The Institute for Human Genetics (IHG), an Organized Research Unit (ORU) within the UCSF School of Medicine, serves as a central hub on campus for faculty engaged in human genetics research. The Institute brings together faculty members across all four UCSF schools—Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Nursing—reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of genetics and its impact across biomedical science and health care. Based at the Parnassus campus, the IHG administrative team supports the day-to-day operations of 12 research laboratories.
Originally established as a Center in 2005, the Institute was designated an ORU in 2007, at which time it became known as the Institute for Human Genetics. Its first director, Neil Risch, PhD, MS, led the Institute from 2005 to 2020, followed by Ophir Klein, PhD, MD. In 2022, Nadav Ahituv, PhD, served as interim director and formally assumed the role of Director in 2023.
The IHG functions as a campus-wide hub for genetics and genomics research, advanced technologies, industry collaboration, education, and training. Through its Genomics Core Facility, the Institute provides access to cutting-edge technologies ranging from DNA extraction, genotyping, and sequencing to advanced data analysis, supporting research across UCSF.
The Institute is guided by an Executive Committee composed of faculty leaders, including:
- Nadav Ahituv, PhD
- David Erle, MD
- Ryan Hernandez, PhD
- Mary Norton, MD
- Louis Ptáček, MD
- Aleksandar Rajkovic, PhD, MD
- Yin Shen, PhD
- Matthew State, MD, PhD
- Soghra Jougheh Doust, MD, MSc
- Adrienne Wakeling, MS