Legacy and Progress Honorees

Distinguished Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Founding Director, Center for Reducing Health Disparities

Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., Ph.D., M.S., is a distinguished professor of Internal Medicine, the founding director of the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities and the faculty lead of the Community and Collaborator Engagement Program of the UC Davis Clinical Translational Science Center. 
  
Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola is an internationally renowned expert on mental health in underserved populations. He has held several World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization advisory board appointments and is a member of the Executive Committee of the WHO World Mental Health Survey Consortium, serving as its coordinator for Latin America. 
  
He is a national leader on meaningful community engagement and trustworthiness. He also played key roles on the Principles of Community Engagement, 2nd and 3rd editions and is co-chair of the National Academy of Medicine’s Assessing Meaningful Community Engagement Measures in Health and Health Care.
 
As the on-site principal investigator of the Mexican American Prevalence and Services Survey – the largest population-based mental health study conducted in the U.S. on Mexican Americans – he translated study findings into a service-delivery model that expanded mental health access throughout California’s Central Valley. 

Interim Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (2017-2019)    
Distinguished Professor, Department of Internal Medicine    
Founding Director, Clinical & Translational Science Center

Lars Berglund, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.H.A., is a distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Internal Medicine, the founding director of the Clinical and Translational Science Center (2006 – 2017), and interim dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine (2017–2019).

Dr. Berglund also served as the UC Davis associate vice chancellor for biomedical research and School of Medicine vice dean for research, fostering multidisciplinary research and helping elevate the university’s standing as a national leader in research.  

He led several National Institutes of Health R01 grants, working in the areas of lipoprotein metabolism, vascular disease and HIV for more than 20 years. He was also the principal investigator for several KL2 and TL1 training programs supporting junior faculty and predoctoral students. Dr. Berglund has published more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and served on national guideline committees for the Endocrine Society and the American Heart Association. 

Distinguished Professor & Chair
Department of Family & Community Medicine
Founding Director, Center for Healthcare Policy & Research

Klea Bertakis, M.D., M.P.H., is professor and chair emeritus of the Department of Family and Community Medicine.  

She is the founding Director of the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, later renamed the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research (CHPR). Dr. Bertakis guided the early development of the center and positioned CHPR to play a critical role in both UC Davis Health and wider UC Davis academic research. 

Dr. Bertakis is considered one of the founding women of the UC Davis School of Medicine and served as chair of the Council of Chairs and as chair of the UC Davis Medical Center Practice Management Board. She was the youngest recipient of the Curtis G. Hames Research Award in Family Medicine, a lifetime achievement award for contributions to family medicine research, and in 2018, she received the Hibbard E. Williams, M.D. Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her lifetime commitment and service to the School of Medicine. She also served on the National Board of Medical Examiners and Medical Board of California. 

Professor & Chair
Department of Surgery
UC Davis Medical Center Trauma Care Program Founder

F. William Blaisdell, M.D., was professor and chair emeritus of the Department of Surgery. He was a renowned trauma surgeon and is widely considered the “father of modern trauma care.” Dr. Blaisdell contributed extensively to medical research and teaching, and his leadership led UC Davis Medical Center to become one of the largest trauma centers in the country at the time.

In 1978, Dr. Blaisdell became the chair of the Department of Surgery at UC Davis, where he continued his distinguished career until his retirement in 2002. Dr. Blaisdell elevated the School of Medicine’s surgery program to international acclaim.

The American College of Surgeons awarded Dr. Blaisdell its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, for his seminal contributions to the care of patients with trauma, peripheral vascular disease, shock, and thromboembolism, and for his service to the surgical profession. 

Professor & Chair
Department of Neurological Surgery

James E. Boggan, M.D. is professor and chair emeritus of the Department of Neurological Surgery. He joined UC Davis in 1985 and was appointed as the Julian R. Youmans Professor and Endowed Chairperson of Neurological Surgery in 2013. His surgical practice focused on pediatrics, skull base and primary brain tumors, and pain. His surgical expertise helped to establish UC Davis as an internationally recognized leader in skull base surgery. He retired in 2020 and continues to mentor the neurosurgical faculty.

