Winter 2026

Estrogen does far more than regulate reproduction, shaping how the gut, immune system, and nervous system function across a lifetime. UCSF scientists are uncovering how this hormone influences health well beyond menopause — and why that matters more than ever. PLUS: Lab-grown mini organs offer powerful new ways to study human biology, evidence that therapy for childhood trauma may slow biological aging, and insights into why heart disease can strike South Asians who appear healthy by traditional standards.

About this Issue:

Vol. 14, No. 2
Editorial Team

Features

Science Winter 2026

Rewriting the Story of Estrogen

The hormone’s role in women’s health reaches far beyond reproduction.

Illustration of a scientist's gloved hand tweaking a knob on an extra large microfluidic “organ-on-a-chip” device; lines point to illustrations with different types of biological cell structures.

Science Winter 2026

The Mini “Organs” That Could Transform Medical Research

Illustration of a child peering over a caregiver's shoulder with dark storm clouds in the background. Leaves flow past the pair, leading to light on the right side.

Science Winter 2026

Childhood Trauma Accelerates Aging. This Therapy Can Change That.

Illustration with South Asian motifs and patterns; an anatomical heart outline sits in the center with South Asian foods and people overlaid; figures include a woman running, a man sitting with spices, a older woman in traditional clothing with jars, and a man on a bench.

Science Winter 2026

The Heart Risks That Medicine Kept Missing

Human Interest

Facts, Fear, Hype: How Hormone Therapy for Menopause Got So Complicated

Learn about the evolving conversation around hormone therapy.

A vintage print advertisement. In a warmly lit workshop, an older white woman with gray hair, laughs and smiles while standing beside two older men who are examining a wooden object. The ad text reads, “help keep her this way,” suggesting happiness and vitality.

Insights & Voices

12 Ways UCSF Is Exploring the Mouth

The mouth is a powerful lens on overall health and disease. Researchers are uncovering its wide-ranging roles — from early cancer detection to its microbiome’s surprising influence on immunity and pregnancy.
Perspectives

Iron Will

How hope and resilience fueled UCSF alum Jonathan Pascual’s greatest race.
Ask the Expert

Is AI the Cure for Health Care’s Biggest Challenges?

UCSF’s Robert Wachter, MD, a leading voice on the impact of technology on medicine, explores what generative Al can — and can't yet — do for patient care.
Ask the Expert

A New Kind of House Call: Is Telemedicine Right for You?

From preparation to privacy, UCSF experts explain how to get safe, stress-free virtual care.
Mythbuster

Is Your Immune System Smarter Than You Think?

It’s a laser-focused, germ-fighting army — and so much more.
Ask the Expert

Five Questions for Kole Roybal

At the new Weill Cancer Hub West, Kole Roybal, PhD, is reimagining how immune cells fight solid tumors.

Alumni Stories
Winter 2026

Chinatown’s Champion

Jian Zhang, MSN ’92, DNP, has spent her career strengthening culturally responsive care in San Francisco’s Chinatown. “I felt like I could impact the Chinese community most there,” says Zhang, the 2025 UCSF Nursing Alumni Association Jane Norbeck Distinguished Service Award winner.

Books

Eggonomics: The Global Market in Human Eggs and the Donors Who Supply Them

This incisive look at the fast-growing egg-donation industry follows donors whose bodies help create families yet often go unseen. Through international fieldwork, author Diane Tober, PhD — a UCSF-affiliated medical anthropologist — reveals how hope, profit, and uneven care collide in a system where reproductive technology can turn human eggs, and their providers, into commodities.

Videos

Andrew: A Courageous Path to Healing

Enrollment day for community college was supposed to mark a new beginning. Instead, Andrew woke with a searing headache. Soon, a massive brain bleed from a rare blood-vessel abnormality caused a major stroke. Airlifted to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, he underwent lifesaving surgery and began the long, difficult work of relearning how to walk and talk. This short video captures Andrew’s strength and the expert care that helped him reclaim his life.

Podcasts

Healing Medicine: Mindfulness, Mindset, and Physician Well-Being

Healing others is demanding work, and this podcast offers a refreshing break. Co-hosted by Jessie Mahoney, MD ’97, a physician and mindfulness teacher, the series explores practical tools to reduce stress, build resilience, and bring more ease into clinical practice. Although designed for health professionals, it may resonate with anyone seeking to navigate life with greater clarity and calm.