Meet Our Leadership

At UCLA LIFT-UP, we pride ourselves on our leadership team's proven track record of supporting diverse post-doctoral fellows and pre-tenured faculty members in obtaining external research funding and advancing to research independence. Our team understands the unique challenges and barriers that scientists may face and is dedicated to providing the resources and mentorship needed for success. We work closely with our students to help them navigate the complex research funding landscape and develop strong, impactful research proposals that showcase their expertise and potential. Through our personalized approach and commitment to excellence, we help our students achieve their goals and reach new heights in their research careers.

Obidiugwu K. Duru, MD, MS

Obidiugwu K. Duru, MD, MS

Internal Medicine

Professor UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research.

Research Interests: Shared decision making in diabetes prevention, disparities in cardiovascular outcomes

Carol M. Mangione, MD

Carol M. Mangione, MD

Internal Medicine

Professor, Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research. Executive Vice Chair for Health Equity and Health Services Research. Barbara A. Levey & Gerald S. Levey Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Public Health at UCLA

Research Interests: Health services research, comparative effectiveness research, and development and evaluation of health plan or health system interventions to prevent diabetes and/or improve diabetes care.

Headshot of Andrea Hevener in Black Blazer

Andrea Hevener, PhD

Professor, UCLA Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension and Sidney Roberts and Clara Szego Roberts Chair in Molecular Endocrinology.

Research Interests: Estrogen receptor expression in tissues normally responsive to insulin, mechanisms of estradiol protection against metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

Tannaz Moin, M.D., M.B.A., M.S.H.S.

Tannaz Moin, MD, MBA, MSHS

Associate Professor, UCLA Divisions of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism and General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research and Assistant Director of UCLA Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program

Research Interests: Pragmatic trials, comparative effectiveness studies, and implementation science in the areas of obesity and diabetes management and prevention.

claudio villanueva

Claudio Villanueva, PhD

Associate Professor, UCLA Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology

Research Interests: Basic mechanisms of communication used between adipocytes and the liver.

 

Lauren Wisk, PhD

Lauren Wisk, PhD

Assistant Professor, UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research.

Research Interests: Adolescents/your adults with chronic conditions (including diabetes), social and chronic disease epidemiology, health services research.