Dr. Boggan was a principal or co-investigator on multidisciplinary research projects funded by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. His grants established the UC Davis Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology Oak Park Research facility and the UC Davis McClellan Nuclear Research Center. He served on scientific review groups for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Cancer Institute, and was a long standing member of Neurological Science Training Review Committees.

Professor & Founding Chair
Department of Internal Medicine

Robert Bolt, M.D., moved to Davis, California in 1966 to help establish the new UC Davis School of Medicine. He became the founding chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, leading its growth and academic development. Prior to this, he graduated from Calvin College and the University of Michigan Medical School, served in the U.S. Naval Reserve Medical Corps, and held a faculty position in internal medicine at the University of Michigan.

Dr. Bolt had a prolific research career, publishing nearly 100 articles and books on internal medicine and clinical trials. He led translational and clinical research, including large-scale clinical studies such as the Clinical Center for Trials of Hypertension Prevention, which aimed to improve understanding and management of hypertension in diverse patient populations. 

Dr. Bolt's leadership helped establish the institution’s reputation for excellence in research, clinical care and faculty development. He was a pioneering physician-scientist who received many honors, lectured worldwide, and mentored generations of physicians and researchers. He retired in 1997. 

Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (2019-2021)
Professor, Department of Neurology    

Allison Brashear, M.D., M.B.A., served as the dean of UC Davis School of Medicine from 2019-2021, and a professor in the Department of Neurology. 

She is the vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.  

Dr. Brashear is an expert in ATP1A3-related diseases, a spectrum of rare neurologic disorders and has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health since 2008. She described Rapid-Onset Dystonia-Parkinsonism (RDP) as a principal investigator and her group reported the genetic mechanism responsible for RDP. She is the lead principal investigator in multicenter trials for cervical dystonia and spasticity, leading to federal approval of three medications.  

Internationally known for her groundbreaking research in movement disorders, she leads a team of neurologists whose clinical, research and innovation focus is on new models of neurological care. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2025. 

Professor, Department of Surgery
Founding Chief, Division of General Thoracic Surgery
Physician-in-Chief, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

Dr. David Tom Cooke is a professor in the Department of Surgery, founding chief of the Division of General Thoracic Surgery, and physician-in-chief of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. A specialist in complex thoracic surgery and thoracic oncology, he focuses on lung and esophageal cancers, with expertise in minimally invasive and robotic techniques, including robotic lung surgery and esophagectomy. A central priority of his work is reducing disparities in cancer outcomes. 

Dr. Cooke is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of its Academy of Master Surgeon Educators. He served as president of the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association from 2023 to 2025 and is a director of both the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. 

Since joining UC Davis in 2008, Dr. Cooke has authored more than 150 publications spanning oncologic trials, surgical outcomes, health services research, patient-centered outcomes, surgical education, and public communication. He has mentored over 60 trainees, many of whom now hold academic faculty positions nationwide. 

His guiding principle, “Equality of Great Quality,” reflects his commitment to creating a human-centered environment that benefits patients, families, and care teams alike. As he reflects on his career, he notes, “It has been said the University of California is an American dream factory. It has been my honor to be a part of that legacy for two decades.” 

Professor
Departments of Internal Medicine & Physiology & Membrane Biology
Principal Investigator, 1st UC Davis School of Medicine NIH training grant

Carroll Cross, M.D., is professor emeritus in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Physiology and Membrane Biology. Dr. Cross was recruited to initiate the teaching, clinical, and research programs in lung pathobiology at UC Davis in 1968, being the first pulmonary disease boarded physician in the Sacramento area. His research areas focused on free radicals in lung biology and medicine, with a later focus on cystic fibrosis and congenital emphysema, programs he initiated in the UC Davis clinics. 

