School of Medicine


Showing 111-120 of 181 Results

  • Kimberley Tolias

    Kimberley Tolias

    Professor (Research) of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe human brain is composed of billions of neurons connected through trillions of synapses that form the neural circuits underlying thought, emotion, learning, memory, and behavior. These synaptic connections are not static - they are continuously shaped and remodeled throughout life in response to experience, a processes critical for learning and memory. When neural circuits fail to develop or function properly, the consequences can be devastating, contributing to conditions ranging from autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability to chronic pain, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and cognitive decline.

    Research in the Tolias laboratory seeks to understand the fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern how neural circuits form, adapt, and repair themselves in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Our work focuses on how neurons sense signals from their environment and convert them into intracellular signaling pathways that drive synapse formation and remodeling, dendritic and axonal growth, and cell migration. We are also interested in how disruption of these pathways contributes to neurological and neuropsychiatric disease, and whether targeting specific signaling mechanisms can promote recovery following CNS injury or disease.

    The laboratory combines mouse genetics with molecular, cellular, biochemical, electrophysiological, genomic, and behavioral approaches to bridge fundamental neuroscience with translational discovery.

    Current Research Areas:

    - Molecular mechanisms regulating synapse development, neural circuit formation, and synaptic plasticity during learning and memory

    - Roles of Rho GTPase signaling pathways in brain development, circuit remodeling, and neurological disease

    - Functions of Adhesion-GPCRs in synapse development, dendritic and axonal growth, and neural circuit function

    - Mechanisms underlying chronic pain, opioid tolerance, and chronic pain-associated mood and cognitive disorders

    - Synaptic and circuit dysfunction following traumatic brain injury, radiotherapy, and other CNS injuries

    - Development of new tools to visualize and map synaptic remodeling during learning and disease

    - Interactions between the gut microbiome, brain development, neural circuit function, and behavior

  • Lucy Tompkins

    Lucy Tompkins

    Lucy Becker Professor of Medicine, Emerita

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsGenetic and cellular basis of pathogenicity of Helicobacter pylori. Molecular epidemiology, hospital epidemiology, quality improvement in healthcare associated infections.

  • Hui Qi Tong

    Hui Qi Tong

    Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Medical Psychiatry

    BioClinical Professor, Stanford Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
    Clinical Associate Professor, Stanford Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
    HS Clinical Assistant Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry & San Francisco VA Health Care
    Staff Psychologist: Women's Mental Health Program, San Francisco VA Health Care System
    Academic visitor: Oxford Mindfulness Center, Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University
    Psychology Post-doctoral Fellowship: UCSF/San Francisco VA Health Care System
    Psychology Pre-doctoral Internship: UCSF/San Francisco VA Health Care System
    Psychology Education: Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto University (2008)
    Clinical Research Associate: Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine
    Research Fellow: Genetics Division, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital,Harvard Medical School
    Medical Education: Fudan University, Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai, China (1994)

  • Diana Tordoff

    Diana Tordoff

    Instructor, Obstetrics & Gynecology - General

    BioDiana M. Tordoff, PhD, MPH is an epidemiologist with expertise in LGBTQ+ health equity and gynecological health research. Dr. Tordoff completed her PhD and MPH in Epidemiology at the University of Washington and received a BA with honors in Mathematics from Vassar College. She is also an affiliated researcher with The PRIDE Study (pridestudy.org), where she recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship. Her current research focuses on the impact of exogenous hormones (gender affirming hormones and menopause hormone therapy) on sexual and gynecological health. Her research interests include sexual and reproductive health, menopause, the vaginal microbiome, molecular epidemiology, intersectionality, and community-engaged research methods.

  • Natalie Torok

    Natalie Torok

    Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab is focused on exploring the role of matrix remodeling in disease progression in metabolic dysfunction steatohepatitis (MASH)-related hepatocellular carcinoma and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Our goal is to uncover how biomechanical characteristics of the ECM affect mechano-sensation, and how these pathways could ultimately be targeted. We are also interested in aging and its effects on metabolic pathways in MASH and HCC.