More achievements

Tong to help lead health equity-focused population science research

Elisa Tong, M.D., M.A., has been named assistant director for population sciences for UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, where the internist and tobacco researcher will focus on health equity to improve cancer prevention, screening, treatment and survivorship. Tong will join Shehnaz Hussain, Ph.D., Sc.M., the associate director for population sciences, and also work with center leadership to facilitate and disseminate impactful research on cancer determinants and outcomes. Tong directs the Tobacco Cessation Policy Research Center, supports the California Tobacco Prevention Program, has collaborated with the California Cancer Registry, led UC Quits, and founded and leads CA Quits.

Humphries president of Vascular and Endovascular Surgical Society

Misty Humphries, M.D., M.A.S., interim chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, has been named president of the Vascular and Endovascular Surgical Society (VESS) for calendar year 2024. Humphries is a recognized academic surgeon and NIH-funded physician investigator whose current research focuses on telemedicine in peripheral artery disease and limb salvage. With VESS she will be responsible for continuing a new research fellowship and further enhancing the VESS National Vascular Surgery Interest Group. She is also helping to develop an online foundation articles journal club for students and early trainees interested in vascular surgery.

Emergency medicine physician receives two national awards for advancing health equity

Tiffani Johnson, M.D., M.Sc., associate professor of emergency medicine, has been honored by the American Academy of Pediatrics for commitment to reducing inequities and disparities in child health. Johnson received the Jane Knapp Emerging Pediatric Emergency Medicine Leader Award for outstanding contributions to pediatric emergency medicine during the first 10 years of their career. Johnson also received the 2023 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Excellence Award for commitment to advancing child health equity through advocacy, clinical practice and research, in addition to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion within the profession of pediatrics.

Four researchers elected as AAAS fellows

Four UC Davis School of Medicine faculty members were among 10 from UC Davis announced as elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this April for their achievements:

• Andreas Bäumler, Ph.D., a distinguished professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, was selected for pioneering work on understanding how the cells in the intestinal lining regulate composition and function of microflora.
• Emanual Maverakis, M.D., a professor in the Department of Dermatology, has made great contributions to diagnostic and treatment guidelines for many rare, life-threatening immune-mediated skin diseases.
• Luis Fernando Santana, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology and vice dean for basic sciences at UC Davis School of Medicine, conducts work that shows the role of calcium channel signaling modalities in regulating muscle excitability in health and disease.
• Rene Tsolis, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, has made innovative and impactful contributions to the field of host-pathogen interactions, and is also recognized for effective mentoring and program-wide DEI advocacy.

Neuroscientist named Sloan Research Fellow

Theanne Griffith, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, has been awarded a prestigious 2024 Sloan Research Fellowship in neuroscience from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The two-year, $75,000 fellowships honor exceptional U.S. and Canadian researchers whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of leaders. The fellowship is one of the most prestigious awards available to young researchers, in part because so many past fellows have gone on to become distinguished figures in science; to date, 57 fellows have received a Nobel Prize. Griffith is among 126 early career researchers chosen this year from 53 institutions. Her research investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying proprioception — our internal spatial awareness of self — and other somatosensory modalities. Her research uses an innovative combination of electrophysiology, transgenic mouse models, behavior, imaging, and molecular profiling.

Elizabeth Morris named 2024 Gold Medalist by Society of Breast Imaging

Elizabeth Morris, M.D., chair of the Department of Radiology, has been selected as the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) 2024 Gold Medalist. In announcing the award, SBI also noted her distinguished record as a radiology and breast imaging leader. Morris’ research focuses on how to use newer techniques, such as MRI, for early breast cancer detection. In collaboration with her colleagues, she has written over 230 papers, 40 chapters and five books about breast diseases with an emphasis on the use of MRI. Morris is a fellow of SBI, the American College of Radiology and the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, and a past president of SBI.