His research appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, the Journal of Internal Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Nature, and Science. Dr. Cross’s research and training grants were funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the American Heart, Cystic Fibrosis, and Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Foundations. He served as principal investigator on the UC Davis School of Medicine’s first National Institutes of Health training grant.

Distinguished Professor & Chair
Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology

Satya Dandekar, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, with a joint appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases.  

Dr. Dandekar's research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus infections, with special emphasis on gastrointestinal mucosal lymphoid tissue as a major target organ of the viral infection and as a viral reservoir.  

Dr. Dandekar established a research consortium in India for AIDS research and has been instrumental in developing a multi-institutional international program on HIV research. She has trained Indian researchers through her participation in the Northern California Center for AIDS Research as the Director of the Developmental Core activities.  

Dr. Dandekar has designed and implemented several new courses, workshops, and seminars in Microbiology and Immunology, DNA Microarrays, and Animal Models of Infectious Diseases. 

Distinguished Professor & Chair, Department of Surgery
Founding Director, Center for Surgical Bioengineering 

Diana Farmer, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.R.C.S., is a distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Surgery and the Pearl Stamps Stewart Endowed Chair. She is chief of Pediatric Surgery at Shriners Children’s – Northern California and founding director of the Center for Surgical Bioengineering. 

A recognized leader in pediatric and fetal surgery, Dr. Farmer is known for her surgical treatment of congenital anomalies, her expertise in cancer, airway, and intestinal surgeries in newborns, and her investigations on the safety and effectiveness of providing spina bifida treatments before birth. She is the principal investigator of the landmark CuRe Trial, the world’s first clinical trial using stem cells to treat spina bifida before birth. 

Dr. Farmer has received numerous awards throughout her career, including being a Luce Scholar, a recipient of Wellesley College’s Alumnae Achievement Award, and a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. She has previously served as president of the American Pediatric Surgical Association and the American Surgical Association, and as chair of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons. She is a Regent of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Associate Dean for Humanities & Bioethics 
Master Educator & Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Chief of General Medicine

Faith Thayer Fitzgerald, M.D., was the associate dean for humanities and bioethics, a master educator and professor emeritus in the Department of Internal Medicine and the chief of general medicine.

Dr. Fitzgerald devoted nearly four decades to educating the next generation of physicians at the UC Davis School of Medicine, serving as the residency program director for 20 years before retiring in 2018.

In addition to national and regional recognition, UC Davis medical students and faculty repeatedly recognized Dr. Fitzgerald with the school’s highest honors. She was chosen as the University of California, Davis, Senior Class Outstanding Clinical Teacher seven times and was named the Department of Medicine Distinguished Faculty Teacher on four separate occasions. She served as a visiting professor and lecturer in 30 states and 10 countries.

Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (2014-2017)
Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences, UC Davis Health

Julie Freischlag, M.D., F.A.C.S., served as vice chancellor and dean at the UC Davis School of Medicine from 2014-2017. 

A vascular surgeon, Dr. Freischlag specialized in the treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome. She received numerous teaching and achievement awards, including the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Vascular Surgery, an achievement award from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Trailblazer Award from the Society of University Surgeons. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and was inducted into the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2021. 

Dr. Freischlag served as CEO of Wake Forest Baptist and as dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine from 2018 to 2023. She held numerous national leadership roles, including serving as president of the American College of Surgeons, chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges board of directors and board member of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Research Hospital. 

She was the first and only woman president of the Society for Vascular Surgery and the first woman president of the Association of VA Surgeons. Dr. Freischlag was also the editor of JAMA Surgery for 10 years. After more than 32 years in academic medicine and 38 years as a vascular surgeon, Dr. Freischlag retired in 2025.  

Associate Dean for Diverse & Inclusive Learning Communities    
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine

Jorge A. García, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.P., served as the associate dean for diverse and inclusive learning communities and as a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Before retiring in June 2024, he cared for patients, learners, and community members for nearly three decades. He served as a member of the Chancellor’s Hispanic Serving Institution Taskforce and as the assistant director of Prep Médico, a pathway program for first-generation college students interested in serving Latinx communities as physicians or other healthcare leaders.

