Basic and Translational Research
Christopher P. Evans
Professor and Chairman, Department of Urologic Surgery; Co-Leader, Prostate Cancer Program
Dr. Evans received his M.D. from Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire. He completed his residency at the University of California, San Francisco in 1995 and a two year uro-oncology fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1997. Dr. Evans is a urologic surgical oncologist with extensive research experience and in 2006 became the Urologic Surgery Department Chair. His expertise in prostate cancer research stemmed from his previous experience at the NCI, UCSF and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Evans is a Co-Leader of the Cancer Center Prostate Program. Dr. Evans collaborates with other prostate program members in various projects in understanding the mechanism of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), identifying molecular targets, and developing therapeutic approaches for CRPC.
In 2009, Dr. Evans was elected as a member of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons (AAGUS). This prestigious honor is reserved for distinguished urologists who are under age 65. AAGUS, the oldest urology society in North America, is limited to 75 members, of whom about one-third are cancer specialists.
Allen Gao
Ralph deVere White Professor, Director of Urologic Research; Co-Leader of Prostate Cancer Program, Department of Urologic Surgery and UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Gao received his Ph.D. (1995) in Molecular Biology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX and his MD (1985) at Sichuan University West China Medical Center, China. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship (1995-1998) in the Department of Urology and Oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Dr. Gao served as an Assistant Professor of Urology and Pathology (1998-2002) at University of Pittsburgh, Associate Professor (2002-2006) and Professor (2006-2007) of Medicine and Pharmacology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and SUNY at Buffalo prior to relocating to the University of California at Davis. The mission of Dr. Gao’s laboratory is to understand molecular changes associated with the progression of prostate cancer cells, with the goals of identification of diagnostic markers and potential therapeutic targets for prostate cancer.
Paramita M. Ghosh
Professor of Urologic Surgery and Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
Dr. Ghosh holds joint appointments with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and VA Northern California Health Care System. Dr. Ghosh’s research is focused on signal transduction pathways in prostate cancer development and progression. Her research projects are strongly mechanistic but also utilize human tissues and animal models to prove the effects of various combinations of FDA approved drugs for the treatment of prostate cancer at various stages of its development.
Eric A. Kurzrock
Professor of Urologic Surgery and Pediatrics
The Pediatric Urology research laboratory is focused on the identification, characterization and isolation of urothelial stem cells. Dr. Kurzrock has received an $885,000 grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for stem cell research that aims to lead the way to bioengineering replacement organs such as bladders. This research is expected to pave the way for bioengineered tissue and organs.
>> View more about UC Davis pediatric urology expert awarded stem cell grant