Steve Hays

Dr. Steve Hays is a Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he serves as the Medical Director of the UCSF Lung Transplant Program. His clinical expertise lies in managing patients with end-stage lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and interstitial lung disease, with a focus on the lung transplant process.

• Institution: University of California, San Francisco
• School: School of Medicine
• Position: Professor
• Email: steven.hays@ucsf.edu
• Address: 500 Parnassus Avenue, #W410A, San Francisco, CA 94117

Dr. Hays earned his M.D. from the University of Kansas in 1995, completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center (serving as chief resident), followed by a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at UCSF, and a lung transplant fellowship at Stanford Health Care.

His research is centered on understanding airway remodeling in transplanted lungs, immune mechanisms of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), frailty assessment in transplant candidates, and improving post-transplant outcomes. He has led NIH-funded research and published extensively on transplant immunology, biomarker discovery, and digital health interventions.

The recent publications highlight a strong focus on immune cell dynamics in allograft rejection, genetic and transcriptomic predictors of CLAD, sleep and quality of life in transplant recipients, and the use of mobile health technology for remote monitoring. His work spans clinical studies, mechanistic investigations, and multicenter collaborations, emphasizing translational research to improve patient care.

• NIH K23HL077660 – Mechanisms of gland proliferation in COPD (Principal Investigator)

Dr. Hays has trained and collaborated with numerous researchers and clinicians, including Drs. Jonathan Singer, John Greenland, Jasleen Kukreja, Jeffrey Golden, and Daniel Calabrese. His leadership in the Lung Transplant Program involves both clinical innovation and research mentorship.

He is actively involved in advancing lung transplant care through research on immunosuppression, infection risk, frailty, and long-term graft survival. His work contributes significantly to national guidelines and clinical practices in pulmonary transplantation.