Seth Blumberg, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

 

Mathematical models of trachoma, healthcare associated infections, and antimicrobial resistance

My research focuses on developing and applying data-driven computational models of infectious diseases that exhibit the potential of elimination (i.e. R < 1). A key goal has been to elucidate risk factors that tip the balance between disease quiescence and emergence. This involves quantification of the impact of patient-specific or population-wide control interventions. Applications include enhancing trachoma elimination programs, mitigating the impact of SARS-CoV-2 in congregate settings, characterizing the transmission dynamics of healthcare associated infections and identifying factors responsible for the emergence of antibiotic resistance. My involvement in direct patient care provides a practical perspective of the investigations and metrics that have an immediate impact on clinical guidelines and public health.
 

I am fortunate to be based within the Francis I. Proctor Foundation. The Foundation’s interdisciplinary approach toward alleviating the global burden of infectious disease is innovative, impactful, and intellectually engaging.

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/seth.blumberg
https://mindscape.team/

 

Research Areas:

Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, Trachoma, Mathematical modeling, Computation, Clinical informatics
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

faculty_member_for_postgrids /

Benjamin Arnold, Ph.D., MPH

Assistant Professor

 

Epidemiologic methods for disease elimination with a focus on trachoma

Dr. Arnold is an Assistant Professor in the F.I. Proctor Foundation. He is an infectious disease epidemiologist and biostatistican by training, and his research focuses on clinical trial methodology, causal inference, and serologic surveillance. Dr. Arnold leads the Proctor Foundation's Data Coordinating Center, which supports over 10 clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Arnold's research group uses the tools of epidemiology, biostatistics, and data science to make advances at the interface between field studies, laboratory science and computational methods to understand infectious disease dynamics. A particular focus of their resesarch is elimination of trachoma and other neglected tropical diseases in low-resource settings. Additional areas of emphasis include enteric pathogens, child growth failure, interventions to reduce environmentally mediated pathogen transmission, and open/reproducible research.

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/benjamin.arnold

https://proctor.ucsf.edu/faculty/benjamin-arnold-phd
 

Research Areas:

Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, Trachoma, Biostatistics, Machine learning
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

faculty_member_for_postgrids /

Gerami Seitzman, MD

Professor

 

Infectious Eye Diseases and Dry Eye Conditions

Seitzman's research focuses on infectious eye diseases and dry eye conditions. In particular, she is interested in how modern DNA sequencing techniques and advanced imaging methods can improve the diagnosis and treatment of potentially blinding corneal infections.

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/gerami.seitzman


 

Research Areas:

Cornea, Dry Eye, Infectious Diseases
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

faculty_member_for_postgrids /

David Hwang, MD

Professor

 

Cornea, Ocular Infectious Disease and Surgical Techniques

A native of Illinois, USA, David G. Hwang, MD, FACS, joined the full-time faculty at the University of California, San Francisco, where he is currently Professor and Vice Chair and holds the Pearl T. Kimura and Samuel J. Kimura MD Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology. He serves as Director of the Cornea Service, Director of the Refractive Surgery Service, and Associate of the Francis I. Proctor Foundation for Research in Ophthalmology at UCSF. Clinical research interests: development of new surgical techniques in corneal, refractive, and cataract surgery; clinical trials in cornea and ocular infectious disease. Scientific research interests: cellular transplantation and gene therapy for corneal endothelial disease; ocular infectious disease, including epidemiology and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in ophthalmology

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/david.hwang


 

Research Areas:

Cornea, Gene Therapy, Infectious Diseases
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

faculty_member_for_postgrids /

John Gonzales, MD

Associate Professor

 

Diagnosis and Management of Infectious and Non-Infectious Inflammatory Eye Conditions

Dr. Gonzales's interest involves the diagnosis and management of infectious and non-infectious inflammatory conditions of the eyes (uveitis). Many ocular inflammatory diseases are part of a systemic disorder and require a complete review of one’s health, personalized treatment, and close monitoring. Working as a team with a patient’s rheumatologist, internist, pediatrician, or other subspecialists ensure that his patients receive optimum care.

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/john.gonzales


 

Research Areas:

Dry Eye, Infectious Diseases, Uveitis
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

faculty_member_for_postgrids /

Thuy Doan, MD, PhD

Associate Professor

 

Ocular Infection and Inflammation, Microbiomes, and Antimicrobial Resistance

The Doan lab is a metagenomic epidemiology laboratory at the Proctor Foundation that takes innovative approaches to understand how the various human microbiomes (ocular, gut, and upper respiratory tract) respond to clinically relevant perturbations in randomized controlled trials. Specifically, we seek to identify mechanisms by which mass drug distribution to preschool children in Sub-Saharan countries leads to an improvement in childhood mortality. Concurrently, we carefully track antibiotic resistance in these communities to better inform public health policies.
 
In addition to our molecular epidemiology work, we focus on using genomic technologies to efficiently identify causes of ocular infections (e.g. uveitis, conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, and scleritis) with the goal of improving patient care and preventing blindness.

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/thuy.doan
https://doanlab.ucsf.edu/
https://proctor.ucsf.edu/Proctor-Lab

 

Research Areas:

Conjunctivitis, Cornea, Infectious Diseases, Inflammatory Eye Disease, Uveitis
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

faculty_member_for_postgrids /

Matilda Chan, MD, PhD

Associate Professor

 

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Corneal Injury, Inflammation, and Repair

Dr. Chan, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, is a cornea clinician-scientist interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying corneal injury, inflammation, and repair. Dr. Chan’s R01 is focused on the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in modulating various aspects of corneal repair after injury including inflammation, neovascularization, and fibrosis. She is also studying the epigenetic and genetic alterations underlying Fuch’s endothelial cell dystrophy (FECD), specifically the role of DNA methylation as a mechanism for silencing genes during disease pathogenesis. In collaboration with Jason Gestwicki (UCSF), her group is using high throughput screening to identify compounds for the treatment of FECD. Dr. Chan has mentored undergraduates, medical students, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and clinical fellows. The Chan lab would provide opportunities for Scholars interested in the role of extracellular matrix in ocular disease, epigenetics, and translational vision science.

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/matilda.chan


 

Research Areas:

Cornea, Matrix Metalloproteinases, Infectious Diseases
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

faculty_member_for_postgrids /