Elad Ziv

Elad Ziv is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, where he leads research in human genetics of cancer susceptibility and hematological traits with a focus on admixed populations including Latinos and African Americans.

His academic credentials include:

• BS in Biology from Yale University (1991), Magna cum Laude
• MD in Medicine from UCSF (1996)
• Internship (1996-1997), Residency (1997-1999), and Fellowship (1999-2001) in General Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology at UCSF

Dr. Ziv pioneered research demonstrating that breast cancer risk is associated with genetic ancestry among Latina women, specifically showing Native American genetic ancestry provides protection from breast cancer. His team mapped this difference to chromosome 6q25 and identified a specific SNP explaining a large fraction of this risk difference. More recently, he led research identifying SNPs associated with survival among multiple myeloma patients.

His recent publications (2024-2025) reveal a research program spanning breast cancer genetics across diverse populations, immune-related adverse events from cancer immunotherapy, genetic factors in asthma/allergy, and development of population-specific polygenic risk scores. His work consistently addresses health disparities through understanding genetic differences across populations using advanced genomic techniques.

His notable awards include:

• National Cancer Mid-Career Investigator Award for Patient Oriented Research (2012-2017)
• National Cancer Institute Career Transition Award (2004-2007)
• Robert Crede Award for Clinical Research, UCSF (2005)
• Clinical Research Training Grant Award from American Cancer Society (2002-2004)

Dr. Ziv has maintained continuous NIH funding for over two decades as PI or Co-PI on multiple major projects, including ongoing grants extending through 2025. His research program bridges population genetics with clinical outcomes, addressing critical health disparities through inclusion of historically underrepresented populations in genomic research.