Dean Sheppard

Dean Sheppard is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, specializing in molecular mechanisms underlying pulmonary fibrosis, acute lung injury, and immune responses to solid tumors. His lab investigates integrin family proteins (e.g., αvβ6, α5β1, α9β1, αvβ5, αvβ8) and their roles in TGFβ activation, with implications for fibrosis, cancer immunosuppression, and post-natal brain development.

• Education: Harvard College (A.B., 1972), SUNY at Stony Brook (M.D., 1975), University of Washington (Residency, 1975–78), UCSF (Fellowship, 1978–80)

Research Interests focus on integrin-mediated cellular responses to extracellular matrix cues, fibrosis pathogenesis, and engineering cell-based therapies for fibrotic diseases and cancer. Current work leverages single-cell RNA sequencing to map fibroblast heterogeneity and develop novel murine models for lineage tracing and therapeutic interventions.

Recent Publications highlight integrins in TGFβ activation, fibroblast-immune interactions, and applications of single-cell genomics to fibrosis and neuroimmunology. Collaborations with Wendell Lim explore genetically encoded therapeutics and enhanced cell therapies for solid tumors.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Elected Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation (1992)
  • Elected Member, Association of American Physicians (1995)
  • NIH Merit Award (2004–2014)
  • Top 20 Translational Scientists, Nature Biotechnology (2013)
  • UCSF Faculty Research Lecture in Translational Science (2016)

Research Funding includes 18 NIH grants spanning 1976–2025, with active projects like Induction, fate and function of inflammatory fibroblasts (RO1HL171159, 2024–2025) and Fibroblast heterogeneity in pulmonary fibrosis (R01HL142568, 2020–2024). Grants emphasize integrin biology, TGFβ signaling, and lung disease mechanisms.