About Us

General Information

The Office of Academic Affairs for the David Geffen School of Medicine provides School of Medicine departments with the following services:

Proper implementation of academic personnel policies for the UC system and for UCLA specifically
Review and approval of academic recruitment, appointment, merit, and promotion actions
Faculty development and mentoring
Health Sciences Compensation Plan administration
Review, approval, and implementation of annual departmental budgets for Health Sciences Compensation Plan faculty
Provide forms and links for academic actions, policy, and forms

Who We Are

Joaquin Madrenas, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Dean/Special Assistant for Faculty (310) 825-3639

Dr. Joaquín (Quim) Madrenas is Professor-in-Residence of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases), and Assistant Dean and Special Assistant for Faculty in the DGSOM. Previously, he was Professor and Canada Research Chair in Human Immunology and Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University, and more recently Chief Scientific Officer at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Madrenas received an M.D. degree at the University of Barcelona, specialized in Nephrology and Transplantation at the University Autónoma of Barcelona, obtained a Ph.D. degree in Immunology at the University of Alberta, and was a visiting associate at the NIH.

Dr. Madrenas is an active educator in immunology and an accomplished investigator whose research has identified different signaling patterns through the T cell antigen receptor, the mechanisms of CTLA-4 signaling, and novel mechanisms of pathobiosis by Staphylococcus aureus. He is the author of more than 120 scientific papers in high impact journals, and over 40 reviews and book chapters. He has also served in the editorial board of six journals. Dr. Madrenas has received numerous awards including a Canada Foundation for Innovation Researcher Award, a Premier’s Research Excellence Award, an Ontario Distinguished Researcher Award, The John B. Dossetor Mission Award in Research from The Kidney Foundation of Canada, and is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Dr. Madrenas founded the Centre for Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapeutics in London, ON, the first FOCIS Centre of Excellence in Canada, and the Microbiome and Disease Tolerance Centre at McGill University. He led the establishment and was Executive Director of the Canadian Human Immunology Network, a peer-reviewed funded initiative to promote research and career development in the field of Human Immunology. More recently, he started the Annual Implementation Science Workshops at The Lundquist Institute in partnership with academic, non-profit, public and private sector institutions.

John Colicelli, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean

Richard Gold, M.D.
Assistant Dean

Cindy Cordova
Assistant to the Vice Dean for Faculty (310) 206-9204

Arlene Feliciano
Director, Academic Affairs (310) 794-8193

Denise Burnett
Visa & Special Licenses

Cynthia Guzman
UCPath SME

Sarah Lawson
Review Analyst

Mariel Nario
Review Analyst

Allison (Allie) Ouchi
Sr. Review Analyst

Michael Ruan
OATS & FEC Staff Administrator

Atiyah Sherriff-Edwards
Review Analyst

Jocelyn Tieman
Sr. Review Analyst