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.
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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.
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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 Physician Scientist Education at UC San Diego.
Associate Directors
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Dr. Nicole Coufal is an Associate 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.
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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.
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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, 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Dr. Michael Lam is an Associate Physician Diplomate of Medicine at UC San Diego. He specializes in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep.
MSTP Program Coordinator
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Alanna Hower, M.S.
Alanna Hower, M.S. 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
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Dr. Albert Hsiao 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 Clinican-Scientist Radiology Residency Program.
Advisors
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Dhakshin Ramanathan, M.D., Ph.D.
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.
MSTP Representatives
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Neal Swerdlow, M.D., Ph.D.
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). -
Jesse Dixon, M.D., Ph.D.
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. -
Evan Snyder, M.D., Ph.D.
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 Pennsylvania MSTP. -
Jeffrey Kelly, Ph.D.
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 University of North Carolina.