Dr. Sudore has dedicated her research program to making medical information easier for patients and their families to understand. Her research focuses on designing and testing interactive, web-based interventions to prepare patients and their surrogate decision makers to make difficult medical decisions. She created the PREPARE website (www.prepareforyourcare.org) to help people identify what is most important in life and to be able to communicate that effectively with loved ones and clinicians.

Dr. Rebeka Silva was born in New York and obtained a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology from Syracuse University. She went on to obtain her Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Silva obtained advanced training in Hospital Dentistry from the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center after which she obtained her specialty certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. Following completion of her residency, Dr. Silva earned her board certification and is Diplomate in the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

After her training, Dr. Silva was in private practice in New York City before moving to California with her family. Dr. Silva taught at the University of California San Francisco as an Assistant Clinical Professor teaching students and residents while also serving as Section Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco. She was promoted to Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) advancing her academic work while also serving as a course director and lecturer. Dr. Silva is now Clinical Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at UCSF and has been Chief, Dental Service in the San Francisco VA Healthcare System for over 20 years. She leads a large clinical department that is nationally recognized within the Department of Veterans Affairs for outstanding work in oral and maxillofacial reconstructive surgery.

In addition to her VA and academic work, Dr. Silva has a private practice in San Francisco and is an attending surgeon at California Pacific Medical Center. She has published numerous articles, co-authored 3 textbooks, and obtained key research grants. Being active in many professional organizations and government committees, she provides many lectures for local groups and at national meetings and is a reviewer for several journals.

Interests: Temporomandibular joint disorders and reconstruction, Botulinum Toxin therapy, Jaw reconstruction, Visuohaptic 3D Imaging and Surgical Simulation, TMJ Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Bone Grafting and Reconstruction, Oral Pathology, Pain control.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is caused by fatty blockages, called atherosclerosis, in arteries throughout the body, including in the arms, neck, and legs. Dr. Raffai’s research is focused on how hyperglycemia causes atherosclerosis to develop in arteries close to limbs and organs. Research will be done to test if hyperglycemia can block the reversal of atherosclerosis, and if insulin treatment can overcome this block. These studies will provide valuable new knowledge to help fight PAD.

Dr. Inslicht’s research focuses on identifying neurobiological mechanisms that underlie post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fear conditioning models of PTSD, putative biomarkers that may explain gender differences in PTSD, and pharmacological and psychological interventions to ameliorate stress responding.

Dr. Keyhani’s research program includes the examination of the quality of care in the US health system and health care policy research. Her quality of care research to date has focused on examining the underuse and overuse of medical procedures, and her policy research to date has largely focused on areas important to health care reform and factors that may contribute to inefficiency and the use of inappropriate care in the US health care system.