Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH joined the UCLA faculty in 2006 after completing three years of fellowship training. At Duke University Medical Center, she underwent clinical training in both female reconstructive surgery and male urethral reconstruction. She then completed a two-year fellowship at UCLA in Urological Health Services Research. Her primary research interests relate to measuring outcomes and improving the quality of care for women with urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Her collaborative work with Dr. Larissa Rodriguez and Dr. Mark Litwin on outcomes of sling surgery for stress incontinence has made a meaningful contribution to the field of female urology.

Dr. Anger’s primary clinical practice is based at UCLA-Santa Monica Hospital. She sees both men and women with urinary dysfunction including stress and urge incontinence, urethral stricture disease, and neurogenic voiding dysfunction. She also performs reconstructive surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Olive View Medical Center, and the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Hospital.

William Aronson, M.D. has clinical interests in nutrition, urologic oncology, prostate cancer and nutrition, and the role of low fat diets and lifestyle factors as they relate to prostate cancer. He is funded by the National Cancer Institute to research the role of low-fat diets for prostate cancer prevention and treatment. He is also funded by the Department of Defense to study prostate cancer in African American men.  He has numerous publications in peer reviewed journals including the Journal of Urology, the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Aronson is a Professor in the UCLA Department of Urology, Chief of Urology at the UCLA/Olive View Medical Center, and Director of Urologic Oncology at the Wadsworth VA Medical Center. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Aronson completed his residency at the UCLA School of Medicine. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Urology and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Arie Belldegrun, M.D. is Professor of Urology, Chief of the Division of Urologic Oncology, and holds the Roy and Carol Doumani Chair in Urologic Oncology. He also heads the Urologic Oncology Fellowship Program at UCLA, which was accredited by the Society of Urologic Oncology in 2001.

Dr. Belldegrun completed his medical degree at the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, his residency in Urology at Harvard Medical School, and his Surgical Oncology research fellowship at the National Cancer Institute/NIH. He is certified by the American Board of Urology and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Genitourinary Surgeons.

In the last 10 years, Dr. Belldegrun’s research laboratory at UCLA has developed innovative techniques in adoptive cell therapy, immunotherapy and cancer vaccine, and constructed novel treatments for prostate and kidney cancers using tumor-specific antigens and targeted-specific therapy. Currently, Dr. Belldegrun is the Principal Investigator on grants from various agencies, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including grants from the Department of Defense entitled “Molecular Characterization of Androgen Independence to Delay Progression to Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer” and from the NCI / National Institute of Health on “Chemoprevention of Superficial Bladder Cancer.” Since its inception, his laboratory trained 17 research fellows, 14 clinical fellows, 9 urology residents and over 30 medical students/researchers.

Dr Belldegrun serves on numerous advisory panels such as the Long-Range Planning Committee of the Society of Urologic Oncology, and the American Urological Association planning committee. He is a reviewer for medical journals and granting organizations including Journal of Urology and the American Foundation of Urologic Diseases. He has written over 300 scientific publications with an emphasis on urologic oncology and is the editor of 3 books on prostate and kidney cancer. His most recent book is entitled  “Renal and Adrenal Tumors” and was published in 2003 by Oxford University Press.

Dr. Belldegrun is the founder of Agensys, a Santa Monica-based biotechnology company. He served as Founding Chairman of Agensys from 1997– 2002 and is currently a director in the company. He also serves as Chairman of the medical advisory board of Oncura, an Amersham Business, and is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors as well as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of Cougar Biotechnology.

Carol Bennett, M.D. has served as the Chief of Urology at the West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center for the past 8 years. Her research interests are focused upon the treatment of neurogenic bladder disorder, sexual dysfunction, and infertility.  She has published over 50 original articles, numerous review articles and chapters in these areas. She is currently a board member of the American Foundation of Urologic Diseases, and the Pfizer/AUA Visiting Professorships in Urology.  Dr. Bennett is also a Professor at David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA.

Dr. Bennett received her medical degree from Georgetown Medical School, Washington, DC and completed her urology residency at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Bernard Churchill, M.D. is an internationally recognized expert in the field of pediatric urology. He joined the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine's Department of Urology in 1994, when he was recruited to establish the Pediatric Urology Program. Dr. Churchill currently serves as Section Chief for Pediatric Urology and founding Director of the Clark-Morrison Children's Urological Center. Numerous innovations in diagnostics and treatment have since been developed through the program under his direction. His success in "re-engineering diagnostics" and forging collaborations with private industry and other departments within the School of Medicine and the UCLA School of Engineering has attracted funding by the National Institutes of Health and other community-based funding agencies.

