The Department of Biomedical Sciences was created in 2007 as the first non-clinical department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The rationale for establishing the Department was
(1) to create an Office of Graduate Research Education and to develop a Graduate Program and Clinical Scholars Program,
(2) to provide a departmental-home for a growing number of biomedical scientists recruited to the Burns and Allen Research Institute so as to mobilize a broad view of appropriate direction and investment in biomedical and translational research,
(3) to manage the Core Facilities within the Research Institute, and
(4) to manage a Research Grant Development Team.
Leon G Fine, MD
Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Chair, Biomedical Sciences
Director, Graduate Research Education
leon.fine@cshs.org, (310) 423-6457
Scientific interests: Chronic renal disease
Nissim
Benvenisty, MD, PhD
Research Scientist, Biomedical Sciences
nissim.benvenisty@cshs.org, (310)
423-7626
Scientific interests: Human embryonic stem cells
Kenneth
Bernstein, MD
Professor
of Biomedical Sciences
Professor
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Director, Experimental Pathology
Research Scientist, Biomedical Sciences
kenneth.bernstein@cshs.org, (310)
423-7562
Scientific interests: Renin-angiotensin system
Maria
Castro, PhD
Joint with Gene Therapeutics Research Institute, Department of Medicine
Professor
of Medicine
Co-Director, Gene Therapeutics Research Institute
Maria.castro@cshs.org, (310) 423-7302
Scientific interests: Manipulating the brain immune system using gene therapy
strategies
Daniel
Farkas, PhD
Joint with Department of Surgery
Professor
of Surgery
Vice Chair of Research, Surgery
Director, Minimally Invasive Surgical Technologies Laboratory
daniel.farkas@cshs.org, (310) 423-7746
Scientific interests: Optical bioimaging and biophotonics for minimally
invasive surgery
Sebastien
Fuchs, MD, PhD
Assistant
Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Assistant
Professor of Pathology
and Laboratory Medicine
Research Scientist, Biomedical Sciences
sebastien.fuchs@cshs.org, (310)
423-7746
Scientific interests: Pulmonary fibrosis, Renin-angiotensin system
Mark
Greene, MD, PhD, FRCP
Joint with SOCCI
Distinguished Scientist
mark.greene@cshs.org, (310) 423-7640
Scientific interests: Receptor function, small molecules, centrosome and
associated proteins
Helen
Goodridge, PhD
Joint with Department of Medicine
Assistant
Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Assistant
Professor of Medicine
Research Scientist, Biomedical Sciences, Immunobiology Research Institute
Helen.goodridge@cshs.org, (310)
423-7582
Scientific interests: Innate immunity- detection of microbes and microbial
components by myeloid phagcoytes
Anjali
Jain, PhD
Assistant
Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Assistant
Professor of Medicine
Research Scientist, Biomedical Sciences
Anjali.jain@cshs.org, (310) 423-4780
Scientific interests: Prostate cancer research
Jonathan
Kaye, PhD
Joint with SOCCI and Gene Therapeutics Research Institute
Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Professor
of Medicine
Research
Scientist, Biomedical Sciences
jonathan.kaye@cshs.org, (310) 423-6541
Scientific interests: Molecular regulation of immune system
Alexander
Ljubimov, PhD
Joint with Department of Surgery
Professor of Surgery
Director,
Division of Ophthamology Research
Alexander.ljubimov@cshs.org, (310)
423-7645
Scientific interests: Gene therapy for diabetic keratopathy.
Pedro
Lowenstein, MD, PhD
Joint with Gene Therapeutics Research Institute, Department of Medicine
Professor of Medicine
Director,
Gene Therapeutics Research Institute
Pedro.lowenstein@cshs.org, (310)
423-7330
Scientific interests: Investigate the cellular and molecular basis of
brain-immune responses and their manipulation to treat viral infections and
tumors.
Linda
Marbán, PhD
Joint with Heart Institute
Research Scientist, Biomedical Sciences
linda.marban@cshs.org, (310) 423-1594
Scientific interests: Cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology.
Lali
Medina-Kauwe, PhD
Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Research
Scientist, Biomedical Sciences
lali.medinakauwe@cshs.org, (310) 423-7339
Scientific interests: Cancer cell-targeted nanotherapeutics
Sheldon
Mink, PhD
Research Scientist, Biomedical Sciences
sheldon.mink@cshs.org, (310) 423-7598
Scientific interests: Prostate cancer research
Sandra
Orsulic, PhD
Joint with Department of OB/GYN and Women's Cancer Research Institute
Director, Women's Cancer Biology
sandra.orsulic@cshs.org, (310) 423-9546
Scientific interests: Initiation and metastasis of ovarian cancer
V
Krishnan Ramanujan, PhD
Joint with Department of Surgery
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Research
Scientist, Minimally Invasive Surgical Technologies Institute (MISTI)
ramanujanv@cshs.org, (310) 423-2090
Scientific interests: Cancer cell transformation, optical imaging.
Leslie
Raffel, MD
Joint with Medical Genetics Institute
Professor of Pediatrics
Director,
General Clinical Research Center
Associate Director, Common Disease Genetics Program
leslie.raffel@cshs.org, (310) 423-2703
Scientific interests: Delineation of the genetic basis of susceptibility to common
adult-onset diseases
Wafa
Tawackoli, PhD
Joint with Department of Surgery
Instructor of Surgery
Research
Scientist, Biomedical Sciences
Associate Director, Molecular and Micro-imaging Core
wafa.tawackoli@cshs.org, (310)
423-8070
Scientific interests: Spine stem cell therapeutics
Terrence
Town, PhD
Joint with Department of Neurosurgery
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery
Associate
Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Research
Scientist, Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute
terrence.town@cshs.org, (310) 423-1202
Scientific interests: Delineation of the genetic basis of susceptibility to common
adult-onset diseases
David Underhill , PhD
Joint with Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director,
Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences and Translational Medicine
Research Scientist, Immunobiology Research Institute
Director, Flow Cytometry Core
david.underhill@cshs.org, (310)
423-7654
Scientific interests: Phagocyte signal transduction mechanisms in inflammatory
response
Yifang
(Jimmy) Zhou, PhD
Instructor of Biomedical Sciences
Imaging
Physicist
Associate Director, Molecular and Micro-imaging Core
jimmy.zhou@cshs.org, (310) 423-4336
Scientific interests: Quantification of molecular imaging, stem cell imaging,
cardiovascular imaging, and the CT dosimetry study.
