Inside the Lab: Researcher Spotlight

Joseph Califano, MD, is an internationally recognized, board-certified otolaryngologist who specializes in head and neck surgical oncology, and the integration of basic, molecular biologic research in that practice. He has translated several discoveries from laboratory to clinic, which include the application of sequencing technologies to create an early detection method for HPV-related and other head and neck cancers. Dr. Califano is Professor of Surgery and as well as Director of the Hanna and Mark Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center.

Dan Kaufman, MD, PhD, is a board-certified hematologist who specializes in caring for patients with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. uses human pluripotent stem cells to understand blood cells and related mesodermal cell populations. Using human pluripotent stem cells, Dr. Kaufman and his colleagues aim to develop new clinical applications for treating relapsed or refractory cancers, including both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Haydee Ojeda-Fournier, MD, is a board-certified radiologist. She specializes in breast imaging and the detection of breast cancer utilizing mammography, sonography, molecular breast imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Additionally, she is the inaugural Grillo-Marxuach Family Endowed Medical Director in Breast Imaging at UC San Diego Health.

Gene Yeo, PhD, MBA, is a Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of California San Diego, Director for UC San Diego’s Center for RNA Technologies and Therapeutics, Chief Scientific Advisor for Sanford Laboratories for Innovative Medicine and Director for the Sanford Stem Cell Institute’s Innovation Center. He is also the Associate Director for Translational Science at Moores Cancer Center. Dr. Yeo is a computational and experimental scientist who studies how RNA processing is regulated by RNA binding proteins in development and disease.

Vineet Bafna, PhD, is a professor of Computer Science & Engineering at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. His research specializes in bioinformatics and extrachromosomal DNA — including genome rearrangements, multiple alignments, RNA structure, gene finding, DNA signals, mass spectrometric data analysis and human population genetics.

Dr. Catriona Jamieson is the Koman Family Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, Chief of the Division of Regenerative Medicine, and Director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute. She also serves as Co-Leader of the Hematologic Malignancies Program at Moores, where she focuses on advancing therapies for blood cancers. An internationally recognized physician-scientist, Dr. Jamieson specializes in myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) and leukemia, with a research emphasis on targeting cancer stem cells to prevent disease progression.

Rob Knight, PhD, is the founding Director of the Center for Microbiome Innovation and Professor of Pediatrics, Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering, Computer Science & Engineering and Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute at UC San Diego. He is the Wolfe Family Endowed Chair in Microbiome Research, and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2024. His lab has produced many of the software tools and laboratory techniques that enabled high-throughput microbiome science.

Jason Sicklick, MD, FACS, is an internationally recognized surgical oncologist who specializes in treating gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), abdominal/retroperitoneal sarcomas, and liver tumors (primary and metastatic). He advances cancer care through innovation and collaboration, co-leading the Sarcoma Disease Team at UC San Diego Health and serving on national committees that shape best practices for rare cancers. A professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, he researches precision medicine, GIST development, and drug resistance while co-leading the Structural and Functional Genomics research program at Moores.

Jyoti Mayadev, MD, is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in treating gynecologic and breast cancers. She is Professor, Assistant Vice-Chair Developmental Therapeutics, Section Chief of Gynecologic Oncology and serves as Co-Leader of the GYN Oncology Disease Team at Moores. Dr. Mayadev is also the one of the co-leads of our Solid Tumor Therapeutics research program.

Jin Zhang, PhD, is a professor and vice chair in the Department of Pharmacology, as well as a professor in the Departments of Bioengineering and Chemistry & Biochemistry. Dr. Zhang’s laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms and functional roles of signaling enzymes such as protein kinases and phosphatases.

Maria Elena Martinez, PhD, is a Professor in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, having joined the UC San Diego faculty in 2012. She holds the Sam M. Walton Endowed Chair for Cancer Research and is the Associate Director of Population Science at Moores Cancer Center. Dr. Martinez's research is focused in the areas of epidemiology, molecular epidemiology, and cancer prevention.

Trey Ideker, PhD, is a 21-year Professor of Medicine, Bioengineering and Computer Science, and former Chief of Genetics, at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Additionally, he is Director or Co-Director of the Bridge2AI Functional Genomics Data Generation Program, the Cancer Cell Map Initiative, the National Resource for Network Biology, and the UCSD Graduate Program in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, all NIH-funded efforts. Ideker’s research laboratory has led seminal studies establishing the theory and practice of systems biology, including systematic techniques for elucidating human cell architecture and its molecular networks.

Rana R. McKay, MD, FASCO is the Associate Director of Clinical Science at Moores Cancer Center. She is a board-certified medical oncologist who specializes in treating people with urogenital cancers, including bladder, kidney, prostate and testicular cancer. As an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Dr. McKay instructs medical students, residents, and fellows at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She serves as principal investigator of several early phase trials in kidney and prostrate cancer. As a clinical investigator, she is committed to advancements in cancer care that will improve the lives of cancer patients.

Andrew M. Lowy, MD is a surgical oncologist with expertise in treating cancers of the pancreas and GI tract. Dr. Lowy is recognized worldwide for his expertise in pancreatic cancer surgery and in the management of complex gastrointestinal cancers. He is also known for investigating novel cancer treatments, including heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), to treat advanced abdominal cancers.

Dr. Ludmil Alexandrov is a Professor at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Alexandrov’s research focuses on understanding the information hidden in large-scale omics datasets. He is particularly interested in elucidating the mechanisms by which cancers develop and in leveraging this knowledge for the development of better cancer prevention strategies and the improved targeting of existing cancer treatment.

H. Irene Su, MD, MSCE, is Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility. She is Program Director for the Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Fellowship, and Director of the Oncofertility Program at UC San Diego.

J. Silvio Gutkind, PhD, is a basic scientist with a passion for exploiting the emerging information on dysregulated signaling circuitries and individual genomic and molecular alterations to identify new therapeutic options to prevent and treat cancer. His lab's basic studies and translational efforts have already made an impact in the development of individualized, mechanism-based molecular-targeted (precision) anticancer treatments and immunotherapeutic strategies.

Dr. Crespo’s research focuses on reducing health disparities and conducting community-based interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease among Latinos and underserved populations. He has experience conducting multi-level and large-scale interventions to promote physical activity and healthy eating in schools and recreation centers. Dr. Crespo also studies the health consequences of sedentary behavior and conducts behavioral interventions to reduce sedentary behavior in worksites.

Hojun Li, MD, PhD, is an Endowed Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UC San Diego and member of the Hematologic Malignancies research program at Moores Cancer Center. He has been an American Society of Hematology Scholar, a Department of Defense Career Development Independent Fellow, and an NIH Clinical Investigator (K08) Fellow, and has won teaching awards both as a resident and as an attending.

Winta Mehtsun, MD, MPH, is a surgical oncologist whose practice spans gastric cancer, sarcoma, and general surgical oncology. Dr. Mehtsun enjoys helping her patients through a team-based, multi-disciplinary approach to care, and she is an advocate for patients at all stages of their cancer treatment.