Announcing Ophir Klein, MD, PhD, as Director of the Institute for Human Genetics

We are pleased to announce the permanent appointment of Ophir Klein, MD, PhD, as Director of the Institute for Human Genetics (IHG), after serving in an interim capacity since July 1, 2020.

Dr. Klein attended the Yale University School of Medicine, where he received his medical degree and a PhD in Genetics. He completed residencies at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Pediatrics and at UCSF in Clinical Genetics. 

Dr. Klein joined the faculty at UCSF in 2007 and is now a Professor of Orofacial Sciences and Pediatrics, the Larry L. Hillblom Distinguished Professor in Craniofacial Anomalies, and the Charles J. Epstein Professor of Human Genetics. He serves as the Chief of the Division of Medical Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics and the Chair of the Division of Craniofacial Anomalies in the School of Dentistry’s Department of Orofacial Sciences. 

Dr. Klein’s research focuses on understanding how organs form in the embryo and how they regenerate in the adult, with a particular emphasis on the processes underlying craniofacial and dental development and renewal as well as on understanding how stem cells in the intestinal epithelium enable renewal and regeneration. 

He has received several honors and awards, including New Innovator and Sustaining Outstanding Achievement in Research Awards from the NIH, and the E. Mead Johnson Award from the Society for Pediatric Research. Dr. Klein was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Association of Physicians, and the National Academy of Medicine, and he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

We have been impressed with Dr. Klein’s interim leadership of the IHG. During his tenure, he has focused on building on the Institute’s successful history to develop an innovative vision for the future. His commitment to community building, enabling interdisciplinary research, and defining the key areas of scientific inquiry will ensure the IHG continues to have an impact on the research, training, and clinical applications of human genetics at UCSF and beyond. 

Given Dr. Klein’s exemplary track record in the field of human and developmental genetics research, his deep commitment to interdisciplinary teaching and training, and his extensive clinical and scientific leadership, we are confident that the IHG will thrive under his leadership.