Dr. Jennifer Grandis is an otolaryngologist and associate vice chancellor for clinical and translational research at UCSF. She directs the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, which provides resources and builds partnerships to facilitate more efficient and effective research, with the goal of improving individual and community health.

Dr. Grandis’s research focuses on the signal transduction in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) development and progression with the ultimate goal of targeting key pathways for therapeutic benefit. By taking key findings from the clinic and investigating mechanisms in a series of preclinical models, as well as developing novel therapeutic approaches in the laboratory and carrying out innovative clinical trials that employ these treatment strategies.

Grandis earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where she also completed a residency in surgery, a residency in otolaryngology and a fellowship in infectious diseases. Prior to joining UCSF, she led the University of Pittsburgh’s head and neck cancer program.

Grandis is an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor and a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, Association of American Physicians and National Academy of Medicine. She has published more than 260 peer-reviewed articles and has contributed to more than 50 review articles (summaries of scholarly research) and book chapters. She holds the UCSF Robert K. Werbe Distinguished Professorship in Head and Neck Cancer.