Professor Glenn-Milo Santos, PhD, MPH, has been named the UCSF School of Nursing’s next Associate Dean for Research, effective Aug. 1.
A member of the Community Health Systems faculty since 2014, Santos also holds an appointment in the UCSF Division of Prevention Studies and serves as a Senior Research Scientist at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
An epidemiologist and intervention scientist, Santos' research focuses on developing pharmacologic and behavioral interventions that address the intersecting challenges of substance use and HIV prevention and care outcomes, particularly among populations most affected by HIV. He is the author or co-author of over 130 peer-reviewed publications and currently holds extramural research funding from multiple institutes of the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH), and National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). His work has also been funded by other key organizations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Gates Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Santos is among a select group of scientists awarded the highly competitive and prestigious DP5 Early Independence Award from the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health. Part of NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program, this award supports exceptional early-career scientists leading innovative research projects that address major contemporary challenges in health. Reflecting the broad public impact of his work, Santos' research has been featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, Good Morning America, and NPR.
As the School of Nursing’s representative on the UCSF Academic Senate’s Committee on Research, Santos advocates for the needs of school researchers while building relationships with stakeholders across the university. He has mentored 88 early-stage investigators from various backgrounds, empowering them to lead 40 first-authored peer-reviewed publications among 62 collaborative publications.
In our school, Santos co-directs the Next Generation Nurse Scientists Ending the HIV Epidemic T32 training program. He has taught in the PhD Nursing program for 11 years and chaired the PhD Nursing admissions screening committee. Additionally, Santos previously served as the school's research theme champion for community and population health, organizing research science chats, networking events, and a research session as part of the UCSF Health Equity and Anti-Racism Symposium.
In his new role, Santos brings a collaborative and equity-driven vision for advancing the school’s research impact locally and globally.