School of Medicine
Showing 301-400 of 632 Results
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Jeffrey Peng, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated), Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
BioDr. Peng is a board-certified specialist in sports medicine and family medicine. He provides care for athletes of all ages and enjoys helping everyday patients achieve and sustain a healthy, active lifestyle. His expertise includes orthobiologics, such as platelet-rich plasma, and ultrasound-guided minimally invasive techniques to treat osteoarthritis, tendinopathies, and other musculoskeletal conditions.
Outside of work, Dr. Peng enjoys reading, exercising, cooking, spending time with his wife, and creating fun mischief with his daughter and son. He is also fluent in Mandarin. -
Jinghong Penny Peng
Clinical Instructor, Radiation Oncology - Radiation Physics
Current Research and Scholarly Interests1. IMRT Treatment planning
2. IGRT Radiation Therapy
3. Real time prostate implant
4. 4D CT and Respiratory Gating Radiation Therapy
5. HDR for breast cancer and GYN cancer
6. Xoft Electronic Brachytherapy -
Deanna Pepin
Postdoctoral Scholar, Pathology
BioHey there! I was born in the small town of Selkirk, Manitoba, but lived most of my life in Edmonton, Alberta. I completed my Bachelor of Science at Kings University, focusing on biology and did undergrad research on Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs - bacteria that degrade petrochemicals. Following graduation, I became a Research Technician with Exciton Technologies Inc., a research and development company producing silver-based wound care products for treating infections. In 2016, I joined Dr. Benjamin Willing’s lab in Agriculture, Food, and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Alberta and completed a Master of Science focusing on how certain husbandry changes impact the development of the gastrointestinal microbiota, Salmonella infection resistance, and immune response in broiler production. In 2024, I completed my PhD in the department of Microbiology & Immunology at UBC, working with Dr. Carolina Tropini to understand the impact of osmotic stress on the gut microbiome.
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Jon-Paul Pepper, MD
Associate Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery (OHNS)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsFacial paralysis is a debilitating condition that affects thousands of people. Despite excellent surgical technique, we are currently limited by the regenerative capacity of the body. The mission of our research is to identify new treatments that improve current facial paralysis treatments. We do this by exploring the regenerative cues that the body uses to restore tissue after nerve injury, in particular through pathways of neurogenesis and nerve repair in small mammals.
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Jack Percelay
Clinical Professor, Pediatrics
BioJack Percelay has a 25+ year career in pediatric hospital medicine, beginning before the term hospitalist was invented when he started as an "in-house pediatrician in 1991 at several Bay Area hospitals after a brief career as a civilian primary care pediatrician at local and international US military bases. He has spent the majority of his career in community hospitals where his practice has run the gamut from the general pediatric ward and emergency room, to the PICU and intensive care nurseries, delivery room, and specialized neurologic and neurosurgical units. His work has taken him from San Francisco to New York City with brief stints in Hawaii. In 2015 he moved to Seattle Children's Hospital where he was an Associate Division Chief of Hospital Medicine, and in 2018 returned to the Bay Area joining the Stanford faculty.
He served as the founding chair of the AAP Section on Hospital Medicine, and has also served as the Chair of the AAP Committee on Hospital Care. He served for seven years as the pediatric board member for the Society of Hospital Medicine and has been recognized as a Master of Hospital Medicine by SHM. Additionally, he was an inaugural board member of the American Board of Pediatrics Pediatric Hospital Medicine Subspecialty Board. Areas of interest include pediatric hospital medicine systems of care, patient and family-centered care, BRUEs, billing and coding, and hospitalist roles in the PICU. -
Dalia Perelman
Dietitian 2, Medicine - Med/Stanford Prevention Research Center
Current Role at StanfordResearch Dietitian:
•Implements the nutritional component of research protocols, counsels participants, collects and enters food records, develops nutrition education materials, and develops specialized diets for metabolic studies.
•Develops protocols and informed consent forms for IRB submission.
•Collects, compiles, documents, and analyzes clinical research data.
•Recruits and consents subjects.
Health Educator:
•Develops and presents curriculum to educate subjects on study diets.
