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Annual Symposium

BSCRC trainee Aya Barzelay presenting a poster

Our Annual Stem Cell Symposiums feature leading national and international scientists who are experts in the field of stem cell science and regenerative medicine.

These conferences are supported by a generous donation from the Margaret M. Bloomfield Family Foundation. They're free and open to the public, but registration is required.

SAVE THE DATE

Date: 
February 6, 2026
All Day 

Location: 
UCLA | Covel Commons
(Map)

Save the Date graphic for 22nd annual Stem Cell Symposium on Feb. 6, 2026

Past Symposiums

  • Date: Friday, February 7, 2025
    Location: Covel Commons

    Featured Speakers:
    Mark Krasnow, M.D., Ph.D. (Stanford University) 
    Aparna Bhaduri, Ph.D. (UCLA)  
    Samira Musah, Ph.D. (Duke University)  
    David V. Schaffer, Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley)  
    Charles Murry, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Southern California)
    Shuibing Chen, Ph.D. (Cornell University)
    Tippi MacKenzie, M.D. (University of California, San Francisco)
    George Daley, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard University)
     

  • 20th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 2, 2024
    Location: Covel Commons
    View the program book.

    Featured Speakers: 
    James Briscoe, Ph.D. (The Francis Crick Institute)
    Marianne Bronner, Ph.D. (California Institute of Technology)
    Dino Di Carlo, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Carla F. Kim, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Kara McKinley, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    April D. Pyle, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Owen Witte, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Yukiko Yamashita, Ph.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • 19th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: February 3, 2023
    Location: Covel Commons

    Featured Speakers:
    Anne Brunet, Ph.D. (Stanford University)
    D’Juan Farmer, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Fred "Rusty" Gage, Ph.D. (Salk Institute for Biological Studies)
    Steven Goldman, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Rochester)
    Hanna Mikkola, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Mara Sherman, Ph.D. (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
    Hongjun Song, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
    Omer Yilmaz, M.D., Ph.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • 18th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: January 28, 2022
    Held Virtually

    Featured Speakers:
    Amander Clark, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Hans Clevers, M.D., Ph.D. (Hubrecht Institute)
    Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Madeline Lancaster, Ph.D. (Cambridge Biomedical Campus)
    Alice Soragni, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Jeremy Sugarman, M.D. (Johns Hopkins University)
    Mark Walters, M.D. (University of California, San Francisco)
    Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, Ph.D. (California Institute of Technology)

  • 17th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: March 22, 2021
    Held Virtually: Watch on YouTube 

    Featured Speakers:
    Jonathan Flint, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. (National Institute of Mental Health)
    Robert Klein (American for Cures)
    Alicia Martin, Ph.D. (Massachusetts General Hospital; Broad Institute)
    Jeanne Miranda, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Sergiu Pasca, M.D. (Stanford Univeristy)
    Garen Staglin (One Mind/Healthy Brains Global Initiative)
    William Vega, Ph.D. (University of Southern California)

  • 16th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: February 7, 2020
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers: 
    S. Thomas Carmichael, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Howard Chang, M.D., Ph.D. (Stanford University)
    Victor Dzau, M.D. (National Academy of Medicine)
    Carl June, M.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
    Tippi MacKenzie, M.D. (University of California, San Francisco)
    Eric Olson, Ph.D. (University of Texas Southwestern)
    Kristy Red-Horse, Ph.D. (Stanford University)
    Megan Sykes, M.D. (Columbia University)
    Lili Yang, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)

  • 15th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: February 1, 2019
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
    Samantha Butler, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Bradley Cairns, Ph.D. (University of Utah)
    Michael Jensen, M.D. (University of Washington)
    Tracy Johnson, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Ophir Klein, M.D., Ph.D. (University California, San Francisco)
    Roeland Nusse, Ph.D. (Stanford University)
    Lorenz Studer, M.D. (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

  • 14th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 2, 2018
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium 

    Featured Speakers:
    David Mooney, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Steven Schwartz, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    David Schaffer, Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley)
    Brigitte Gomperts, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Dino Di Carlo, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Karen Christman, Ph.D. (University of California, San Diego)
    Ralph DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Texas South Western)
    Jeffrey Hubbell, Ph.D. (University of Chicago)

  • 13th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 3, 2017
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    UCLA
    Owen Witte, M.D.
    Amander Clark, Ph.D.
    Donald Kohn, M.D.

    UCSF
    Arnold Kriegstein, M.D., Ph.D.
    Saul Villeda, Ph.D.
    Holger Willenbring, M.D., Ph.D.

    USC
    Andrew McMahon, Ph.D.
    Neil Segil, Ph.D.
    Min Yu, M.D.

  • 12th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 5, 2016
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Anne Calof, Ph.D. (University of California, Irvine)
    Arjun Deb, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Paul Frenette, M.D. (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
    Luisa Iruela-Arispe, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Haifan Lin, Ph.D.  (Yale University)
    Anjana Rao, Ph.D.  (La Jolla Institute)
    Nicolas Restifo, M.D. (National Cancer Institute)
    David Scadden, M.D. (Harvard University)

  • 11th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 6, 2015
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Dietrich Egli, Ph.D. (New York Stem Cell Foundation)
    Leanne Jones, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Charles E. Murry, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Washington)
    Eric Olson, Ph.D. (University of Texas Southwestern)
    Kenneth D. Poss, Ph.D. (Duke University)
    April Pyle, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Lee L. Rubin, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Molly Shoichet, Ph.D. (University of Toronto)

  • 10th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, January 31, 2014
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    The 2014 conference honored Dr. Owen Witte (Director, Broad Stem Cell Research Center), for his significant contributions to stem cell research and the scientific community.