Dr. García’s multiple teaching awards, including the American College of Physicians Distinguished Teacher and Mentor Award, reflect his strong belief that serving the health needs of diverse and underserved communities starts with inspiring and nurturing students from those communities. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.  

Professor, Department of Family & Community Medicine
Director, Academic Coaching Program

Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Executive Director, Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care & Rural Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care & Psychiatry

Alicia Gonzalez-Flores, M.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and the executive director of Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care and Rural Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care and Psychiatry program.

She is a general internist practicing primary care at the Sacramento County Primary Care Center with a special interest in providing care for vulnerable populations and curative treatment for Hepatitis C. Dr. Gonzalez-Flores helped establish and leads Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care programs, recruiting students committed to primary care or psychiatry in under resourced settings.

Assistant Vice Provost, Academic Personnel
Professor, Department of Physiology & Membrane Biology

Sarah Gray, Ph.D., was an assistant vice provost of Academic Affairs and a professor in the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology.  

Dr. Gray received her B.A. at Barnard College, an M.A. from New York University and conducted postdoctoral research in vascular physiology at Duke University. She received her Ph.D. in 1966 from UC San Francisco.  

She joined UC Davis in 1972 as one of the school’s formative faculty members. Her research explored the mechanisms governing microvascular behavior, especially reactivity to neural and hormonal stimuli, which influence patterns of pressure and flow in skeletal muscle during neonatal development, exercise and the development of genetic hypertension. 

Dr. Gray was a member of the UC Davis School of Medicine’s Admissions Committee and Task Force Chair. She served as a faculty member for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2009. She was a renowned advocate for the arts and often lent her extensive collection of works by Black artists to galleries.   

Distinguished Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Founding Director, MIND Institute

Randi Hagerman, M.D., is a distinguished professor of pediatrics and the founding  director of the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute. She holds an Endowed Chair in Fragile X Research and has over 45 years of experience working with those with fragile X syndrome, autism, and premutation disorders.

An internationally recognized clinician and researcher in fragile X, Dr. Hagerman co-founded the National Fragile X Foundation and has spent more than 25 years at the MIND Institute. She has mentored hundreds of people over her career and has worked internationally to establish fragile X clinical and research programs while conducting multiple targeted treatment trials. She and her team discovered the Fragile X -associated Tremor Ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative disorder which opened a new field of premutation disorders.

Dr. Hagerman has received numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Fragile X Foundation, multiple Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Awards from UC Davis, and an Outstanding Career Achievement Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Associate Dean, Admissions
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine

Distinguished Professor & Chair, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Lydia Pleotis Howell, M.D., is a distinguished professor and chair emerita of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. She was the first woman to serve as chair of her department and is recognized as one of the founding women of the School of Medicine. During her 13-year tenure as chair, the department achieved national recognition in clinical service, research and education.  

Dr. Howell also had a tremendous impact in her role as associate dean for academic personnel, expanding faculty family leave policies that were adopted throughout the University of California. 

She co-founded UC Davis Women in Medicine and Health Sciences program, which she co-led for 15 years. She also co-led NIH-funded research on the effects of family-friendly policies on women’s medical careers and led an Innovation Award for faculty career flexibility from the American Council on Education and the Sloan Foundation.  

A nationally recognized leader, Dr. Howell served as president of the Association of Pathology Chairs and president of the American Society of Cytopathology. She was also the Association of Pathology Chairs’ founding deputy director. She retired in 2023 after 37 years as a faculty member.  

Associate Dean for Students
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine

Sharad Jain, M.D., is the associate dean for students and a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. He oversees all aspects of the student experience, including academic advising, wellness, career planning, and professional development. 
 
Dr. Jain is committed to ensuring student success in medical school, fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment, and teaching about vulnerable populations. He has a long-standing commitment to health equity; his professional interests include medical education, student support, workforce development, and novel approaches to providing care to vulnerable populations.

