2026 Faculty Retreat: Future Directions for Biomedical Research

On March 5, 2025, Michael J. Stamos, MD, dean of the UC Irvine School of Medicine, welcomed faculty and community members to UCI Beall Applied Innovation for the 2026 Faculty Research Retreat, “The Next Chapter: Future Directions for Biomedical Research.” Taking a moment to reflect on the past before strategizing for the future, Stamos traced the founding of the School of Medicine back to 1896, long before UC Irvine opened in 1964 and acquired what was known at the time as the California College of Medicine.

Fast forward to 2026, and the school is excelling in meeting its mission to discover, teach and heal, fostering excellence in research, education, patient care and community service. Stamos expressed his gratitude to the more than 1,450 full-time faculty and approximately 800 volunteer faculty members guiding the more than 500 medical students, 870 residents and fellows, and 180 doctoral and master’s students. “Our success is due to our faculty,” he said. “I am indeed humbled by the collective excellence represented here today.”

That excellence was on full display throughout the day, starting with the New Faculty Showcase.

New Faculty Showcase

After Aileen Anderson, PhD, vice chancellor for research, presented “The State of Research at UC Irvine: 2026 and Beyond,” the retreat started with the New Faculty Showcase.

The opening speaker was Jonathan LoTempio, PhD, an assistant professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Biological Chemistry and head of the LoTempio Lab. His fascinating talk, “Our Pangenomic Future: A Double Helix of Ethics and Informatics,” discussed the Human Pangenome Project.

Gerard Slobogean, MD, MPH, a professor of orthopedic surgery and director of the Master of Science in Biomedical and Translational Science (MS-BATS) program, presented his innovative work in clinical trial design with his talk, “A New Era of Clinical Trial Infrastructure, Translational Science Training, and Program Growth.”

Kimberly Gokoffski, MD, PhD, an associate professor at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, discussed stunning work in vision restoration with her talk, “From Injury to Insight: Rebuilding the Optic Nerve.”

Momoko Watanabe, PhD, an assistant professor of anatomy and neurobiology, stressed the need for human models in studying the brain with her incredible talk, “Human Brain Organoids to Study Development and Disease.”

Alvin Yu, PhD, an assistant professor of physiology and biophysics, shared inspirational new strategies for disrupting HIV during his talk, “Multiscale Simulations of HIV Replication.”

Yu marked the conclusion of the morning showcase, after which the crowd enjoyed a lunch break that allowed plenty of time for networking. Attendees could also visit the 26 “resource tables” representing a variety of research support services at UC Irvine.

Pathways to Accelerate Bench-to-Bedside Research

Geoffrey W. Abbott, vice dean of basic science research and academic affairs, welcomed everyone back from lunch to start the second half of the day, with two different sessions focused on future directions.

The first session, “Future Directions: Pathways to Accelerate Bench to Bedside Research,” explored cellular therapies, genome editing and the small molecules pipeline.

Brian Cummings, PhD, a professor in the Departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Neurological Surgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology, presented his talk, “Developing a Stem Cell Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).” He shared his exceptional work to improve the quality of life for those with TBI.

Rui Chen, PhD, a professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, presented his talk, “Unraveling the Genetic Basis of Human Ocular Disease.” He discussed groundbreaking research to advance precision medicine for treating inherited retinal disorders.

Brian Paegel, PhD, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences, presented his talk, “Automated and Ultra-Miniaturized Chemical Synthesis and Screening Technology for Next-Gen Drug Discovery at UC Irvine.” His fascinating work on novel screening technology concluded the bench-to-bedside discussion.

Charting Research for the Next Decade

Eric Vilain, MD, PhD, vice dean of clinical research, introduced the second session of the afternoon, “Future Directions: Charting Research for the Next Decade.” The topics, all presented by trailblazers in their field, included AI in research, epigenetics and metabolism, and dementia research and therapies.

This session started with Peter Chang, MD, an associate professor of radiological sciences, director of the Institute for Precision Health, and founding director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence Research (A2IR). His talk, “The Future of AI in Healthcare Research,” covered how he’s leveraging AI to improve health outcomes.

Ivan Marazzi, PhD, a professor of biological chemistry and director of the Center for Epigenetics & Metabolism, hopes to eventually prevent death by infection. He shared his impressive work toward this goal in his talk, “Genetics and Epigenetics of Infection, Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Diseases.”

The final presenter was Joshua Grill, PhD, a professor in the Departments of Psychiatry & Human Behavior and of Neurobiology & Behavior and director of the UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND). In his talk, “The Future of the UCI Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center,” he shared his excitement over the new building in the works for the comprehensive ADRC, thanks to the transformational $50 million gift from the Quilter Family.

A Decade of Leadership

As the formal retreat came to a close, Dean Stamos thanked the speakers and attendees before inviting everyone to join him for a reception to celebrate all that has been accomplished. The reception was well-attended and included leaders from UCI Health as well as long-time supporters of the School of Medicine.

The reception also celebrated a decade of strong leadership from Stamos, recognizing the School of Medicine’s impressive growth under his guidance. It was an evening of reflection and gratitude, with expectations of continued success well into the future.

View the album of 2026 Faculty Research Retreat photos.