University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

From left to rigth: Josiah Gerdts, MD, PhD; Mark Pownall, PhD; Sakeen Kashem, MD, PhD; and Balyn Zaro, PhD It isn’t easy getting a fledgling biomedical laboratory off the ground. Besides great research ideas, new investigators need to find an institutional home, facilities and equipment for experiments and analysis, and motivated students and post-docs. None of it comes cheap.

As women go through menopause, they often have the sense that it’s not just their body changing but also their mind. They report hot flashes, anxiety, brain fog, and trouble sleeping — all symptoms that can trace back to the brain. Now, researchers at UC San Francisco have found biological evidence to back them up.

Penny Wagnon walks into a San Francisco conference room. Outside, a February cold snap sharpens the breeze off the Bay. Wagnon weaves through tables arranged before a small stage and finds a seat. “Hi, I’m Penny,” she says cheerily. “I have lung cancer.” Her tablemates introduce themselves: name then diagnosis. A young woman takes her turn. “I have colorectal cancer,” the 31-year-old replies quietly. A heavy silence follows.

Today, we take for granted that cancers arise when genes in our cells go awry. But less than 60 years ago, scientists were still trying to understand the molecular machinery that drove it. Unlocking cancer’s secrets began with a chicken. By studying a virus that caused cancer in chickens, former UC San Francisco Chancellor emeritus J. Michael Bishop, MD, and longtime lab partner former Professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics Harold E.

Kevan Shokat, PhD, a professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UC San Francisco who discovered how to disable KRAS, a seemingly unstoppable cancer-driving protein, has won the Stephenson Global Prize for research in pancreatic cancer. The prize, which comes with $1 million, was given at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in San Diego on Sept. 26. Shokat used chemistry to control proteins that govern important cellular processes like growth.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Print this article Winners of the 9th annual Postdoc Slam Competition. From left to right are second place winner Chaitali Anand, PhD; People’s Choice Award winner Shoshana Williams, PhD; first place winner Yolanda Martí Mateos, PhD; and third place winner Puspangana Singh, PhD. Photo by Noah Berger From Machu Picchu to Mount Everest, people who live at high altitudes process sugar better and are less likely to develop diabetes.

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) today announced that Kristine Yaffe, MD, is the recipient of the 2026 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health for her pioneering research on cognitive aging and dementia prevention, including her landmark contributions to understanding modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia. The award, which recognizes Yaffe’s achievements with a medal and $20,000, will be presented at the NAM’s annual meeting on Oct. 18.

A preliminary study led by UC San Francisco adds to growing evidence that reducing ultra-processed food may improve symptoms of depression. Published Sept. 23 in JAMA Psychiatry, the study, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health, is believed to be the first to compare symptoms in people with depression before and after they switched from their regular ultra-processed diet to healthier food.

Showcasing Art that Celebrates Creativity and Healing Amid Cancer October 29, 2025 | UCSF.edu They aren’t professional artists, and to have their work featured by a major metropolitan museum seemed unfathomable. They’d been diagnosed with a gamut of cancers including brain cancer, breast cancer, multiple myeloma, colon, ovarian cancer. Some were diagnosed many years ago, others as recently as last year. Each sought refuge, self-expression through UCSF’s Art for Recovery.

The Ambulance Starts the Clock Before a patient experiencing a heart attack reaches the emergency room, the clock is already running — and critical data are already streaming from the field. A monitor can transmit an electrocardiogram (ECG) from a speeding ambulance, giving clinicians an earlier view of the heart in distress. Those minutes — when time can make a life-or-death difference — are the focus of Jessica Zègre-Hemsey’s work.