UCSF Health

We're proud to open two new retail pharmacies at Mission Bay and Parnassus! Both are open to the public, accept most insurances and offer pickup, mail order and home delivery. Soon they'll offer vaccines and other clinical services too! ?? The Mission Bay pharmacy opened earlier this month, and Parnassus will open on Oct. 29. More about the pharmacies ?? https://ucsfh.org/3Yn9N7B

In a breakthrough technique known as optogenetics, researchers at UCSF, University of California, Santa Cruz, & University of California, Berkeley used pulses of light to prevent seizure-like activity in the brain tissue of epilepsy patients. “This represents a giant step toward a powerful new way of treating epilepsy and likely other conditions,” UCSF’s Tomasz Nowakowski says. ?? https://ucsfh.org/3ACO3Md

Dylan’s dementia has taken away some of her language skills, but it also has given her extraordinary new abilities in visual arts. For years, Dylan worked as a superior court judge. Unfortunately, in April 2023, she had to retire, due to a type of frontotemporal dementia called primary progressive aphasia, which damages the areas of the brain controlling speech and language. Doctors have long known that a small number of people with dementia experience bursts of visual creativity. And last year UCSF researchers discovered that in newly artistic patients like Dylan, the part of the brain associated with visual creativity is activated, while the area corresponding to language shrinks. Dylan’s beautiful pencil drawings are on display at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center through Dec. 20.

AI-powered diagnostic tools can help neurosurgeons identify “invisible cancer” left behind after a patient's initial brain tumor surgery, a UCSF/University of Michigan study finds. “This technique will improve our ability to identify tumors and hopefully improve survival due to the added tumor being removed,” Dr. Shawn Hervey-Jumper says. "This model provides physicians with real-time, accurate and clinically actionable diagnostic information within seconds of tissue biopsy.” Learn more ?? https://ucsfh.org/3YQO6ff

New drugs and therapies have become indispensable for treating an array of cancers. Unfortunately, they sometimes also cause damage to the heart. Now, thanks to a grant from The National Institutes of Health, UCSF & Stanford University researchers will study why certain cancer treatments cause heart damage for some patients but not for others. “Our assembled group collectively introduces synergies that will significantly impact the field of cardio-oncology,” Dr. Javid Moslehi says. https://ucsfh.org/4fOwvLI

Most cancer treatments have a host of side effects — largely because they also affect healthy cells while targeting tumor cells. University of California, San Francisco and University of Washington researchers have designed customizable biological sensors that can more precisely attack cancer cells, potentially leading to better treatments with fewer side effects. “This is incredibly exciting for cancer therapies,” UCSF’s Kole Roybal says. “But it also could be useful in things like autoimmune diseases where we want to regulate immune cells in certain environments.” ?? https://ucsfh.org/4hQLsyM

Our new Neurology Complex Diagnosis Clinic uses the most advanced diagnostic tools available to find answers for patients with elusive neurological symptoms. "Both my parents had mystery neurologic diseases," neurologist and clinic director Dr. Maggie Waung says. "I was really frustrated with how little time that we actually got to spend with doctors and in them listening to the whole story and not being able to find something right away. And also the waiting in between visits was excruciating." "When I had the opportunity to start this clinic, I really wanted to focus on getting people an expedited workup, listening to people's stories, hearing their concerns and understanding what was worrying them and why they thought something was wrong." https://ucsfh.org/4ef8v3m

“I feel like there are a lot of ways you can have a positive impact on people,” says Dr. Michael Rosenblum, UCSF dermatologist and world-renowned skin immunologist — and now an accomplished musician who just released his first solo album. “You can do it through discovery and trying to create novel medicines. You also can do it through creating a piece of art that people smile to and they sing for a portion of the day.” https://ucsfh.org/40EsnKh

Please help us celebrate Karl – it’s been almost 15 years since his last kidney transplant, and he’s doing great and recently got engaged! As a teen, Karl developed nephritis, an inflammation in the kidneys, following a strep throat infection. Twenty-six years later, he began feeling rundown, and tests revealed he was in kidney failure and would need a transplant. Karl had his first kidney transplant in 2000 at another hospital and came to UCSF for his second transplant 10 years later. Karl has been doing well ever since and is grateful for his mother’s unfailing support. Since his transplant, Karl has gotten serious about woodworking, and he recently became engaged to his partner, Sarah! Karl’s original goal was to live to see his son, Brandon, turn 21. Now Brandon is 29 years old, and father and son love playing golf together. They’re looking forward to playing a golf trip at Pebble Beach this month! “My son was always my motivation,” he says.

Our new pharmacy at Parnassus opened this week! We accept most insurances and offer pickup, mail order and home delivery of medicines, as well as onsite vaccinations! ?? More on our new pharmacies at Parnassus and Mission Bay ?? https://ucsfh.org/3Yn9N7B