Prior to joining UCLA, Dr. Churchill served as Chief of Urology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. His distinguished standing in the field was recognized this year when he was named Honorary President of the Northeast Section of the American Urological Association (AUA) - the first and only time this honor has been conferred. In addition, Dr. Churchill was recently awarded a lectureship in pediatric transplantation by AUA.

Dr. Churchill's research interests include the application of advanced engineering techniques within the field of medicine. He is an investigator for a major National Institutes of Health study on evidence based medicine. His practice is confined to pediatric urology and adults with congenital urological problems. His research interests include surgical innovation and application of biophysics to clinical problem solving.

Jean B. deKernion, M.D. is the Chair of the UCLA Department of Urology, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Operations, Professor of Urology, Principal Investigator of the UCLA Prostate Cancer SPORE and has been appointed by President George W. Bush as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board.  Dr. deKernion graduated from Louisiana State University, completed his residency at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, and was awarded a fellowship at the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute.  He is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Urology. 

Dr. deKernion has made significant contributions to urologic cancer research and treatments, and established the program in urologic oncology at UCLA.   He is a recognized authority in prostate cancer and currently is the Chair of Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  Under his leadership the Department of Urology has grown to a faculty of 29 urologists and 6 PhD's.  During his tenure as Chairman there have been Fellows in training with the Department from around the world.  Research funding for the Department now exceeds $30 million, and includes clinical and basic research in many areas, including biomedical engineering. 

Dr. deKernion is the Principal Investigator of the Prostate Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) at UCLA, funded by a National Cancer Institute grant.   He has served on the American Board of Urology, and as Associate Editor of the Journal of Urology.  He has been a member of numerous national cancer review committees, and has received the highest awards of many professional organizations, including The Hugh Hampton Young Award from the American Urological Association, and the Barringer Medal, from the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons.  He is a founding member and member of the Board of Directors of Agensys.  He is Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Operations at UCLA, and serves on the UCLA Healthcare Executive Committee

Nestor F. Gonzalez-Cadavid, PhD. is Adjunct Professor of Urology at UCLA, Director of the Urology Research Laboratory at LABioMed-Harbor/UCLA, and Professor of Endocrinology, Director of the RCMI Molecular Medicine Research Core and Associate Director of the Androgen Center, at The Charles R. Drew University. Dr. Gonzalez-Cadavid graduated with consecutive PhDs in Biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and London (England), was awarded several research fellowships to work at these universities, and prior to joining the department of urology at UCLA was Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at the Central University of Caracas, Venezuela, and Visiting Professor/scholar at MIT, Caltech, City of Hope, and UCLA.

Dr. Gonzalez-Cadavid has made significant research contributions in several fields of cellular and molecular biology approaches to pathophysiology. He focused initially on alterations of collagen deposition with aging, and later on mitochondrial biogenesis and protein synthesis. These studies evolved into the role of mitochondrial DNA and different oncogenes in tumor progression, and after joining the UCLA Department of Urology he focused on topics of urology relevance, mainly androgen dependence of penile growth and erectile function, and the effect of risk factors for erectile dysfunction, such as aging, diabetes, and smoking, on the nitric oxide/cGMP control of the erectile response. His group reported the first demonstration of the correction of erectile dysfunction in an animal model by gene therapy, and more recently showed that long-term continuous administration of nitric oxide donors and PDE5 inhibitors corrects in animal models the underlying corporal and arterial fibrosis associated with aging, diabetes and radical prostatectomy, as well as the fibrotic plaque of Peyronie’s disease. Lately, he has extended those studies to the modulation of multipotent and stem cell differentiation by nitric oxide, cGMP, and myostatin, and its application to the therapy of erectile dysfunction and other forms of urogenital disease and other conditions associated with tissue fibrosis. He is currently funded for some of these studies by NIH, the Department of Defense, and other agencies.

Dr. Gonzalez-Cadavid has a long-standing teaching experience in biochemistry, and molecular and cellular biology courses. He has been particularly devoted to the training of junior biomedical scientists by supervising numerous PhD and MSc students, as well as postdoctoral researchers and physicians, who are now academic faculty in several countries. He serves as reviewer of many journals and member of several academic and research committees, and has three patents awarded. 

H. Albin Gritsch, M.D. serves as Surgical Director of the  Kidney Transplantation Program at UCLA, as well as an Associate Professor for the Department of  Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine. He specializes in renal transplantation and end stage renal disease. He and a team of surgical specialists at UCLA recently developed a laparoscopic technique for live donor nephrectomy, dramatically reducing the recovery period for those donating a kidney. He leads a team of specialists who are also investigating the efficacy of new combinations of immunosuppressive drugs that prevent rejection of donated organs.

