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Administration

Program Co-Directors

Dr. Paul Insel and Dr. Neil Chi are the MSTP Co-Directors. Drs. Insel and Chi oversee all aspects of the MSTP.

  • Paul Insel, M.D.

    Paul Insel, M.D.

    Dr. Paul Insel 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.
  • Neil Chi, M.D., Ph.D.

    Neil Chi, M.D., Ph.D.

    Dr. Neil Chi is the Co-Director for the UCSD-MSTP. He has been involved with the MSTP since 2009 and became Co-Director in 2015. He is Professor of Medicine & Cardiology. and Assistant Dean of Physican Scientist Education at UC San Diego.

Associate Directors

  • Dr. Christopher Glass

    Dr. Christopher Glass

    Dr. Christopher Glass is MSTP alumnus. He is a Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Medicine and is widely recognized for his research on the regulation of transcription.

  • Dr. Mary Lewinski

    Dr. Mary Lewinski

    Dr. Mary Lewinski 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 Drs. Insel and Chi, MSTP Staff, and the SOM Admissions Committee in the admissions and recruitment processes.

  • Dr. Lori Wan

    Dr. Lori Wan

    Associate Director

    Dr. Lori Wan 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. Dr. Wan is also the Director of the Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program.

Assistant Directors

​Drs. Rafael Bejar, Aaron Carlin, Nicole Coufal, 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.​

  • Dr. Rafael Bejar

    Dr. Rafael Bejar

    Dr. Rafael Bejar is a 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.
  • Dr. Aaron Carlin

    Dr. Aaron Carlin

    Dr. Aaron Carlin is a 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.
  • Dr. Nicole Coufal

    Dr. Nicole Coufal

    Dr. Nicole Coufal is a Assistant Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics. ​Dr. 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.
  • Dr. Jeff Gold

    Dr. Jeff Gold

    Dr. Jeff Gold 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.
  • Dr. Michael Lam

    Dr. Michael Lam

    Dr. Michael Lam is an Associate Physican Diplomate of Medicine at UC San Diego. He specializes in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep.

MSTP Program Management

  • Jacqueline Azize-Brewer, Ph.D.

    Jacqueline Azize-Brewer, Ph.D.

    Jacqueline Azize-Brewer, Ph.D. is the MST Program Manager. Her office is located in the School of Medicine, MSTP Office Suite, Medical Teaching Facility, Room 182. You can contact Jacquie by phone at 858-534-0689, and by email at jazizebrewer@health.ucsd.edu.

MSTP/ SURF Program Coordinator

  • Alanna Hower, M.S.

    Alanna Hower, M.S.

    Alanna Hower, M.S. is the MSTP & SURF 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 Co-Directors

  • Dr. Albert Hsiao, MD, PhD, FNASCI

    Dr. Albert Hsiao, MD, PhD, FNASCI

    Dr. Albert Hsiao is an Associate Professor of Radiology at UC San Diego and Co-Director of the SURF Program. Additionally, he is the Director of Augmented Imaging/Artificial Intelligence Data Analytics (AiDA) Laboratory and Co-Director of the Clinican-Scientist Radiology Residency Program.
  • Dr. Dorathy Tamayo-Murillo

    Dr. Dorathy Tamayo-Murillo

    Dr. Dorathy Tamayo-Murillo is the SURF Co-Director. She is a Assistant Clinical Professor of Radiology at UC San Diego.

Advisors

  • Dr. Dhakshin Ramanathan

    Dr. Dhakshin Ramanathan

    Wellness Advisor

    Dr. Dhakshin Ramanathan 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.

  • Dr. Jason Duran, MD, PhD

    Dr. Jason Duran, MD, PhD

    LGBTQ+ Co-Advisor

    Dr. Jason Duran is an Associate Director in Clinical Development at Ionis Pharmaceuticals in Carlsbad. Additionally, he is an Advanced Heart Failure/Transplant Cardiologist. He is the MSTP LGBTQ+ Co-Advisor along with Dr. Davey Smith

  • Dr. Davey Smith, MD, MAS

    Dr. Davey Smith, MD, MAS

    LGBTQ+ Co-Advisor

    Dr. Davey Smith (he/his/him) is Professor in the Department of Medicine. He codirects the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Center, the San Diego Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the PREPARE Institute.

MSTP Representatives

  • Dr. Neal Swerdlow

    Dr. Neal Swerdlow

    Dr. Neal Swerdlow 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).
  • Dr. Jesse Dixon

    Dr. Jesse Dixon

    Dr. Jesse Dixon is the MSTP representative at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. (Biomedical Sciences) from UC San Diego.
  • Dr. Evan Snyder

    Dr. Evan Snyder

    Dr. Evan Snyder 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 Pennslyvania MSTP.
  • Dr. Jeffrey Kelly

    Dr. Jeffrey Kelly

    Dr. Jeffrey Kelly is the MSTP representative at Scripps Research. He is a Professor of Chemistry. He earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Unviersity of North Carolina.