•Implements new techniques to increase adherence to study diets.
•Acts as a liaison between investigators, collaborators, and study participants. -
Addie Peretz
Clinical Associate Professor, Adult Neurology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Peretz's research interests include understanding the biological underpinnings of migraine and chronic daily headaches. She also participates in clinical trials of new headache treatments.
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Felipe De Jesus Perez
Clinical Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
BioFelipe D. Perez is a Clinical Associate Professor who is board-certified as an Anesthesiologist and as a Pediatric Anesthesiologist. He is the Assistant Dean for Office of Community Health and Engagement at Stanford University School of Medicine. He was raised in an immigrant working class neighborhood of Long Beach, CA. After receiving his Bachelors at Stanford he dedicated three years to public health policy where he worked for local, state, and national levels of government. He worked for Congressman Henry Waxman, Assemblymember Hector De La Torre, and Senator Alex Padilla, on laws such as preventing homelessness and having restaurants post caloric information on their menus. He returned to Stanford University for his Medical Degree and stayed for residency, pediatric anesthesiology fellowship, and was hired on as faculty at both the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and Stanford Hospital. He served as the Chair of the Legislative Affairs Committee for the California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA) 2021 to 2023.He is a Vice Chair in the Department of Anesthesiology and leads the Office of Community Engagement (OCE). He founded CSA's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee, and has served in the past as the communication chair for the national Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) DEI Committee.
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Marco Perez
Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine)
BioDr. Marco Perez's research goal is to better understand the fundamental causes of cardiovascular disease through the study of genetics and epidemiology. His group studies the genetic variations and environmental exposures that are associated with conditions such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure. He has led the studies of atrial fibrillation in Women's Health Initiative, one of the largest nation-wide population-based cohorts. He is currently conducting a large study monitoring for silent or asymptomatic atrial fibrillation in women from the WHI randomized to exercise intervention, and was co-PI of the Apple Heart Study, a clinical trial that validated the ability of a smartwatch to detect atrial fibrillation. He is now PI of the Clinical Coordinating Center at Stanford for the REACT-AF which is a clinical trial to evaluate efficacy and safety of a "pill-in-the pocket" approach to anticoagulation for AF using a smartwatch. He is interested in understanding the paradox that atrial fibrillation is less common in African Americans and Hispanics, despite a greater burden of risk factors such as hypertension. As director of the Stanford Inherited Arrhythmia Clinic, he evaluates families with rare inherited arrhythmias associated with sudden death such as Long QT and Brugada Syndromes and explores their links with novel genes. He also studies the genetic causes of very early onset atrial fibrillation. He also studies how best to use the electrocardiogram and imaging modalities using Machine Learning techniques to identify patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. Dr. Perez receives funding from the NIH/NHLBI, Apple Inc., Janssen and the Colson Foundation.
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Javier Perez-Garcia
Postdoctoral Scholar, Epidemiology
BioJavier Perez-Garcia is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University. His research has been focused on the integration of multi-omic data (e.g., genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, and microbiome) to identify potential biomarkers of treatment response for complex diseases like asthma. His research background includes experience both in molecular biology techniques (e.g., DNA extraction and sequencing libraries preparation) and bioinformatic analyses (e.g., processing of raw omic data, association studies at genomic scale, or multi-omic integration through machine learning and quantitative trait loci analyses). He holds a Ph.D. in Health Sciences and a B.Sc. in Pharmacy from the University of La Laguna (Spain).
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Eduardo J. Pérez-Guerrero
Clinical Scholar, Medicine
Resident in Med/Hospital MedicineBioEduardo J. Pérez-Guerrero, MD, is a third-year Internal Medicine resident and rising Chief Resident at Stanford University with clinical interests in cardiology and electrophysiology. His research centers on the intersection of wearable technology, artificial intelligence, and cardiovascular medicine, including work with the Apple Heart Study team. He is actively involved in the implementation and evaluation of AI-driven tools in clinical care, with a focus on assessing performance, safety, and real-world impact on patient outcomes.
