Skip to main content
School of Medicine School of Medicine
  1. School of Medicine
  2. Education
  3. MD & Combined Programs
  4. MSTP (MD & PhD)
  5. People
  6. Administration

Administration

Program Co-Directors

Neil Chi, MD, PhD, and Mary Lewinski, MD, are the MSTP co-directors. Chi and Lewinski oversee all aspects of the MSTP.

  • Neil Chi, MD, PhD

    Neil Chi, MD, PhD

    Neil Chi, MD, PhD, is the co-director for the UC San Diego-MSTP. He has been involved with the MSTP since 2009 and became co-director in 2015. He is a professor of medicine & cardiology,  and Assistant Dean of Physician Scientist Education at UC San Diego.
  • Mary Lewinski, MD, PhD

    Mary Lewinski, MD, PhD

    Mary Lewinski, MD, is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health and is the chair of the MSTP Admissions Committee. She is also an alumna of the UC San Diego MSTP. She interacts closely with Paul Insel, MD, and Neil Chi, MD, PhD, MSTP staff, and the SOM Admissions Committee in the admissions and recruitment processes.

Senior Faculty Advisor

  • Paul Insel, MD

    Paul Insel, MD

    Paul Insel, MD, is co-director for the UC San Diego MSTP. He has been with the MSTP since 1989, serving as its director and co-director. He is a distinguished professor of pharmacology and medicine at UC San Diego.

Associate Directors

  • Nicole Coufal, MD, PhD

    Nicole Coufal, MD, PhD

    Nicole Coufal, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of pediatrics. ​Coufal runs the Coufal Lab where the goal is to understand the role of microglia in neurodevelopment and their contribution to common and rare neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Lori Wan, MD

    Lori Wan, MD

    Lori Wan, MD, is a clinical professor of medicine and pediatrics and director of the academic community in which MSTP students reside. She monitors the didactic efforts of trainees and advises them regarding academic and non-academic issues, clinical opportunities, residency applications and careers. Wan is also the director of the Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program.

Assistant Directors

​Drs. Rafael Bejar, Aaron Carlin, Jeff Gold and Michael Lam are alumni of the UC San Diego MSTP and are the faculty mentors of each "Sib-Tree House," which includes MSTP trainees from each entering class. Thus, each of the faculty mentors oversees a portion of the MSTP cohort, organizes activities with their respective Sib-Tree House, and meets individually with trainees in their House.​

  • Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD

    Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD

    Rafael Bejar, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of medicine. He is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology, with a special interest in hematologic malignancies. He specializes in the care of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and related blood disorders.
  • Aaron Carlin, MD, PhD

    Aaron Carlin, MD, PhD

    Aaron Carlin, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of pathology. He conducts basic and translational research that utilizes cutting-edge molecular techniques to understand the mechanisms by which emerging and reemerging pathogens cause disease in humans.
  • Jeff Gold, MD, PhD

    Jeff Gold, MD, PhD

    Jeff Gold, MD, PhD, is a clinical professor of neurosciences with board certifications in neurology. He is a child neurologist at Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego. He specializes in the treatment of children with epilepsy. He is also the medical director of neonatal neurology at UC San Diego and Rady Children's.
  • Michael Lam, MD

    Michael Lam, MD

    Michael Lam, MD, is an associate physician diplomate of medicine at UC San Diego. He specializes in pulmonary, critical care and sleep.

MSTP Program Coordinator

  • Alanna Hower, MS

    Alanna Hower, MS

    Alanna Hower, MS, is the MSTP Program Coordinator. Her office is located in the School of Medicine, MSTP Office Suite, Medical Teaching Facility, Room 182. You can contact Alanna by phone at 858-822-5631, and by email at ahower@health.ucsd.edu.

SURF Director

  • Albert Hsiao, MD, PhD, FNASc

    Albert Hsiao, MD, PhD, FNASc

    Albert Hsiao, MD, PhD, FNASc, is an associate professor of radiology at UC San Diego and Director of the SURF Program. Additionally, he is the Director of Augmented Imaging/Artificial Intelligence Data Analytics (AiDA) Laboratory and Co-Director of the Clinician-Scientist Radiology Residency Program.

Advisors

  • Dhakshin Ramanathan, MD, PhD

    Dhakshin Ramanathan, MD, PhD

    Wellness Advisor

    Dhakshin Ramanathan, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor in residence for the Department of Psychiatry. As well as a staff physician at the VA San Diego Medical Center. He is a UC San Diego MSTP alumnus and the Co-Director of the Neural Engineering and Translational Labs.

MSTP Representatives

  • Neal Swerdlow, MD, PhD

    Neal Swerdlow, MD, PhD

    Neal Swerdlow, MD, PhD, is the MSTP representative on the Hillcrest campus. He is a Program alumnus and is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry. His office is located in the Clinical Teaching Facility (CTF), Room B-420 (CTF is at UC San Diego Hillcrest).
  • Jesse Dixon, MD, PhD

    Jesse Dixon, MD, PhD

    Jesse Dixon, MD, PhD, is the MSTP representative at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences. He earned his MD and PhD (Biomedical Sciences) from UC San Diego.
  • Evan Snyder, MD, PhD

    Evan Snyder, MD, PhD

    Evan Snyder, MD, PhD, is the MSTP representative at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP). He is Professor of the Human Genetics Program, the Sanford Children's Health Research Center, and the Center for Genetic Disorders and Aging Research. He is the Director of the Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine and the Stem Cell Training Program. He received his MD/PhD from the University of Pennsylvania MSTP.
  • Jeffrey Kelly, PhD

    Jeffrey Kelly, PhD

    Jeffrey Kelly, MD, PhD, is the MSTP representative at Scripps Research. He is a professor of chemistry. He earned his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of North Carolina.