Esteban G. Burchard, MD, MPH

Harry Wm. and Diana V. Hind Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences II
Burchard
Phone: +1 415 514-9677
Fax: +1 415 514-4365
1550 4th Street, Bldg 19B, Rm 584B
UCSF Box 2911
San Francisco, CA 94158
United States

Affiliations

What I do

I am a physician-scientist with training in pulmonary medicine, genetics, and epidemiology. My research and academic interests center on identifying disease risk factors specific to racial groups, most especially those related to asthma and drug response. I am engaged in a new, international field of study relating ancestry and genetic susceptibility to specific diseases and varying drug response.

Departmental research area

My research expertise

asthma, pharmacogenetics, admixture, population genetics, race/ethnicity and genetics, pulmonary and critical care medicine, underserved populations, minority recruitment

Professional background

Biography

Esteban González Burchard, M.D., M.P.H. is a UCSF Distinguished, Endowed, Tenured Professor of Pharmacy and Medicine. He is a Pulmonary & Critical Care Physician-Scientist trained in Genetics, Immunology, Epidemiology, Pharmacogenetics, and phase 1 clinical trials.

I am passionate about understanding why and how the risk of disease and drug response vary by race and genetic ancestry. I established a national and international clinical network. My collaborators and I recruited > 16,000 African American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican children with/without asthma. I elected to study these populations because they have the highest and lowest asthma prevalence and mortality worldwide.

I led a diverse cross-functional national and international team of ~ 60 physicians, pharmacists, and scientists. Most of my 368 publications have come from these data. We combined advanced whole-genome and RNA sequencing data with social and environmental variables to study asthma, eczema, immunology, and drug response in racially mixed (admixed) populations. We are the largest contributor of data from non-European populations to the NIH/NHLBI and share our data worldwide. My research has been consistently funded by the NIH, FDA, and industry for 27 years, for a total of > $100 million.

Results from these data have placed us at the epicenter of the international debate on race and genetic ancestry in medicine. I have excellent oral and written communication skills and can effectively communicate complex and racially significant clinical and scientific concepts. I am committed to leveraging my belief in leadership, teamwork, and resiliency to contribute to clinical and biomedical research.

This body of work epitomizes Dr. Burchard’s ongoing drive to use science to improve the care of minority patients and mentorship of physicians, scientists, and students with the goal of improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in science and medicine.

Visit my lab page to learn more: https://pharm.ucsf.edu/burchard

Research keywords

  • immunology
  • precision medicine
  • pharmacogenetics
  • genetics
  • diversity
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
  • Mexican Americans
  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones
  • Puerto Rico
  • Forced Expiratory Volume
  • Immunoglobulin E
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Albuterol
  • Bronchodilator Agents
  • Anti-Asthmatic Agents
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • asthma
  • Genetics, Population
  • Minority Groups
  • Human Genome