Advances in medicine and public health have dramatically extended the lifespan of hearts, lungs, and other vital organs. But for women, the ovaries remain a stubborn exception. That may soon change, says fertility expert Marcelle Cedars.
A future in which precision medicine benefits everyone is not guaranteed. For that to happen, UCSF experts argue, the health care industry must first tackle today’s health disparities, including differences in disease outcomes and access to care based on race, gender, and socioeconomic status.
With the rise of “direct-to-consumer” DNA tests, investigating your genes is easier than ever. But taking one of these tests may not be right for you, says UCSF professor Kathryn Phillips, PhD, who studies new health care technologies.
Healthy eating can be difficult to do, especially when the science isn’t clear. Our experts have weighed in to give you the best advice based on solid research, allowing you to make better choices when it comes to your nutrition.
Media Coverage
Twisting Fate: My Journey with BRCA – from Breast Cancer Doctor to Patient and Back
UCSF oncologist Pamela Munster, MD, has advised thousands of women on how to deal with the life-altering diagnosis of breast cancer. But when she got a call saying that her own mammogram showed irregularities, she found herself experiencing a whole new side of the disease. Munster’s book weaves together her personal story with her team’s research on the BRCA gene, which is responsible for breast cancer and many other inherited cancers.
Media Coverage
Carry the One Radio: “Jazz Bands and MRI Scans: How Brains are Creative”
Have you ever wondered what’s going on in a musician’s head while they improvise? In this episode, Charles Limb, MD, a UCSF surgeon and neuroscientist, explores the process of creativity by scanning the brains of jazz musicians and rappers as they improvise. Tune in to learn what brain processes allow creative thought and why creativity matters.
The sugar industry has driven decades of biased research that shirk sugar's responsibility for chronic disease. UCSF researchers are uncovering thousands of industry documents to combat this misinformation, and steer Americans away from what is becoming a growing health crisis.
A growing number of researchers at UCSF and elsewhere have turned their attention to questions around why and how some people who age thrive and are more resilient than others.
The ascendancy of CRISPR systems raises a grand hope: If these tools can illuminate the causes of disease in the laboratory, why not bring them into the clinic to treat patients?
As a kindergartener, Nerdette co-host Greta Johnsen was diagnosed with an eye condition that is among the best diseases for experimenting with the gene editing tool CRISPR. This episode follows Greta, her father, and UCSF geneticist and Gladstone Institutes investigator Bruce Conklin, MD, as he tries to develop the perfect CRISPR system to remove the faulty DNA from
Johnsen’s eye cells.
Silicon Valley is helping researchers like Wendell Lim move basic science breakthroughs into translational applications, making treatments available to patients faster than normally possible.
The journey from discovering and developing effective, precise medications to using them correctly and safely in patients is hardly fast and easy. Nor is it a straight shot. Scientists in the UCSF School of Pharmacy are challenging the status quo every step of the way.
Sugar scientist and professor of health policy Laura Schmidt, PhD, MSW, MPH, explores the tactics corporations use to get people hooked on sugary products – and how she and her colleagues are fighting back. Carry the One Radio is produced by a dedicated band of young UCSF scientists, graduate students, and postdocs.
UCSF: The Campaign is taking on the world’s most complex health challenges, powered by an exceptional community of mavericks, innovators, and advocates. Together we will make the Bay Area and our world healthier for all.
Ying-Hui Fu, a UCSF professor of neurology and a pioneer in the study of sleep and genetics, explains the science behind strange sleep patterns and shares why shut-eye is more important than you think.
When we purchase something, there's often an assumption that it's safe. Unfortunately, many prevalently used chemicals could cause serious effects on health, especially during prenatal development.
Researchers need access to multiple strains of marijuana in order to find out about its potential benefits or harms, but current legislation makes that extremely difficult. As states move ahead with recreational legalization, access is more critical than ever.
Organoids serve as dioramas of disease, allowing UCSF scientists to understand how and why problems occur during tissue development. It's also a small step toward the creation of full-sized organs we could use for transplant.
UCSF is addressing racial disparities in clinical research, helping to advance precision medicine by providing tailored medical treatment to vulnerable populations.