide a way to treat the deadly cancer, known as cholangiocarcinoma.

Gallo Research Center to Lead $15 Million U.S. Army-Funded National Research Program

July 11, 2012
The UCSF-affiliated Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center has been selected to administer and manage a U.S. Army-funded research program intended to accelerate the discovery and development of new medications to treat alcohol and substance abuse in the context of post-traumatic stress and combat injury.

Songbirds' Learning Hub in Brain Offers Insight into Motor Control

May 20, 2012
UCSF scientists have shown that a key brain structure in the Bengalese finch acts as a learning hub, receiving information that helps to improve its song, a finding which may lead to new ways to treat neurological disorders that impair movement such as Parkinson’s disease.