Ophir Klein

Ophir Klein, M.D. ’00, Ph.D. ’00, was recently named chair of the Division of Craniofacial Anomalies and director of the Center for Craniofacial Anomalies and Craniofacial Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry. Klein is an associate professor in the departments of Orofacial Sciences and Pediatrics and the Institutes for Human Genetics and Regeneration in the School of Medicine. Klein’s research, for which he has received numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focuses on craniofacial and dental regenerative medicine. Using mice, Klein examines the normal and abnormal development of teeth, facial structure and other organs, as well as the regeneration of these organs.

A second part of Klein’s research involves understanding sprouty genes, the antagonists of receptor-kinase signaling, which have a critical role in the progression and development of many forms of cancer. Last, his research involves the stem cells that renew the lining of the oral cavity, intestine, and other organs. Klein has received many honors, including a Culpeper Scholarship, a New Innovator Award from the NIH, and the UCSF Graduate Students’ Association Outstanding Faculty Mentorship Award. Klein holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish literature from UC Berkeley as well as his M.D. and a Ph.D. in genetics from Yale.