    Featured Speakers:
    David Baltimore, Ph.D. (California Institute of Technology)
    Sanaz Memarzadeh, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Ann Marie Pendergast, Ph.D. (Duke University)
    Caius G. Radu, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    David J. Rawlings, M.D. (University of Washington)
    Charles L. Sawyers, M.D. (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
    Inder M. Verma, Ph.D. (Salk Institute)
    Irving L. Weissman, M.D. (Stanford University)

  • 9th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 8, 2013
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Constance L. Cepko, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Gerald R. Crabtree, M.D. (Stanford University)
    Lawrence Goldstein, Ph.D. (University of California, San Diego)
    Gordon Keller, Ph.D. (University Health Network)
    Laura Kiessling, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
    Bennett Novitch, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Antoni Ribas, MD, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Michael J. Sailor, Ph.D. (University of California, San Diego)

  • 8th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 10, 2012
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    John E. Dick, Ph.D. (University Health Network)
    Lin He, Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley)
    Donald B. Kohn, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    William Lowry, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Steven L. McKnight, Ph.D. (IT Southwestern Medical Center)
    Shahin Rafii, M.D (Weill Cornell Medical College)
    Guy Sauvageau, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Montreal)
    Craig Thompson, M.D. (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

  • 7th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 18, 2011
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, Ph.D. (Salk Institute)
    Mickie Bhatia, Ph.D. (McMaster University)
    Helen M. Blau, Ph.D. (Stanford University)
    Kenneth R. Chien, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Amander Clark, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Dennis Clegg, Ph.D. (University of California, Santa Barbara)
    Sheng Ding, Ph.D. (The Scripps Research Institute)
    Shin-Ichi Nishikawa, M.D., Ph.D. (RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology)
    Michael Teitell, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)

  • 6th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 12, 2010
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Malcolm Brenner, M.D., Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine)
    Gay Crooks, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    George Daley, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Peter Donavan, Ph.D. (University of California, Irvine)
    Margaret Goodell, Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine)
    Arnold Kriegstein, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco)
    Freda Miller, Ph.D. (Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto)
    Michael Rudnicki, Ph.D. (Ottawa Health Research Center)

  • 5th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 27, 2009
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado, Ph.D. (University of Utah)
    Arturo Alvarez Buylla, Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco)
    Aileen Anderson, Ph.D. (Reeve-Irvine Research Center)
    David Baltimore, Ph.D. (California Institute of Technology)
    Douglas A. Melton, Ph.D. (Harvard Stem Cell Institute)
    Hanna Mikkola, MD, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Kateri Moore, Ph.D. (Mount Sinai School of Medicine)
    Stuart H. Orkin, M.D. (Children's Hospital Boston)

  • 4th Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 8, 2008
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Edward DeRobertis, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Kevin Eggan, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Fred H. Gage, Ph.D. (Salk Institute)
    Rudolf Jaenisch, Ph.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
    Siavash Kurdinstani, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Gail Martin, Ph.D. (University of California, San Francisco)
    Kathrin Plath, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Renee A. Reijo Pera, Ph.D. (Stanford University)
    Shinya Yamanaka, MD, Ph.D. (Kyoto University, Japan)

  • 3rd Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, February 16, 2007
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Utpal Banerjee, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Elaine Fuchs, Ph.D. (Rockefeller University)
    Judith Kimble, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
    Ihor Lemischka, Ph.D. (Princeton University)
    Sean Morrison, Ph.D. (University of Michigan)
    Janet Rossant, Ph.D. (University of Toronto)
    Allan Spradling, Ph.D. (Carnegie Institute)
    Jerome Zack, Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    Leonard Zon, M.D. (Harvard University)

  • 2nd Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, March 3, 2006
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Michael F. Clarke, M.D. (Stanford University)
    John Dick, Ph.D. (University of Toronto)
    Peter Dirks, M.D., Ph.D. (The Hospital for Sick Children)
    Gary Gilliland, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
    Harley Kornblum, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Rudolf Jaenisch, M.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
    Paul Mischel, M.D. (University of California, San Diego)
    Jeffrey M. Rosen, Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine)
    Charles Sawyers, M.D. (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
    Irving L. Weissman, M.D. (Stanford University)
    Hong Wu, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)

  • 1st Annual Stem Cell Symposium
    Date: Friday, April 22, 2005
    Location: DeNeve Auditorium

    Featured Speakers:
    Charles L. Sawyers, M.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)
    John Dick, Ph.D. (University of Toronto)
    Peter Dirks, M.D., Ph.D. (The Hospital for Sick Children)
    Gary Gilliland, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
    Harley Kornblum, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard University)
    Rudolf Jaenisch, M.D. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
    Paul Mischel, M.D. (University of California, San Diego)
    Jeffrey M. Rosen, Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine)
    Charles Sawyers, M.D. (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)
    Irving L. Weissman, M.D. (Stanford University)
    Hong Wu, M.D., Ph.D. (University of California, Los Angeles)