Research Team

Dr. May and her lab conduct studies that aim to improve uptake of colorectal cancer screening in average-risk adults. Her team focuses on increasing access to colorectal cancer screening in groups with historically low screening rates and on improving follow-up care for patients that have abnormal screening results. Studies in these areas encompass both health services research and health systems quality improvement research, but go beyond to include health policy advocacy and education.

Dr. Rozengurt and his lab are studying signal transduction pathways that lead to proliferation in normal and cancer cells. The research activities promote the identification of extracellular factors and intracellular signal transduction pathways that stimulate cells to divide. One of Dr. Rozengurt’s research projects focuses on calcium-sensing receptor signaling in regulating colonic epithelial cells to understand the role CaSR signaling plays in the development of colorectal cancer.

Dr. Jacobs and his lab study the impact of the microbiome on health and health states. Current studies include microbiome analyses of patients with gastrointestinal, lung, and head/neck malignancy before and after immunotherapy in collaboration with investigators at UCLA, USC, and UCSD. These studies involve prospective collection of stool samples and tissue specimens for microbiome analysis.

Dr. Mafi is a primary investigator in the UCLA Value Based Care Consortium. His research focuses on reducing low-value care at UCLA Health and across other academic institutions. Of the $3 trillion spent annually on healthcare in the United States, 10% to 30% is spent on low-value care or patient care with no net benefit to patients in specific clinical scenarios. Dr. Mafi and colleagues are currently evaluating overuse in several areas, including colonoscopy for screening.