University of California San Francisco

Ari Molofsky, MD, PhD

Education

Institution Degree Dept or School End Date
UCSF Residency/Fellowship Clinical Pathology / Hematopathology 2011
University of Michigan PhD Immunology & Microbiology 2007
University of Michigan MD Medicine 2007
University of Texas BS Molecular Biology 1999

Awards & Honors

Award Conferred By Date
Most Highly Cited Researchers over past decade, top 1% Clarivate 2022
UCSF Medical School Foundations Curriculum Teaching Award UCSF 2021
American Association of Immunology, Travel Award AAI 2019
Nina Ireland Program for Lung Health Award UCSF 2019
AAI Young Investigator Travel Award UCSF 2017
ICIS Milstein Young Investigator Award UCSF 2017
New Frontiers Research Awardee Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research UCSF 2017
Larry L. Hillblom Foundation Young Investigator Award UCSF 2016/2019
Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08) UCSF 2014
Molecular Medicine Research Fellowship UCSF 2009/2012
MD graduate with research distinction U. of Michigan 2007
Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society U of Michigan 2006
Ward J. MacNeal Distinguished Dissertation U. of Michigan 2006
Frederick G. Novy Fellowship U. of Michigan 2004/2005
Dean's Honored Graduate in Molecular Biology U. of Texas 1999
National Merit Finalist Scholarship U. of Texas 1995/1999

Mentoring and Training Narrative

As an MD/PhD Hematopathologist and Scientist with a focus on foundational tissue immunology, I have helped mentor both young doctors and scientists. I try to serve as an (imperfect) role model for a successful balance of clinical and research work. I believe the key elements to mentoring are honest discussions and genuine enthusiasm for the trainee's career path and our work together. I have served as a research and career mentor for multiple graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty, and I believe strongly in teaching and mentoring as both a critical service (payin it forward) and a privilege of my work!

Collaboration Interests

Our research group is fundamentally collaborative, working to understand tissue immunity across multiple organs and disease states. As our grants and publications suggest, we enjoy pushing the scientific boundaries of immunology and its intersections with neuroscience, metabolic diseases, lung biology, and barrier health.

I am interested in:

  • academic collaboration
  • companies and entrepreneurs
  • policy change
  • press

Grants and Funding

  • Pathogen and immune-topographic mechanisms that underpin Candida auris skin colonization | NIH | 2024-07-19 - 2029-05-31 | Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • Distinct early and late programs of fibroblast - immune crosstalk govern functional responses to brain injury | NIH | 2024-07-02 - 2029-05-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Manipulation of macrophage polarization by a fungal meningitis pathogen | NIH | 2022-06-23 - 2027-05-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Meningeal type 2 immunity in cortical synapse remodeling during brain development and injury | NIH | 2022-02-15 - 2026-12-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Localization and function of tissue type 2 lymphocytes during mixed inflammation | NIH | 2022-01-11 - 2026-12-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Role of Myeloid And CD4+ T Immune Cells in Post-Traumatic Plasticity | NIH | 2021-12-01 - 2026-11-30 | Role: Co-Investigator
  • The IL-33/ILC2 axis in parturition | NIH | 2020-01-15 - 2024-12-31 | Role: Co-Investigator
  • Defining group 2 innate lymphoid cell lung niches | NIH | 2019-09-01 - 2023-08-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Activation, Phenotype and Function of CD4 T Cells in Schistosoma-Pulmonary Hypertension | NIH | 2016-12-15 - 2021-11-30 | Role: Co-Investigator
  • Defining group 2 innate lymphoid cell lung niches | NIH | 2018-09-15 - 2019-08-31 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Adipose Tissue type 2 immunity in metabolic health and disease | Larry L. Hillblom Foundation Startup Grant | 2016-08-02 - 2019-07-21 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Regulation and function of allergic immune cells in visceral adipose tissue | NIH | 2014-05-01 - 2019-02-28 | Role: Principal Investigator
  • Regulation of lung type 2 immunity in tobacco-related allergic asthma | California TRDRP, New Investigator Award | 2018-07-01 - | Role: PI
  • Ghosts in the machine: Lymphocytes in the developing brain | UCSF Quantitative Biosciences Institute Bold and Basic Research Grant | 2017-07-01 - 2018-06-30 | Role: Faculty Mentor
  • Exploring innate lymphocytes at the brain-immune interface | Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research: New Frontier Research | 2017-06-15 - 2018-06-14 | Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Publications

MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM A TOTAL OF 10
  1. Lung adventitial fibroblasts support type 2 Tregs to shape the response to influenza infection.
    Chang AA, Balcerek J, Caryotakis SE, Pyper KB, Matatia P, Wells EB, Tsukui T, Ewing-Crystal NA, Merrill ED, Mroz NM, Dahlgren MW, Cautivo KM, Taruselli MT, Nakao-Inoue H, Molofsky AV, Sheppard D, Molofsky AB| | PubMed
  2. NF-κB-activated fibroblasts orchestrate inflammaging and emergence of pro-inflammatory granzyme K+ T cells.
    Allen NC, Ringler C, Woo SH, Phipps S, Lee JY, Reyes N, Biswas R, Neyton L, Willmore A, Caryotakis S, Roginsky J, Guo L, Magnen M, Ruivo P, Langelier C, COMET Consortium, Looney M, Ma A, Auyeung V, Calfee C, Molofsky AB, Peng T| | PubMed
  3. Type 2 lymphocytes restrict type 3 lymphocytes during liver fibrosis and colocalize in fibroblast niches.
    Sbierski-Kind J, Cautivo KM, Nilsson J, Wagner JC, Dahlgren MW, Crystal NE, McClave M, Mroz NM, Ganslmeier M, Lizama CO, Gan AL, Matatia PR, Taruselli MT, Chang AA, Caryotakis S, O'Leary CE, Kotas M, Lee JH, Gu T, Seo H, Kim HJ, Mattis AN, Peng T, Locksley RM, Molofsky AB| | PubMed
  4. A genetically encoded reporter reveals interferon responses in multiple cell lineages.
    Anderson SR, Chiaranunt P, Mroz NM, Wade SD, Molofsky AB, Molofsky AV| | PubMed
  5. Role of conventional dendritic cells in schistosomiasis-induced pulmonary hypertension.
    Mickael C, Kumar R, Fonseca Balladares DC, Nolan K, Lee MH, Kassa B, Menezes TCF, Lau-Xiao A, Sahota A, Sanders L, Tuscan K, Gandjeva A, Cautivo KM, Molofsky A, Graham BB| | PubMed
  6. Fibroblast orchestration of inflammaging via NF-kB activation.
    Allen NC, Ringler C, Lee JY, Reyes N, Biswas R, Caryotakis S, Magnen M, Ruivo P, Auyeung V, Looney M, Ma A, Molofsky AB, Peng T| | PubMed
  7. Dynamic fibroblast-immune interactions shape recovery after brain injury.
    Ewing-Crystal NA, Mroz NM, Larpthaveesarp A, Lizama CO, Pennington R, Chiaranunt P, Dennis JI, Chang AA, Merrill ED, Caryotakis SE, Kirthivasan N, Teo L, Tsukui T, Katewa A, McKinsey GL, Nelson SCK, Ciesielska A, Lummis NC, Pintaric L, Dahlgren MW, Atakilit A, Paidassi H, Jain S, Liu X, Xu D, Aghi MK, Bourne JA, Paz JT, Daneman R, Gonzalez FF, Sheppard D, Molofsky AV, Arnold TD, Molofsky AB| | PubMed
  8. Myeloid-mesenchymal crosstalk drives ARG1-dependent profibrotic metabolism via ornithine in lung fibrosis.
    Yadav P, Gómez Ortega J, Dabral P, Tamaki W, Chien C, Chang KC, Biswas N, Pan S, Nilsson J, Yin X, Bhattacharyya A, Boostanpour K, Jujaray T, Wang JT, Tsukui T, Molina CJ, Auyeung VC, Sheppard D, Li B, Maishan M, Taenaka H, Matthay MA, Muramatsu R, Maliskova L, Ghosh A, Eckalbar WL, Molofsky AB, Tamaki SJ, Bivona TG, Abate AR, Wagner A, Pillai SK, Wolters PJ, Tharp KM, Bhattacharya M| | PubMed
  9. GM-CSF derived from alveolar type 2 cells promotes CD301b+ cDC2 generation and allergic airway inflammation.
    Gschwend J, Lechner A, Sidiropoulos ND, Maier P, Andersson T, Sturzenegger F, Corak B, Brander N, Bejarano DA, Wells E, Melo SP, Martins JRD, Nitschké M, Molofsky AB, Schlitzer A, Arnold IC, Mundt S, Becher B, Kopf M, Rehrauer H, Schneider C| | PubMed
  10. 0652 The emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris induces IFN? to colonize mammalian hair follicles.
    E.D. Merrill, V. Prudent, P. Moghadam, A. Rodriguez, C. Hurabielle, E. Wells, P. Basso, T. Scharschmidt, M. Rosenblum, S. Noble, A. Molofsky| | UCSF Research Profile