UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Appoints Interim Director of Research

We are pleased to announce that Mark Walters, MD will serve as the interim UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Director of Research, for a one-year term, effective September.

In this role, Dr. Walters will be responsible for the organization’s bench, clinical, translational, and health equity research enterprise, in areas including: vision and strategy, personnel mentoring, and research and operations infrastructure and management. He will also oversee current program operations. Dr. Walters will be working with Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and UCSF leadership to integrate Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) into a unified research enterprise within UCSF focused on East Bay children’s health.

Dr. Walters will report to UCSF Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Dan Lowenstein, with a dotted line to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals President Michael Anderson, as well as to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Interim Associate Dean Kelley Meade.

With an established career at Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and ongoing collaborations with UCSF faculty, Dr. Walters is well positioned for this role. Since 1999, he has led the Blood and Marrow Transplant team in Oakland and is the Program Director of the CIRM-funded UCSF Alpha Stem Cell Clinic, which aims to accelerate the translation of cellular therapy trials at all UCSF clinical sites. Dr. Walters previously served on the Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Institutional Review Board, currently co-chairs the CHORI Appointments and Promotions Committee, and has served for several years as a member of the CHORI Scientific Management Committee. Dr. Walters has been selected to serve on advisory committees at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and FDA for hemoglobin disorders.

A pediatric hematologist/oncologist with a career interest in hematopoietic cell transplantation for hereditary non-malignant disorders, Dr. Walters has established a national and international reputation in this academic area. He has published a number of peer-reviewed articles and has received numerous NIH grant awards to support this important work.

We are actively working to define the process for Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Research planning, including the composition and goals of a Research Planning Task Force. Additional information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Walters on his appointment to this critical role that is central to the continued success of Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland.