Dr. Susana Ortiz-Urda, MD, PhD, MBA, co-director of the UCSF Melanoma Center, treats patients with early and advanced melanoma. Her lab has broad expertise in human models of epithelial neoplasia and melanoma. She studies in-depth cancer signaling to identify novel transcripts, their functions, and the factors that promote resistance to drugs and/or cancer progression via transcriptome (RNA-Seq) to capture the implicated coding and non-coding elements in this process. These findings might serve as key biomarkers and/or new targets for therapeutics in melanoma.

Dr. Ortiz-Urda earned a medical degree and doctorate at the University of Vienna in Austria. She completed a residency in dermatology and a postdoctoral fellowship in epithelial biology, both at Stanford University, followed by a cutaneous oncology fellowship in dermatology at UCSF and an MBA at NYU. She is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, the Austrian Society of Dermatology and Venerology, and the Dermatology Foundation. Dr. Ortiz-Urda has received several awards, including the Kardinal-Innitzer Award for Outstanding Science in Dermatology and the Unilever Award from the Austrian Society for Dermatology and Venerology. She is an Associate Professor of Dermatology at UCSF.

Dr. Valentin Feichtenschlager's expertise lies in the research of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) biology and MAPK-signaling in cancer, with a focus on melanoma. His journey into dermatological research began in Vienna, where he collaborated with Drs. Christian Posch and Igor Vujic in clinical research projects as a member of the research team at the Rudolfstiftung Hospital in Vienna, under the guidance of his mentor, Professor Klemens Rappersberger.

In 2017, he continued to build on his laboratory experience and scientific knowledge by joining the Ortiz Lab at UCSF. His research led to the identification and characterization of the lncRNA “T-RECS”, which is overexpressed in melanoma cells and essential for their survival.

Dr. James Zheng completed his medical education at the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine in 2023 and is currently a resident in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital. Prior to attending medical school, James volunteered in the Ortiz lab and maintains an ongoing collaboration in research while managing his residency responsibilities.

Ms. Callanan is a current medical student at the University of Illinois. She began working with the Ortiz lab as an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley in 2018. Her dedication to the lab and dermatology research has allowed her to develop a strong understanding of melanoma, and she has been able to apply that here at the Ortiz Lab by greatly contributing to our cell culture and in vitro experiments. 

​​​​Albert Lee is pursuing his MD at UCSD School of Medicine after completing degrees in Immunology and Economics at UC Berkeley. He is passionate about improving cancer health outcomes and his research experience includes wet lab melanoma, clinical hematology-oncology, and health economics research. 

Thy Nguyen is currently pursuing her MD at Nova Southeastern University, following a master’s degree in Clinical Research and Epidemiology from Stanford University. She is passionate about melanoma prevention and treatment, with a strong commitment to bridging health disparities among patients of color. While attending medical school, Thy continues her collaboration with the Ortiz lab, furthering her research and impact in this area.

José Ángel Ortiz is a medical student at the European University of Madrid (EUM) who has been working with the Ortiz lab since 2022. During his yearly internships, he has gained experience that has allowed him to independently conduct experimental procedures in cell culture, immunoblotting, and PCR. Additionally, he contributes to data analysis, laboratory management, and the preparation of manuscripts and presentations.

Ms. Marsicovetere is a recent graduate of Wake Forest University, currently taking time to gain valuable research experience before applying to medical school. In the Ortiz Lab, she is actively involved in protein extraction and quantification, Western blotting, and cell culture work. With a strong passion for melanoma prevention and treatment, she is dedicated to advancing research in the field and educating the public about the importance of early detection and prevention strategies for melanoma..

Ms. Courtright is an aspriing researcher currently pursuing her degree in Medicinal and Synthetic Chemistry at the University of San Francisco.  In the Ortiz lab, she is developing hands-on experience in biochemical techniques, such as Western blotting, while contributing research on cancer signaling and melanoma progression.