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Alexander C. Perino
Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
BioAlexander C. Perino, MD is a cardiac electrophysiologist at Stanford Health Care whose primary focus is providing procedural care for patients with heart rhythm disorders. He performs a wide range of ablation and cardiac device implantation procedures, utilizing cutting-edge techniques and technologies to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care.
Dr. Perino serves as the Director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory at Stanford Health Care, where he leads efforts to enhance procedural quality, safety, and patient outcomes across the electrophysiology program. He is also the principal investigator for numerous clinical trials, working to ensure that patients have the opportunity to participate in research and contribute to scientific advancement—without compromising the quality of their care.
In addition, Dr. Perino is the Medical Informatics Director for the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford Health Care. In this role, he oversees initiatives aimed at improving the quality and safety of cardiovascular care, while optimizing the electronic health record to better support patients and clinicians alike. -
VJ Periyakoil, Professor of Medicine
Professor of Medicine (Primary Care and Population Health)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy lab is focused on longevity and healthy aging research.
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Sarvesh Periyasamy
Affiliate, Department Funds
Resident in Rad/Interventional RadiologyBioResident in the Integrated Interventional Radiology Residency. I completed my Internship in General Surgery at Stanford Health Care (2024).
I am a former MD-PhD student part of the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. I earned my PhD in Biomedical Engineering in the Image-Guided Interventions Lab under Dr. Paul Laeseke MD, PhD. My thesis work investigated novel X-ray based image guidance techniques and device development for image-guided interventions.
I am interested in a career where I can integrate advances in physics and engineering research into a translational career as a physician-scientist. My research interests focus on the development and use of advanced imaging techniques to improve diagnosis and intervention of a variety of vascular and oncologic diseases. -
Mark Perlroth, MD
Member, Cardiovascular Institute
Current Research and Scholarly Interests1. Adult Congenital Heart Disease
2. Cardiac Transplantation
3. General Cardiology
4. Porphyrias -
Amalia Perna
Postdoctoral Scholar, Pathology
BioDr. Perna received her education at the University of Urbino (BSc in Biological Science) and at the University of Trieste (MSc in Functional Genomics).
She obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroscience/Medical Sciences in 2021, from the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) in collaboration with the Swiss Integrative Center for Human Health (SICHH). During her doctoral studies, she investigated the molecular players involved in the neurodegenerative process, with special attention to Notch signaling modulation in the neuronal demise after kainic acid (KA)-induced excitotoxicity
With funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), Dr. Perna joined Prof. Thomas Montine's lab at Stanford University and extended her doctoral research work to single-cell technologies such as single-nucleus RNA-seq. In February 2022 she was appointed as a postdoctoral fellow in Montine Lab.
Dr. Perna’s research aims to elucidate the modulation of signaling pathways in the different cell types of the brain after the perturbation of its homeostasis. She is also interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal regeneration/recovery after damage and in neurodegenerative diseases. -
Suzann Pershing, MD
Professor of Ophthalmology
BioDr. Pershing is on the ophthalmology faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine, with an academic career blending clinical practice, teaching, research, and administration. She serves as Chief of Ophthalmology and Eye Care Services for the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and as Vice Chair for Education in the Stanford Department of Ophthalmology, after five years as Program Director for the ophthalmology residency.
As an educator she seeks to bring a "precision" approach to graduate medical education, incorporating innovation and research rigor. She is committed to program development and excited to innovate and implement novel approaches to ophthalmology education. Specific areas of interest include competency-based education, career pathways and career development, and leadership development, with programmatic initiatives such as Stanford Ophthalmology's 4-year research track residency program (SOAR), opportunities for resident elective scholarly activity, and efforts to develop a valuable internship program for incoming ophthalmology residents at Stanford. Dr. Pershing's active research includes efforts to enhance fair and holistic residency selection, using AI semi-supervised models to augment the application review process, and predictive modeling to optimize cataract surgery case selection and scheduling.
