Medical Excellence
DEFINE THE FUTURE OF MEDICAL EXCELLENCE
The David Geffen School of Medicine is focused on developing, guiding and empowering tomorrow’s world leaders in health and science—and we’re doing exactly that at an elite level. We invite you to explore our page and get to know some of the exceptional people who make this one of the nation’s top medical schools.
Alternatively, you can download a PDF of the David Geffen School of Medicine highlights. 
David Geffen School of Medicine
White Coat Ceremony – August 10th, 2018
"“I ask that you wear your white coat as a symbol of your knowledge and your expertise, but also of your open-mindedness and your curiosity.”
– Kelsey Martin, MD, PhD, Dean, DGSOM
Elizabeth Neufeld, PhD Distinguished Professor Emerita, Biological Chemistry; Lasker Award & National Medal of Science
“Be the best you can be. Whether you’re male or female — that should not enter into it. Today the competition is fierce, the funds are tight, and the only way you can do something is by being extremely good at what you do.”
• Originally appeared in Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation
Elissa Hallem, PhD Associate Professor, BRI, MIMG; MacArthur Fellow
“How do parasites use olfaction to find their hosts? If we can understand this question more, we can develop a treatment that helps combat parasitic
health issues.”
Kathrin Plath, PhD
Reprogramming cell identity (and gene expression) to power studies of development, disease, and transplantation medicine.
Larry Zipursky, PhD
Discovering the mechanisms of brain wiring.
Johnese Spisso
“We are incredibly proud of our team at UCLA Health for providing individualized, equitable and exceptional care to all patient and families.”
– Johnese Spisso, President of UCLA Health and CEO UCLA Hospital System
Historic Breakthrough: Dr. Paul I. Terasaki
Paul Terasaki’s new method of tissue tryping at just the right time. Professor emeritus of surgery at DGSOM at UCLA, developed the international standard tissue typing test, which assesses the compatibility of organ donors and recipients. A test invented at an advantageous moment in history.
Historic Breakthrough: Dr. Paul I. Terasaki
“It was very fortunate that we developed our micro-test at almost the same time as Dr. Starzl’s first series of successful transplants.” Dr. Thomas Starzl, a transplant surgeon, became a strong supporter of Dr. Terasaki’s tissue typing.
Historic Breakthrough: Dr. Paul I. Terasaki
The rise of computer technology made it possible to analyze massive amounts of data and the microtest revolutionized HLA testing by drastically reducing the required lymphocytes and sera to just microvolumes. As a result, they were capable of analyzing massive amounts of data through high-volume testing. And helped donor-recipient matching all around the world for 40 years.
Pioneering research. Bold Innovations.
UCLA, redefining what is possible in patient care.
White Coat Ceremony – August 10th, 2018
“I ask that you wear your white coat as a symbol of your knowledge and your expertise, but also of your open-mindedness and your curiosity.”
Elizabeth Neufeld, PhD Distinguished Professor Emerita, Biological Chemistry; Lasker Award & National Medal of Science
“Be the best you can be. Whether you’re male or female — that should not enter into it. Today the competition is fierce, the funds are tight, and the only way you can do something is by being extremely good at what you do.” • Originally appeared in Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation
Elissa Hallem, PhD Associate Professor, BRI, MIMG; MacArthur Fellow
“Almost anything you can think of that differs between individuals, including susceptibility to different disease, has a genetic component. By uncovering those genetic variables, we hope to deliver more accurate diagnoses and more effective treatments.”
Kathrin Plath, PhD
Reprogramming cell identity (and gene expression) to power studies of development, disease, and transplantation medicine.
Johnese Spisso
“We are incredibly proud of our team at UCLA Health for providing individualized, equitable and exceptional care to all patient and families.” – Johnese Spisso, President of UCLA Health and CEO UCLA Hospital System
Historic Breakthrough: Dr. Paul I. Terasaki
Paul Terasaki’s new method of tissue tryping at just the right time. Professor emeritus of surgery at DGSOM at UCLA, developed the international standard tissue typing test, which assesses the compatibility of organ donors and recipients. A test invented at an advantageous moment in history.
Historic Breakthrough: Dr. Paul I. Terasaki
““It was very fortunate that we developed our micro-test at almost the same time as Dr. Starzl’s first series of successful transplants.” Dr. Thomas Starzl, a transplant surgeon, became a strong supporter of Dr. Terasaki’s tissue typing.”
Historic Breakthrough: Dr. Paul I. Terasaki
The rise of computer technology made it possible to analyze massive amounts of data and the microtest revolutionized HLA testing by drastically reducing the required lymphocytes and sera to just microvolumes. As a result, they were capable of analyzing massive amounts of data through high-volume testing. And helped donor-recipient matching all around the world for 40 years.
Pioneering research. Bold Innovations.
UCLA, redefining what is possible in patient care.
Leonid Kruglyak, PhD Chair, Human Genetics Department
“Almost anything you can think of that differs between individuals, including susceptibility to different disease, has a genetic component. By uncovering those genetic variables, we hope to deliver more accurate diagnoses and more effective treatments.”
Match Day March 16, 2018
“On Match Day, tension turns into excitement as students finally find out where they’ll continue training. It’s a huge release—and a case for celebration.” – Lee T. Miller, MD, Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Samantha Butler, PhD
Understanding how neurons are made to develop therapies for human spinal cord regeneration.
Dr. Dennis Slamon & Dr. Richard Finn
Dr. Dennis Slamon, Director, Clinical/Translational Research, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, with Dr. Richard Finn, helped develop the groundbreaking breast cancer drug Herceptin.
Graduation June 1, 2018
“There’s no prouder moment for us as teachers than graduation; to see how the hard work of those graduates has lead them to this amazing milestone, and reflect on their boundless potential to change medicine and health care — it’s deeply gratifying and humbling.” – Clarence H. Braddock III, MD, MPH, Vice Dean for Education
Care Harbor November 2017
“This is a way for us to share all the resources we can offer and reach out to people who can’t usually afford these services.”– Patrick T. Dowling, MD, MPH Chair,
Department of Family Medicine
To improve health and healthcare
UCLA will discover the basis for health and cures for disease.
Tamir Gonen, PhD
Creating atomic resolution microscopy technologies to power drug discovery.