He practices general internal medicine at the Sacramento County Health Center, where he sees patients and supervises medical residents.

Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (1993-1997)     
Professor, Department of Dermatology

Gerald Lazarus, M.D., served as chief executive officer of UC Davis Health and dean of the medical school from 1993 to1997.  

Dr. Lazarus's tenure fostered a unified health system, engaging the teaching hospital and the school, the school's faculty, department chairs and clinical practice board, and a network of primary care physician practices in 17 Northern California communities. 

A professor of dermatology and nationally recognized authority on the mechanisms of inflammation, Dr. Lazarus was awarded National Institutes of Health funding for more than 20 years. He published more than 300 scholarly papers and seven books, and received numerous awards for research, teaching and mentorship.  

He later founded the John Hopkins Wound Healing Center and began a collaboration with Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center to assist the Wounded Warrior Program. Dr. Lazarus also played a prominent role in initiating collaboration between U.S. and Chinese medical schools as the founding president of the Milstein Medical Asian American Partnership Foundation. 

Before joining UC Davis, Dr. Lazarus held endowed professorships and chaired the dermatology departments at Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania.  

Vice Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine
Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Internal Medicine

Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (2021-2026)
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Chief of the UC Davis Medical Staff

Susan Murin, M.D., M.Sc., M.B.A., has served as interim dean and then dean of UC Davis School of Medicine since 2021. She is a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.  
 
Dr. Murin joined UC Davis in 1995 and served in several leadership roles before becoming interim dean and then dean of the School of Medicine. These include vice dean for clinical affairs and executive director of the UC Davis Medical Group, chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, vice chair for clinical affairs and executive vice chair of internal medicine, and chief of the medical staff at UC Davis. 
 
Her national service has included membership on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Internal Medicine RRC, chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine Pulmonary Board, and chair of the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. Prior to joining UC Davis Dr. Murin was an officer in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps. During most of her career at UC Davis, she also cared for veterans through a joint appointment at the Mather Veterans Administration facility.  
 
Dr. Murin's research focused on the effects of smoking on the natural history of breast cancer and the epidemiology of venous thromboembolism. 

Interim Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences (2013-2015, 2017-2018) 
Interim Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (2013-2014) 
Associate Vice Chancellor, Strategic Technologies & Alliances (2009-2018) 
Founding Director, Center for Health & Technology 

Thomas Nesbitt, M.D., M.P.H., served as the associate vice chancellor for strategic technologies and alliances, interim vice chancellor for human health sciences (2013-2014, 2017-2018), and interim dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine (2013-2014). He founded the UC Davis Telemedicine Program and is the founding director of the Center for Health and Technology. 

As part of his regional outreach role and in collaboration with the UC Davis comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Nesbitt launched the UC Davis Cancer Care Network, bringing advanced cancer care and the latest clinical research to Northern California's rural communities. He developed UC Davis' Programs in Medical Education (PRIME) programs, preparing physicians to serve in rural and underserved urban areas. Dr. Nesbitt also helped establish UC Davis' Center for Virtual Care, a training resource for students and working professionals throughout the region. As an emeritus faculty member, he was the founding co-director of Health Davis Together, a $50 million, nationally recognized COVID-19 mitigation project.  

Dr. Nesbitt has authored or co-authored more than 100 journal articles, abstracts and book chapters on obstetrics, rural health and the use of telecommunications technology in health care and education and has received numerous awards for his innovation and leadership. 

Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Human Anatomy
Director, Institute for Regenerative Cures 
UC Davis Gene Therapy Center Director

Jan A. Nolta, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy. Dr. Nolta is also the director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Program at UC Davis School of Medicine. She is the scientific director of the UC Davis Good Manufacturing Practice Facility, and principal investigator of the California State Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program. Dr. Nolta is helping UC Davis teams develop numerous clinical trials, with 60 stem cell and/or gene therapy clinical trials currently ongoing, and over 20 in the pipeline.  