Her broader research interests focus on utilization of big data, AI and biomedical informatics techniques, predictive modeling, and evidence-based medicine to study clinical associations and outcomes, health care utilization, disease progression, and cost-effectiveness of ophthalmic treatment, as well as a special interest in the relationship between visual impairment and cognitive impairment. Dr. Pershing is active in big data initiatives and analysis, including collaborative projects at Stanford and serving as site PI for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) IRIS Registry analytic group at Stanford, as well as helping to lead efforts for Stanford to submit data and participate in the Sight Outcomes Research Collaborative (SOURCE) data repository. She also serves on the American Board of Medical Specialties Database and Information Technology Advisory Committee (DITAC), and previously on the AAO Medical Information Technology Committee and AAO Committee on Aging. Through this and her other work, she is engaged in efforts to use diverse data sources to facilitate improved quality of care, continuing certification, and practice and outcomes assessments. Dr. Pershing is also involved in health policy, including helping to develop CMS episode-based cost measures for MIPS, and she is interested in health care innovation—technology, quality, and delivery systems.
Dr. Pershing also serves as faculty advisor for the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society Stanford association, with focus on resident initiatives, and mentors both medical students and undergraduate students. -
Petra Persson
Associate Professor of Economics, Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Health Policy
BioPetra Persson is Associate Professor of Economics at Stanford University, where she also serves as the Nina C. Crocker Faculty Scholar in the School of Humanities and Sciences and holds a courtesy appointment as Associate Professor of Health Policy. She is a Faculty Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Economic Policy Research.
Professor Persson earned her PhD in Economics from Columbia University in 2013, her MSc in Economics from Stockholm School of Economics in 2006, and her BA in Political Science and Mathematics from Stockholm University in 2005. Prior to joining the Stanford faculty, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (2013-2014) and a Dissertation Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Women and Public Policy Program (2012-2013).
Persson's research lies at the intersection of family economics, health economics, and public finance, spanning topics including health disparities, maternal and child well-being, family structure and behavior, fertility policy, and social insurance design. She is the recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and has published articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, and British Medical Journal. -
Jeffrey Petersen
Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) at the Stanford University Medical Center, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHigh flux dialysis in in-vivo and in-vitro clearances, of small and middle molecular weight solutes; computerized capture, of interdialysis hemodynamics; biocompatibility of biomembranes;, dialysis-related amyloidosis
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Eric Peterson
Affiliate, Adult Neurology
BioI am a researcher with 10 years of experience in magnetic resonance imaging, which includes project management, data analysis, digital signal and image processing, image reconstruction, and pulse sequence design. I currently manage the day-to-day operations of a small animal MRI facility and work to ensure reliable data are collected for both human and animal imaging. I also work on MRI pulse sequence development, reconstruction, and analysis to better understand the sources and effects of alcohol addiction. I have also worked on clinical stroke imaging in CT and MRI, as well as techniques for high resolution 3D Diffusion-weighted MRI of the brain to better visualize white matter tracts in order to better detect the subtle changes associated with degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. I earned my PhD with a variety of work including cancer metabolism using hyperpolarized 13C, and data analysis of the effects of asthma on the lungs. My interests are research, technology, and healthcare.
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Laura Petrikovic, PA-C
Affiliate, Surgery - Vascular Surgery
BioLead advanced practice provider (APP) for the Vascular Surgery division of CVH at Stanford Palo Alto campus. Experienced advanced practice provider (APP) with broad medical knowledge, including prior roles in Neurosurgery and Cardiovascular Surgery. Moved to California from Pennsylvania and began working for Stanford Vascular Surgery in April 2021. Previous affiliation with UPMC in Pittsburgh, PA.
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Claudia Katharina Petritsch
Associate Professor (Research) of Neurosurgery
Sr Res Scientist-Basic Life, Adult NeurologyCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Petritsch lab broadly investigates underlying causes for the intra-tumoral heterogeneity and immune suppression in brain tumors from a neuro-developmental perspective. Defective cell fate decisions fuel the intra-humoral heterogeneity and plasticity in human brain tumors and may contribute to immune suppression. We use patient-derived models as avatars to study how brain cells control the fate of their progeny, whereby we unravel novel points of vulnerabilities in brain tumor cells.