Dr. Gritsch received his medical degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and completed his Internship at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. After completing his Residency at the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Gritsch completed a Fellowship at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts and a Research Clinical Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania .

David A. Leff, M.D. has been in private practice for over 35 years and is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor of Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Leff has a clinical interest in the treatment of BPH, sexual dysfunction and general urology.

Dr. Leff is Board Certified by the American Board of Urology and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, New York and completed his Internship and Residency at LA County-USC Medical Center, Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California.

Steven Lerman, M.D., FAAP, has been on the forefront of developing minimally invasive procedures for the care of pediatric urology patients. Dr. Lerman has helped to advance the use of laparoscopic surgery in children with great success. He participates in clinical trials investigating new treatments for urological conditions in children. In addition, Dr Lerman has advanced the use of minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of vesicoureteral reflux, a common reason for pediatric urologic referral.

Dr. Lerman is an Associate Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA's Division of Pediatric Urology within the Department of Urology. He received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and completed his Residency at the Department of Urology at UCLA. Dr. Lerman also completed a Fellowship in Pediatric Urology at Children's Hospital, San Diego.

Mark S. Litwin, MD, MPH, FACS, is a Professor in the UCLA Schools of Medicine (Urology) and Public Health (Health Services).  He holds the only such joint faculty appointment in the US. 

Dr. Litwin graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a bachelor's degree in economics and attended medical school at Emory University.  He completed his training in urological surgery at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital.  He was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at Rand Corporation and UCLA, where he also earned his Masters in Public Health.  He has held leadership positions in the American Urological Association and the American Medical Association.  He served on the editorial board of JAMA and has authored numerous original articles, reports, reviews, and book chapters in urologic oncology and outcomes research.  In 2001 he received the American Urological Association's prestigious Gold Cystoscope Award, given annually to the young urologist who has made the most substantial contributions to the field of urology within 10 years of completing residency.  His current grants include a $7 million project funded by the NIH and a $50,000,000 project funded by the state of California. 

Dr. Litwin 's research includes medical outcomes assessment, health-related  quality of life, urologic oncology, cost-efficacy and resource utilization in urological care, and patient preferences.  He has a particular interest in prostate cancer but conducts outcomes research in all areas of urologic disease.  He published the first validated instrument to assess disease-targeted health-related quality of life in men treated for prostate cancer and has been an international leader in this area.  His instrument, the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index is now in use in over 200 studies throughout North America and has been translated into Spanish, Dutch, and Japanese for cross-cultural use.   His research is funded by the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), American Cancer Society, California Department of Health Services, and other organizations.  He teaches in the David Geffen School of Medicine and the Schools of Public Health at UCLA and practices urologic oncology at UCLA. 

Dr. James Orecklin received his M.D. from the University of Michigan in 1965.  After serving two years in the U.S. Air Force, he completed his Urology residency at UCLA in 1973.  He was in private practice in Santa Monica, while remaining a clinical faculty member at UCLA,from 1973 until 1999 when he joined the UCLA faculty fulltime.  In 1997, he received a Masters in Public Health in Healthcare Policy and Administration from UCLA.

He practices General Urology with a subspecialty in endourology (kidney stones).  In addition, he is Medical Director of the IMPACT program, a State of California program to treat indigent men with prostate cancer.

Allan Pantuck, M.D. has had a longstanding clinical interest in alternative and complementary medicine in treating cancer patients. He has conducted--or been a part of--several research studies focusing on prostate and kidney cancer. He comes from a family of physicians and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine's Department of Urology.

Dr. Pantuck received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ. He completed his
Residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a Fellowship in Urologic Oncology in the Department of Urology at the UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA. He is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Jacob Rajfer, M.D. has made UCLA one of the top basic science research centers in the field of impotence, specializing in the molecular events surrounding the production of nitric oxide, the chemical responsible for the erectile process. Since 1980, Dr. Rajfer has headed the clinical and teaching programs in Urology at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Many specialties within Urology-- including pediatrics, renal transplantation, oncology and andrology--have been expanded at Harbor and a number of important discoveries have resulted from the clinical and research activities at Harbor under Dr. Rajfer's guidance. It was these research activities that led to the discovery at UCLA of what chemicals cause an erection and explained in detail how drugs like Viagra work in helping men with impotence.

