The research programs of the Department are located in laboratories at the Medical Center and on the Irvine campus. Departmental research funding has grown continuously over the past decade, now exceeding $3.8 M in annual research expenditures support. Laboratory-based research programs include investigations in mucosal and innate immunity (Andre Ouellette, Ph.D., and Michael E. Selsted, M.D., Ph.D. ), chlamydial pathogenesis (Luis M. de la Maza, M.D., Ph.D., and Ellena M. Peterson, Ph.D. ), developmental neuropathology (Edwin S. Monuki, M.D., Ph.D. and Ronald C. Kim, M.D.), HIV pathogenesis (W. Ed Robinson, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.), cellular motility in metastatis (Philip M. Carpenter, M.D.), hematopoietic regulatory genes (Jeff Y. Chan, M.D., Ph.D.), regulation of interferon genes (John J. Krolewski, M.D., Ph.D.), inflammatory bowel disease (Rob A. Edwards, M.D., Ph.D.), and cutaneous (Ronald Sherman, M.D.) and mucosal (Sandor Szabo, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.) wound healing.

Clinical and translational research programs include genetic epidemiology of colon and skin cancer (Fritz Lin, M.D.), biomarker development and analysis (Philip M. Carpenter, M.D.), and clinical lipidology (Jane Emerson. M.D., Ph.D.).