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Ed Petrossian
Clinical Professor, Cardiothoracic Surgery
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Petrossian has expertise in complex pediatric and congenital cardiovascular surgical repairs. He has published several journal articles and book chapters with an emphasis on the extracardiac conduit Fontan operation.
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Dmitri Petrov
Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsEvolution of genomes and population genomics of adaptation and variation
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Patrick Pezeshkian, MD, FAANS
Clinical Associate Professor (Affiliated), Neurosurgery
Staff, NeurosurgeryBioAfter completing his residency training in neurosurgery and a fellowship in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at UCLA, Dr. Pezeshkian joined the faculty at Kaiser Permanente Neurosurgery & Neuroscience department at Redwood City, California.
Dr. Pezeshkians’ areas of expertise and neurosurgical focus are Deep Brain Stimulation surgery for movement and neuropsychiatric disorders, adult epilepsy surgery,, neuromodulation procedures for chronic refractory craniofacial pain syndromes and peripheral nerve surgeries for tumors and trauma.
Dr. Pezeshkian is the Regional Director of the Functional Neurosurgery Program at the Northern California Kaiser Permanente healthcare system.He is also the site Director of the Stanford Neurosurgery Residency Program at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center, -
Michael Adam Pfeffer
Chief Information Officer, Stanford Health Care and Stanford School of Medicine, Associate Dean, Stanford School of Medicine, and Clinical Professor, Medicine
Clinical Professor, MedicineBioMichael A. Pfeffer, MD, FACP serves as Chief Information Officer and Associate Dean for Stanford Health Care and Stanford University School of Medicine. Michael oversees Technology and Digital Solutions (TDS), responsible for providing world class technology solutions to Stanford Health Care and School of Medicine, enabling new opportunities for groundbreaking research, teaching, and compassionate care across two hospitals and over 150 clinics. TDS supports Stanford Medicine’s mission to improve human health through discovery and care and strategic priorities to be value focused, digitally driven, and uniquely Stanford.
Michael is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine and Division of Hospital Medicine with a joint appointment in the center for Biomedical Research (BMIR) in Stanford University School of Medicine. As such, Michael continues to provide clinical care as a Hospitalist Physician as well as teaching medical students and residents on the medicine inpatient wards.
Prior to joining Stanford Medicine, Michael served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer for UCLA Health Sciences. During his tenure, Michael served as the lead physician for the largest electronic health record “big bang” go-live of its time, encompassing over 26,000 users. Michael subsequently became the first Chief Medical Informatics Officer for UCLA Health before transitioning into the Chief Information Officer position. Under his leadership, UCLA Health IT achieved numerous industry awards including the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Inpatient, Ambulatory, and Analytics Certifications; the Most Wired designation for eight consecutive years; US News & World Report’s Most Connected Hospitals; the Top Master’s in Healthcare Administration 30 Most Technologically Advanced Hospitals in the World; and the prestigious HIMSS Davies Award. Michael also implemented of one of the first ACGME-accredited Clinical Informatics Fellowship Programs and served as its Associate Program Director.
Michael has lectured worldwide on health information technology; served on the national HIMSS Physician Committee and as a HIMSS Stage 7 international site surveyor; and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on health IT. Michael was featured in Becker’s Hospital Review as 10 physician CIOs to know and 12 standout healthcare CIOs and was one of LA’s top doctors in Los Angeles Magazine. -
Suzanne Pfeffer
Emma Pfeiffer Merner Professor of Medical Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe major focus of our research is to understand the molecular basis of inherited Parkinson's Disease (PD). We focus on the LRRK2 kinase that is inappropriately activated in PD and how it phosphorylates Rab GTPases, blocking the formation of primary cilia in specific regions of the brain. The absence of primary cilia renders cells unable to carry out Hedgehog signaling that is critical for neuroprotective pathways that sustain dopamine neurons.