A scientist with 30 years of experience with human Hematopoietic and Mesenchymal stem cells, CAR-T, gene therapy and clinical trial development, Dr. Nolta has published over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts in the stem cell field, with over 20,000 citations and an H index of 76 and has authored 30+ book chapters. She served as editor-in-chief for the Journal Stem Cells for the past decade. In 2023 she was awarded the International Society of Cell Therapy Career Achievement Award in Cell and Gene Therapy, the society’s highest honor. 

Vice Chair & Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Associate Dean of Student Affairs
Chief of Staff, UC Davis Medical Center

Lois O'Grady, M.D., was an original faculty member of the UC Davis School of Medicine and the first woman on the school's faculty. She served as vice chair and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, the associate dean of student affairs, and the chief of staff for UC Davis Medical Center. 

Highly regarded as a strong mentor and advocate for women faculty, Dr. O’Grady was widely respected as an expert on breast cancer. She wrote numerous papers and was a co-author of the book A Practical Approach to Breast Disease.  

Dr. O’Grady was elected president of the Sacramento chapter of the American Cancer Society in 1995. In recognition of her excellence in teaching, she received a citation for Distinguished Teaching from the University of California, Davis in 1972. She retired from the faculty in 1994 after 27 years of service. 

Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (2005-2013)
Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences, UC Davis Health
Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology

Claire Pomeroy, M.D., M.B.A., joined UC Davis in 2003 as executive associate dean and served as vice chancellor and dean of the School of Medicine from 2005 through 2013. She is a professor emerita at UC Davis. Dr. Pomeroy is currently the president and chief executive officer of the Lasker Foundation.

An expert in infectious diseases, Dr. Pomeroy is a long-time advocate for patients, especially those with HIV/AIDS, and public health. She passionately supports ongoing investment in the full range of research. She continues to lead an active research team studying host responses to viral infections. She has a special interest in health care policy, with a focus on the importance of the social determinants of health.

She has published more than 100 articles and book chapters and edited three books. Dr. Pomeroy was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine in 2011.  

Vice Dean for Basic Sciences
Distinguished Professor and Arline Miller Rolkin Endowed Chair in Physiology and Membrane Biology

Luis Fernando Santana, Ph.D., F.A.H.A., is the inaugural vice dean for basic sciences and Arline Miller Rolkin Endowed Chair in the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology. He previously served as interim chair of the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and Medical Microbiology and Immunology. 

Dr. Santana is a leader in the biophysics of the ion channels that control muscle excitability and contraction. His lab discovered that calcium channels organize into clusters that gate in synchrony to generate the rich calcium signals that drive the heartbeat and regulate blood pressure. More recently, his group showed that ATP, long assumed to be held constant in working muscle, actually fluctuates beat-to-beat regulating pacemaking and cardiac contraction. Published in Science, Nature, PNAS, and other leading journals, this work has reshaped the understanding of cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, and heart failure. 

Dr. Santana was the founding co-director of the Academic Research Careers for Medical Doctors (ARC-MD) program, training future physician-scientists. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2023 and the American Heart Association in 2012.

Vice Dean, Medical Education
Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Mark Servis, M.D., is vice dean for medical education and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He joined the faculty in 1989 and served as vice chair for education and general psychiatry residency training director in the department for 20 years, and vice dean for over 18 years. 

During his 37-year tenure at UC Davis School of Medicine, Dr. Servis established himself as a national leader in medical and psychiatric education. He served prominently on national working groups, including the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, to establish combined training programs in psychiatry and primary care, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, to develop the inaugural competencies and milestones for both general psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. 

As vice dean for medical education, Dr. Servis initiated the development of new graduation competencies and the implementation of innovative curricula, pedagogy, and novel and more equitable student assessments, ultimately leading to the adoption of a new integrated medical curriculum, I-EXPLORE, the first major curriculum change for the school in over 30 years.  

