SFVAHCS announces 2020 Grunfeld Scholars

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS) has selected four promising medical researchers for the Grunfeld Scholars Research Development Initiative. This new initiative invests in early-career clinician-scientists to grow the pipeline of future leaders in medical research, and preserve SFVAHCS’ legacy as a pre-eminent medical research institution.

The Grunfeld Scholars Research Development Initiative is named for Carl Grunfeld, M.D., Ph.D., SFVAHCS’s associate chief of staff for research and development. Dr. Grunfeld is a renowned clinician-scientist who has contributed over four decades of research excellence to the SFVAHCS.

“I have been able to do incredible research during my 40 years at the SFVAHCS because I have had such smart and wonderful colleagues here,” said Dr. Grunfeld. “For the last decade as the associate chief of staff for research and development, I have had a strong commitment to assure the future of research at the SFVAHCS.”

The scholarship program was open to clinician-scientists who:

* Have completed, or will soon complete, a research fellowship with at least three first-author original publications in peer review journals.

* Are currently eligible to apply for VA or National Institutes of Health (NIH) Career Development Awards, VA Merit Review, the NIH Research Project Grant Program, or other comparable funding.

Applicants were subject to a competitive selection process that included a review of their application by a SFVAHCS research team. The selected Grunfeld Scholars will receive dedicated, protected time outside of their existing clinical work to pursue their research goals. They will receive this protected time for a duration of two years, with the possibility of an extension. The program does not provide monetary funding for research.

Dr. Bahram Razani is a staff physician in Dermatology at the SFVAMC and an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Razani’s research focuses on the how the immune system causes psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Razani is a native of New Mexico who has an interest in outdoor activities.

Dr. Daniel Calabrese is staff physician in the Pulmonary Section, Medical Service of the SFVAHCS, and assistant professor of medicine at UCSF. Dr. Calabrese’s research focus has been to study the innate immune mechanisms contributing to poor outcomes in lung transplantation using human biospecimens and mouse models of acute lung injury. He attended the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Washington. Dr. Calabrese hails from Maryland, and enjoys expedition kayaking and remote backpacking.

Dr. Scott Bauer is a board-certified general internist and clinician investigator at the SFVAHCS, and assistant professor of both medicine and urology at UCSF. Dr. Bauer’s current research is focused on using large observational datasets and translational epidemiology (integrating mechanistic investigations into population-based studies) to identify biological mechanisms of age-related changes in skeletal muscle and related urinary symptoms in older adults. Dr. Bauer is an alumnus of the UCSF School of Medicine. When not at the SFVAHCS, Dr. Bauer enjoys camping along the Northern California coast.

Dr. Jeffrey Hofmann is a Neuropathology Fellow and future staff physician in SFVAHC’s Anatomic Pathology Service, and faculty in UCSF’s Department of Pathology. His primary research focus is neurodegenerative disease, which is common in Veterans due to a variety of combat exposures. Dr. Hofmann received his M.D. and Ph.D. at Brown University. He is passionate about teaching and youth mentorship, and enjoys cooking cuisines from around the world.

“I am delighted that the SFVAHCS is supporting the development of early career researchers and honored that the Scholars program has been named in honor of me,” said Dr. Grunfeld. “The first four scholars are a phenomenal cohort who have begun to make significant advances in the diseases they study. I look forward to seeing their future contributions.”

On June 29, from 12 – 2 p.m., the four inaugural Grunfeld Scholars will be giving web-based presentations of their ongoing research work. To attend, please e-mail

[email protected]

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