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Adolf Pfefferbaum
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDevelopment and application of magnetic resonance imaging approaches for in vivo studies of human and animal brain integrity in neurodegenerative conditions, including alcoholism, HIV infection, Alzheimer's disease, and normal aging
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Anuradha Phadke
Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Primary Care and Population Health
BioDr. Phadke is a board-certified primary care internal medicine physician and Clinical Associate Professor of Primary Care & Population Health at the Stanford School of Medicine. She holds several administrative roles including Associate Physician Improvement Leader for the Stanford Department of Medicine, Associate Chief Quality Officer for Ambulatory Care and Population Health at Stanford Healthcare, and co-chair of the Quality Improvement Subcommittee for the Society for General Internal Medicine.
In her clinical care, she enjoys forming deep and lasting relationships with patients. She seeks to listen actively and provide patients with guidance and support as they work toward their health goals. Her clinical expertise is in chronic disease management and preventive care.
She teaches clinical primary care to internal medicine residents and medical students. She actively mentors student and resident quality improvement projects.
Her scholarly focus is ambulatory quality improvement evaluation. She has published and presented on a wide array of topics including workforce QI engagement, quality improvement evaluation of primary care improvement initiatives, hypertension management, and quality improvement to narrow health disparities. She enjoys working with trainees and students on scholarship. -
Edward A. Pham
Instructor, Medicine - Gastroenterology & Hepatology
BioMy interest in medicine and research was triggered by my mother’s battle with chronic hepatitis C, which made me realize the transformational power of biomedical research in treating patients. Therefore, my career goal is to become a physician scientist in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology dedicated to translating discoveries in the laboratory into novel medical treatment modalities. My research focus is alterations in phosphoinositides signaling and its pathogenesis in cancers of the hepatobiliary and luminal GI tract with the goal to identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention. I also have a particular interest in understanding the interface between chronic viral infection and cancer through studying how the innate and adaptive immune system are perturbed in chronic viral infections
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Hang T Pham
Research Specialist, Surgery - General Surgery
Current Role at StanfordStanford School of Medicine: Senior Research Scientist
Stanford Prevention Policy Modeling Lab: Affiliated Member (https://ppml.stanford.edu/people/hang-pham) -
Rachel Pham
Educational Program Manager, Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Role at StanfordEducational Program Manager
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Tho Duc Pham
Clinical Professor, Pathology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy areas of interest involve exploring antibody function as it relates to transfusion medicine, blood safety, and emerging infectious diseases. This ranges from natural immune responses to the ABO blood group, antibody profiling anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and studying HEV seroprevalence in the local community. I am also interested in exploring statistical approaches to improve blood product availability and overall health care efficiency in a tertiary care system.
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Trung Hoang Minh Pham
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and Immunology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsUncovering mechanisms of tissue immunity and immunophysiology during persistent infection
The immune system safeguards the health of complex organisms by rapidly eliminating invading pathogens, curbing infection-induced tissue disruptions, and maintaining tissue homeostasis. Many pathogens evade host antimicrobial mechanisms and persist in infected tissues at low levels for long periods of time even in the presence of innate and adaptive immune resistance. During persistent infection, the immune system simultaneously orchestrates antimicrobial responses to contain the pathogen, repairs damaged tissue, regulates nutrient resources, and maintains other tissue physiological functions to ensure host survival. Failure of any of these tasks leads to uncontrolled infection, devastating disease, and even death. The goals of our research are to understand:
1)What are the innate and adaptive immune cellular mechanisms that contain pathogens during persistent infection?
2)How are tissue physiological functions, such as tissue repair and nutrient regulation, maintained during persistent infection?
3)How do pathogens survive innate and adaptive antimicrobial mechanisms in infected tissues?
4)How does persistent infection impact host immunity to secondary infections of a similar or different pathogen?
Through investigating these fundamental questions, we may be able to decode the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms that can be harnessed to eradicate infections, promote tissue resilience, and restore health after an infectious insult. We integrate immunology, tissue biology, microbiology, and genetics to uncover the mechanisms of tissue immunity and immunophysiology during persistent infection from the molecular to organismal level.
Current areas of research:
•Development, maintenance, and plasticity of macrophage functional diversity in infected tissue
•Tissue repair and nutrient regulation during persistent infection
•Cellular dynamics and bacterial persistence in lymphoid organs