His tenure established the school as a national leader in workforce innovation with the creation of multiple pioneering educational and workforce pathways programs for students and residents, including Transforming Education and Community Health for Medical Students (TEACH), Reimagining Education to Advance central California Health (REACH), Tribal Health Program in Medical Education (THP), California Oregon Medical Partnership to Address Disparities in Rural Education and Health (COMPADRE), and Rural Accelerated Competency-based Education in Primary Care and Psychiatry (Rural ACE-PCP). 

Associate Dean of Diverse & Inclusive Education
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science

Ruth Shim, M.D., M.P.H., is the Luke and Grace Kim Professor in Cultural Psychiatry and professor of clinical psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She previously served as the associate dean of diverse and inclusive education.

Dr. Shim is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is chair of the board of the Steinberg Institute. She serves on the Editorial Boards of JAMA Psychiatry and American Psychiatric Publishing. She edits two columns in Psychiatric Services: Social Determinants of Mental Health and Racism & Mental Health Equity.

She is a regular contributor to JAMA Health Forum, where her articles focus on mental health policy issues. She is co-editor of the books The Social Determinants of Mental Health and Social (In)Justice and Mental Health.

Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (1997-2005) 
Chief Executive Officer, UC Davis Health System 
Professor & Chair, Department of Internal Medicine 

Joseph Silva, M.D., was dean of the School of Medicine and chief executive officer of the UC Davis Health. He served as chair of the Department of Internal Medicine for 14 years before being named dean in 1997.  

During his tenure as dean, research funding received by the School of Medicine more than doubled. Dr. Silva oversaw the development of the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, a collaborative, international research center committed to the awareness, understanding, prevention, care and cure of neurodevelopmental disorders.  

Dr. Silva’s support for hiring new faculty, establishing new research laboratories and committing resources to the cancer center was instrumental in the UC Davis Cancer Center achieving a National Cancer Institute designation.   

During his tenure as dean, UC Davis’ strengths in basic and clinical sciences were augmented through collaborations with the Shriners Children’s – Northern California, the Veterans Affairs Health System and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.  

A specialist in infectious and immunologic diseases, Dr. Silva published more than 150 works in scholarly journals, in addition to dozens of book chapters and editorials, as well as more than 100 abstract presentations at scientific meetings.

Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine

Colleen Sweeney, Ph.D., is the vice chair of education and a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine. She previously served as director of the Allyship and Academic Recruitment Training Programs in the office of Health Equity by Design for Inclusive Excellence.

Dr. Sweeney’s research has been funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Cancer Institute, and the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program. Her research focuses on basic and translational breast cancer research, including environmental exposure, receptor tyrosine kinases in breast tumor progression and therapeutic resistance.

She has been repeatedly recognized for her work as an educator, receiving the Outstanding Instructor for Excellence in Teaching of the Sciences Basic to Medicine and the Kaiser Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching awards numerous times, as well as the School of Medicine's Tupper Teaching Award and the UC Davis Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching. As a first-generation college graduate, she has devoted her career to inclusive educational practices. 

Associate Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine    
Professor & Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Joe P. Tupin, M.D., was a professor and chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He served as the director of research in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and later became assistant dean and associate dean in the School of Medicine.   

After serving as vice chair, Dr. Tupin was named chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in 1975.  

Prior to joining UC Davis in 1969, he worked as a research associate at the National Institutes of Health. He also served as the director of research and as an assistant and associate dean at the University of Texas.   

Dr. Tupin accomplished groundbreaking research on the beneficial effects of lithium and succeeded in getting the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its use.  

He later served as chair of the Quality of Care Committee and medical director for UC Davis Health, a role he retained until his retirement in 1992. Dr. Tupin also served on the California Medical Association’s Hospital Medical Staff Executive Committee. 

Founding Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (1966–1979)

C. John Tupper, M.D., was the founding dean of the UC Davis School and Medicine, serving from 1966-1979. Before joining UC Davis, he served as associate dean at the University of Michigan.  

As founding dean, Dr. Tupper is largely credited with developing the school into a highly respected medical institution. He developed the school’s foundational curriculum and recruited core faculty members, welcoming the inaugural class of 48 medical students in 1968. Through his leadership, Dr. Tupper laid the institutional foundation that shaped the School of Medicine’s mission, curriculum, and faculty for generations.  

