Name: UCSF Talk: Discovery Talks
Start: 2026-04-24T14:00:00-0700
End: 2026-04-24T14:50:00-0700

Friday April 24, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT

Discovery Talks spotlight UCSF innovators in a TEDx-style format. Attendees will be immersed in diverse perspectives — from advances in precision medicine to new models of patient care — through stories that bring cutting-edge science to life. This session offers inspiration and accessible ways for alumni to engage with and understand UCSF’s impact on the broader world.

Moderators

Nicquet Blake, PhD

Vice Provost and Dean, UCSF Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs

Dr. Blake is one of the nation’s leading voices on issues of dignity, access, and inclusivity in higher education. She oversees student recruitment, admissions, retention-program development, and reviews for more than 30 doctoral and master’s programs, manages 1,100 postdoctoral... Read More →

Speakers

Reza Abbasi-Asl, PhD, MSc

Associate Professor, UCSF Department of Neurology and Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences

Dr. Abbasi-Asl is a core faculty member at UCSF’s Neuroscape Center, a Weill Neurohub investigator, director of data analytics at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. His research team investigates the role of advanced computational in understanding the brain’s functions... Read More →

Joanne Chun, PharmD ’93, PhD ’96

Director, Postgraduate Education Programs, UCSF School of Pharmacy

Professor, Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic SciencesDr. Chun directs the School of Pharmacy’s Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Computational Drug Discovery and Development (MS in AICD3), the country’s first program of its kind. MS in AICD3 learners... Read More →

Teresa Kortz, MD, PhD ’23, MS ’15

Associate Professor, UCSF Division of Pediatric Critical Care

Co-Director, Pediatric Global Health Scholars Pathway Dr. Kortz specializes in pediatric critical care and is a core faculty member of UCSF’s Institute for Global Health Sciences (IGHS). She leads IGHS’s Affiliate Program, which builds community and identifies resources to support... Read More →

Peter J. Turnbaugh, PhD

Professor, UCSF Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Executive Committee Member, Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine Dr. Turnbaugh’s research focuses on metabolic activities performed by microbes that colonize the adult human body. His team uses interdisciplinary approaches in preclinical models and human cohorts to study the... Read More →

Atreya Dey, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar, UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences

Dr. Dey’s presentation, “The Theory of a Hundred Thousand Grandmas,” took first place in UCSF’s 2025 Postdoc Slam. It explained the natural folding of the DNA strand in each cell during cell division. This folding can cause tangles but is usually controlled by a protein called condensin, which keeps the DNA in check during the cell division... Read More →

Sophia Miliotis

PhD Candidate, UCSF Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics

Winner, 2025 UCSF Grad Slam and 2025 UC Grad SlamMs. Miliotis joined the Roan Lab at UCSF in 2023. She uses CyTOF and single cell-sequencing to characterize HIV-infected cells, particularly from mucosal tissues, including the female reproductive tract. As an undergraduate at Beloit... Read More →

Friday April 24, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Robertson Auditorium

UCSF Alumni Weekend 2026