In addition to serving as Chief of Urology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Dr. Rajfer is a Professor of Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine's Department of Urology. He received his medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois and completed his Internship at LA County-USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, California. Dr. Rajfer completed a Surgery Residency at St. Josephs Hospital in Denver, Colorado, and served as Senior Assistant Resident in Urology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, where he went on to become Chief Resident in Urology. Dr. Rajfer also served as Research Fellow in Urology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Urology and holds a number of important patents for medical discoveries related to the field of urology.

Schlomo Raz, M.D. joined UCLA in 1975 and oversees the Division of Female Urology, Reconstructive Surgery and Urodynamics. Dr. Raz  has been a recognized leader in developing new treatments for female urology conditions for over 28 years. Dr. Raz pioneered many of the innovations that today are the standards of care worldwide for such conditions as vaginal and uterine prolapse, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor disorders, voiding dysfunction, and surgical reconstruction after cancer for urethral abnormalities.

During the past 28 years at UCLA, Dr. Raz has been committed to the highest standard of care of patients with urologic conditions affecting the lower urinary tract. He is a definite authority and one of the most prominent physicians in the field of female urology and urologic reconstructive surgery. With his numerous surgical innovations, as well as his involvement in the development of new pharmacological and surgical treatments of urologic conditions, Dr. Raz has helped define the field of female urology and reconstruction for the past two decades. He is author of more than 170 peer reviewed publications, and is author and chief editor of some of the most important texts and surgical atlases used throughout the world to train physicians in female urology and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Robert Reiter is a Professor of Urology and Molecular Biology, Co-Director of the Prostate and Genitourinary Oncology Program in UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center, and Director of Urologic Research.  He studied at Stanford Medical School and completed his urologic training at Stanford and Baylor College of Medicine (in Houston) under Dr. Peter Scardino, one of the world's formeost prostate cancer surgeons. He completed additional fellowship training in urological cancer at the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Reiter specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer, as well as bladder and kidney cancer, benign prostate enlargement and other common urologic problems. In addition, he is the principal investigator or participant in numerous clinical trials of novel drugs and biological agents that offer new hope to men with high-risk and advanced disease. Dr. Reiter is a practitioner of PVP, or Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate, at UCLA. (More Information - MS Word document)

Dr. Reiter has won numerous grants to further his work in translational research and molecular diagnosis, including the prestigious Prostate Cancer Foundation Research Award. Dr. Reiter's group first reported the association of a loss of a protein called p27 with poor outcomes in men with prostate cancer. He also identified a gene called prostate stem cell antigen that serves as a biomarker for the development of prostate cancer cells. Dr. Reiter has won numerous awards and honors, including the Stop Cancer Young Investigator Award and the Physician-Scientist Award from the National Cancer Institute.

Larissa Rodríguez, M.D. joined the UCLA faculty in 2001 as co-director of the Division of Female Urology, Reconstructive Surgery, and Urodynamics, and Director of Female Urology Research. Dr. Rodrí­guez is involved in all aspects of female urology and reconstructive surgery, and brings a solid background in clinical research on benign urologic conditions such as incontinence, prolapse, interstitial cystitis and overactive bladder.

As Director of Female Urology Research at UCLA, Dr. Rodrí­guez collaborates with a team of scientists on basic science research aimed at finding new treatments and cures to the diseases that affect our patients. For instance, her collaboration with 1998 Nobel Laureate Louis J. Ignarro, Ph.D involves the study of normal and abnormal physiology and function of the bladder and urethra. In collaboration with Dr. James Liao, Professor, UCLA Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr. Rodríguez is also evaluating the genes involved in a variety of benign urologic conditions such as incontinence, prolapse, interstitial cystitis and overactive bladder. With the understanding gained in the laboratory we will hopefully be able to design new therapies for these conditions.

Dr. Rodrí­guez is also involved in pioneering work in stem cell and tissue engineering research. Her current study involves the use of stem cells to form specific tissues and organs that can reconstruct the dysfunctional urethra to correct incontinence, as well as reinforce the weakened tissues that results in vaginal prolapse in women.

J. Thomas Rosenthal, M.D. joined the faculty of UCLA School of Medicine in 1986 as Director of Renal Transplantation.  Under Dr. Rosenthal's leadership, the Renal Transplant program tripled in size while maintaining the highest graft survival results in the country.  Clinical research was developed as an important part of the program, culminating in the program receiving NIH funding for participation in the first NIH sponsored clinical trials in transplantation.