After concluding his term as dean, Dr. Tupper returned to clinical medicine and was a significant influence in founding the UC Davis geriatric program. He also served as acting chair of the Department of Community Medicine and International Health.  

As a prominent state and national leader, Dr. Tupper served as president of the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association. He also founded the Scientific Board of the California Medical Association and served as its chair for its first eight years.  

Director, UC Davis Health Sports Medicine
Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Brandee Waite, M.D., is the director of Sports Medicine at UC Davis Health and the inaugural director of Lifestyle and Longevity Medicine Innovation for the School of Medicine. She is also a national speaker on topics of leadership and promotion in academic medicine.

She helped design and pioneer the implementation of preventive medicine teaching in the 2021 School of Medicine I-EXPLORE curriculum redesign. In 2019, Dr. Waite became the first Black/African American female professor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the United States.

Dr. Waite is a lead team physician for the Sacramento Republic FC professional men's soccer team and for UC Davis collegiate sports teams. She has previously served as a team physician for Team USA national track and field program, the World's Strongest Man international championships, RacingThePlanet® international wilderness ultramarathon series, the Sacramento Kings (NBA), Sacramento Monarchs (WNBA) and the Sacramento Ballet.

Dean, UC Davis School of Medicine (1980-1992)
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine

Hibbard E. Williams, M.D., served as UC Davis School of Medicine’s second dean from 1980 through 1992. A professor of internal medicine, he was an endocrinologist and internationally respected expert on kidney stone disease. 

Dr. Williams guided the rapid and unprecedented growth and development of UC Davis as a major medical research facility, balancing the school’s traditional base of training primary care physicians while establishing leading-edge subspecialty programs. He retired in 2000 and continued to participate in grand rounds and lectures for physicians, residents, medical students and health care professionals. 

Dr. Williams received the U.S. Public Health Service Career Development Award, the Kaiser Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, and multiple distinguished faculty awards from the University of California. He was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, an honorary society recognizing outstanding scholarly achievements in biomedical research.  

Dr. Williams was a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges' Executive Council and Council of Deans Administrative Board; chair of the California Area Health Education Center's Council of Deans; president of the Yolo County Medical Society; and board member of the California Medical Association. He also held leadership roles within the American College of Physicians, American Board of Internal Medicine, Western Association of Physicians, and the California Academy of Medicine.  

Distinguished Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Founding Director, Centers for Violence Prevention

Garen Wintemute, M.D., M.P.H., is an emergency medicine physician and firearm violence researcher. He’s the inaugural Susan P. Baker-Stephen P. Teret Chair in Violence Prevention at UC Davis School of Medicine and the director of the Centers for Violence Prevention. 

In 2017, Dr. Wintemute led the effort to create the California Firearm Violence Research Center — the nation’s first publicly funded research center to study firearm violence.

Wintemute has been part of the UC Davis community since 1973, attending medical school and completing a residency in family medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine before returning as a physician. Dr. Wintemute is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Vice Chair, Community Engagement, Department of Pediatrics
Chief, Division of General Pediatrics
Professor, Department of Pediatrics

Serena Yang, M.D., M.P.H., is a health sciences clinical professor, chief of general pediatrics and vice chair of community engagement in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Yang provides comprehensive primary care for infants and children from the newborn period through adolescence and teaches at the bedside in a variety of settings, including well baby nurseries, federally qualified health centers, hospital-based clinics, and pediatric mobile clinics.  

Dr. Yang's academic interests focus on health professions training pathways that help to address healthcare workforce shortages, whether it be inspiring K-12 students as they explore health careers, serving as co-leader of a longitudinal integrated health equity curriculum for medical students, or coaching faculty in advanced skill development.  

She also seeks to establish innovative and sustainable community-clinical partnerships that improve networks of care, community linkages, and systems to advance equitable care for all children and families.