Dr. Pulliam's laboratory was the first to show that blood monocytes (white blood cells) from individuals with HIV release toxins that kill or damage neural cells. Her lab is interested in finding blood monocyte biomarkers to identify chronic activation, which puts subjects at risk for different co-morbid pathologies, as well as determine how the immune system affects cognition.

Dr. Brzezinski's clinical practice includes critical care medicine and anesthesia for cardiac and thoracic surgery. His research interests are cardiothoracic anesthesia, intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), a cardiac imaging technology that displays most of the left ventricle, and the effects of TEE on anesthetic and surgical management.

Maria L. Wei, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a Staff Physician at the San Francisco VA Health Care System. She directs the UCSF Melanoma Surveillance Clinic, which cares for individuals with melanoma as well as patients at high risk for developing melanoma – a group that includes those with a family history of melanoma, those with genetic test results indicating a risk, and those with many moles or large congenital moles. She also directs the UCSF Dermatology Genetics/Familial Cancer Syndrome Clinic, which cares for individuals with pathogenic gene variants, and who have an increased risk of developing benign and cancerous skin tumors. Dr. Wei also sees patients with pigmentary disorders such as melasma and vitiligo, as well as general dermatology patients.

Wei leads a research laboratory that studies skin disorders that result from and are affected by the intersection of genetics, the environment and behavior. One focus of study is the aggressive skin cancer melanoma; her group is developing novel non-invasive methods for skin cancer screening and diagnosis, using artificial intelligence and machine learning methods, and also studies factors that affect melanoma outcomes. Another area of study is assessing the effects of air pollution on inflammatory skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

Dr. Ratcliffe was the first cardiac surgeon to use realistic mathematical models to evaluate the efficacy of novel surgical procedures for the treatment of heart failure and ischemic heart disease. He also mathematically analyzed surgical anterior ventricular restoration (SAVER), another surgical treatment for heart failure, and determined the circumstances under which it can be used most effectively.

Dr. Whooley’s research focuses on understanding the links between mental and physical health, particularly depression and cardiovascular disease. In 1997, she validated a 2-question screening instrument (now known as the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) yes/no version) for depression in primary care patients. Since then, numerous managed care organizations have adopted the PHQ-2 yes/no version to aid in the detection of depression.