In 1990, he was appointed Executive Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Vice Chairman of the Medical Faculty Board.  He was responsible for improvements in contracting for specialty services, development of the Department of Surgery practice plan, and for hospital-wide clinical pathway development.  In 1995, Dr. Rosenthal was appointed Interim CEO of the UCLA Medical Group, and in 1996 was formally appointed to be Vice Provost and Director of the Medical Group.  As Director of the Medical Group, he oversaw development of managed care services, incluidng contracting, quality management, clinical effectiveness, utilization management and claims.  In 1999, Dr. Rosenthal was appointed Chief Medical Officer of UCLA Healthcare.  This position was created to improve coordination of efforts of key services among the Medical Staff, Hospital Systems, and the Medical Group.

In 2003, he also became Associate Vice Chancellor responsible for a variety of School of Medicine functions including affiliate relations and research integrity.  He remains Professor of Urology and a member of the renal transplant team.

Christopher Saigal, M.D. has had a longstanding clinical interest in urologic oncology and in national urologic practice patterns, including cost-effectiveness and quality of care. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Urology within the David Geffen School of Medicine's Department of Urology, as well as practicing at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance,  Wadsworth Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Los Angeles, and Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar, CA.

Dr. Saigal received his medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles. In addition, he completed a Masters in Public Health (Health Services) from the UCLA School of Public Health.

Peter Schulam, M.D., Ph.D. currently serves as Vice Chair of the Department of Urology, Chief of the Division of Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Associate Professor of Urology and Co-Director of the Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology (CASIT). He has a longstanding clinical interest in minimally invasive surgery and laparscopic techniques. This includes developing novel biological sensors, instruments, and surgical techniques to be employed in minimally invasive surgery, as well as the effects minimally invasive surgery has on a patient's immunological status and quality of life.

Dr. Schulam received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He also earned a Ph.D. in Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Schulam served as General Surgical Intern and Junior-Assistant Resident at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Urology and has numerous presentations and publications to his credit.

Jennifer Singer, M.D. is an Assistant Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine in the UCLA Department of Urology.  She specializes in renal transplantation and pediatric urology.  Dr. Singer received her undergraduate Bachelor of Sciences from UCLA in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.  She then received her Medical Degree from the UCLA School of Medicine.  After completing an Internship in General Surgery and Residency in Urology at UCLA, Dr. Singer completed Fellowships in Renal Transplantation at UCLA and in Pediatric Urology at Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Singer’s clinical interests include adult and pediatric renal transplantation and end-stage renal disease.  She has special interests and training in congenital urologic anomalies.  Her research interests include the use of transplant immunosuppression and the molecular aspects of chronic allograft rejection.  She also has a special interest in urinary tract dysfunction in pediatric patients with end-stage renal disease.

Robert B. Smith, M.D. is a Professor of Urology and Director of the Residency Program within the Department of Urology. His clinical interests include urologic oncology and general urologic surgery.

Dr. Smith received his medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine. In addition, he completed his Intenship and Residency at UCLA Medical Center.

Eric Vilain, M.D. is Assistant Professor of Human Genetics, Pediatrics and Urology at UCLA.  He studies genetics of mammalian sexual development and his work has shown that normal sexual development is highly dependent on strict gene dosage at all major steps of the sex determination pathway.  He is also developing mouse models for disorders of sexual development and studying direct genetic effects on behavioral sex differences. Dr. Vilain earned his B.S. in Biochemistry and Ph.D. in Genetics at Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris; and his M.D. at Faculte de Medicine Necker Enfants Malades.  He has received a number of awards, most recently the Basil O'Connor Award from the March of Dimes.

Dr. Lily Wu has been a faculty member in the Department of Urology since 1998.  She graduated as a member of the inaugural class of Medical Scientist Training Program (M.D., Ph.D. program) at UCLA.  Her education training ranges from clinical disciplines such as pediatrics and hematology/oncology to molecular and cellular fields such as adenovirus biology, transcription regulation, and gene therapy.  Besides her research endeavors, a major part of her effort involves mentoring students at all levels, from undergraduates, graduate, postdoctoral fellows to clinical residents.  Her diverse background creates a fertile ground for the interdisciplinary approaches she has taken in her work.

A current research topic in her laboratory involves creating a prostate-targeted viral gene delivery vehicle with the intent to deliver imaging gene and toxic genes specifically to prostate cancer.  Preclinical studies showed that this prostate-specific gene delivery leads to the detection of prostate cancer metastasis by non-invasive imaging in living animals.  Her group is now refining the prostate-targeted therapeutic approaches.  The long-term goal is to create effective gene-based diagnostic and therapeutic tools for prostate cancer.