NIH Director’s New Innovator Award

Christina Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Neurology and faculty member of the Center for Neuroscience, has been selected as a 2023 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award recipient. The award supports research from exceptionally creative, early career investigators who propose innovative, high-impact projects in the biomedical, behavioral or social sciences. The prestigious recognition provides $2.3 million to support Kim’s research, which aims to develop and test new technologies to examine neurons whose activity is linked to certain health conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and autism.

Chosen for national program for emerging STEM leaders

Angel N. Desai, M.D., M.P.H., assistant clinical professor of infectious diseases, has been named a member of the 2024 New Voices cohort at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Desai is one of 26 outstanding scientists, engineers and medical professionals to join the 2024 cohort. New Voices is a prominent leadership program for early- and-career professionals that aims to expand the diversity of expertise engaged in the work of the National Academies, and to develop a network of leaders to address national and global challenges.

Wang recognized for stem cell work

Aijun Wang, Ph.D., has been inducted to The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. Fellows are among the nation’s most distinguished medical and biological engineers, belonging to the top two percent of engineers in their fields. Wang is vice chair for translational research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the Department of Surgery, co-director of the Center for Surgical Bioengineering at UC Davis, and principal investigator at the Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine (IPRM) and Shriners Children’s Northern California. Wang was elected “for his outstanding contributions in advancing stem cell engineering technologies for clinical translation in treating birth defects and tissue regeneration applications.” He leads the Wang Lab, who engineers and develops stem cells and their derivatives and biomaterial-based scaffolds for treatment of surgical diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spina bifida.

American College of Gastroenterology honors UC Davis Health physicians

Four UC Davis Health physicians from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology were among leaders in the field recognized by the American College of Gastroenterology for significant and lasting contributions to the profession and patient care. Ronald Hsu, M.D., F.A.C.G., A.G.A.F., F.A.S.G.E., received the prestigious American College of Gastroenterology Community Service Award. Hsu and gastrointestinal fellows Sean Nguyen, Christine Shieh and Alex Zhornitskiy won one of the 16 Service Awards for Colorectal Cancer Outreach, Prevention and Year-Round Excellence. Finally, Nguyen was awarded Outstanding Poster Presenter.

Violence prevention study wins top journal award

Garen Wintemute, M.D., M.P.H., director of the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP), is the recipient of the Jess Kraus Award for a major research paper he authored on political violence. “Views of democracy and society and support for political violence in the USA: findings from a nationally representative survey,” was published in Injury Epidemiology last September. The recognition is given annually to the first author of the best article published in the journal. The award-winning paper found that a small but concerning segment of the U.S. population considers violence, including lethal violence, to be usually or always justified to advance political objectives.

AAP honors 3

Three UC Davis Health physicians were among 60 pediatricians, subspecialists and trainees recognized in the fall by the American Academy of Pediatrics for exemplary achievements in advocacy, practice and research.

• Satyan Lakshminrusimha, M.D., M.B.B.S., chair of the Department of Pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, received the AAP Education Award.
• Tiffani Johnson, M.D., M.Sc., associate professor of emergency medicine, received an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Award.
• Heather McKnight, M.D., division chief of pediatric hospital medicine, received the Section on Hospital Medicine Service Award.

Hammock a California Academy of Sciences fellow

UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock, Ph.D., internationally recognized for discovering a new group of human chemical mediators, is a newly inducted fellow of the California Academy of Sciences (CAS). Hammock, who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Entomology and Nematology and UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, joins the ranks of more than 500 fellows, a governing group of distinguished scientists and other leaders who have made notable contributions to scientific research, education, and communication. Hammock is also a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, National Academy of Sciences, and Entomological Society of America, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from UC Davis.

Ophthalmologist’s Walk of Fame star in Brazil

Mark Mannis, M.D., F.A.C.S., professor and Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences chair, has been honored by the Eye Hospital of Sorocaba near Sao Paulo, Brazil, for his work in ophthalmology. The hospital, one of the busiest eye banks and departments of ophthalmology in the world, recognized Mannis’ work with a star on its Walk of Fame, honoring physicians who have made significant contributions to global efforts around ophthalmology. Mannis is a world-renowned expert in the diagnosis and treatment of external eye disease and diseases of the cornea.