In a bold demonstration of support for the many children with cancer they have treated over the years, several UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital doctors, as well as hospital staff and community members, had their heads shaved bald to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research. 

UCSF’s Robert Blelloch, MD, PhD, has received the 2011 Outstanding Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Stem Cell Research, for his pioneering research on the role of molecular tools known as microRNAs in embryonic stem cells and cancer.

A new study by UCSF’s Cardiac Electrophysiology Service seeks to discover for the first time the true causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD), why it is more prevalent in some demographic populations, and whether it is too often inaccurately cited as a cause of death.

Elena Portacalone, a UCSF PhD candidate in Medical Sociology, has dedicated hours to interviewing elderly residents as part of her ethnographic fieldwork to learn more about the living conditions and quality of life this often neglected – but growing – segment of society.