UCSF Profile: HA Ingraham
Email: [email protected]
NIH_BioSketch_2020: Ingraham.pdf
Those who devote their lives to creative pursuits are often inspired by a singular event. Mine came from my great-grandfather, whose 1890 Bausch & Lomb microscope, abandoned in a closet after being shipped west from Worcester Massachusetts, came into my possession when I was 10 years old. I picked it up and began exploring the biological world of Northern California, never to stop. But sporadic events are not enough to support a lifetime of curiosity and discovery. That support would come via the State of California through an amazing and accessible public education system beginning at UCSD, and through the National Institutes of Health, which has supported curiosity-based discovery research as an engine for improving our health and well-being. Unwavering personal support also comes from my husband, family, and mentors who provide the personal strength and resiliency needed to overcome moments of disappointment, insecurity, and self-doubt. I thoroughly enjoy my life as a scientist and continue to be addicted to the rare experimental successes sprinkled among the many failures inherent in the scientific process.
In partnership with San Francisco State University, I also direct the UCSF IRACDA Scholars Program with Ms. Anne Sufka to build diversity in our nation's biomedical workforce and faculty. Our efforts along with generous funding from NIGMS K12 grant and the UCSF School of Medicine provide career development programming for a cohort of postdoctoral fellows.