Faculty

Ralph Marcucio, PhD

Ralph Marcucio, PhD

Professor
Basic Science
Trauma & Problem Fractures
Orthopaedic Trauma Institute - Marcucio Lab
 
Orthopaedic Trauma Institute at Zuckerberg San Francisco General - Trauma & Problem Fractures
 

Publications

Grants & Awards

  • Transcriptional regulatory landscapes underlying FEZ Formation
    2020-03-11 - 2025-02-28
    NIH R01DE028324
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • A Predictive Developmental Morphospace Model of Cleft Lip
    2020-09-03 - 2021-08-31
    NIH R56DE029124
    Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  • Understanding the Forces that Shape the Face
    2018-09-15 - 2021-08-31
    NIH R21DE028198
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • The role of continuous phenotypic variation in structural defects of the face
    2010-07-23 - 2020-12-31
    NIH R01DE019638
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • Molecular Basis of Tissue Interactions that Regulate Craniofacial Development
    2007-06-01 - 2018-06-30
    NIH R01DE018234
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • Effects of Aging on Macrophages and Bone Regeneration
    2013-09-30 - 2018-05-31
    NIH R01AG046282
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • Developmental mechanisms underlying genotype-phenotype correlations
    2011-04-27 - 2017-03-31
    NIH R01DE021708
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • BMP-Mediated Tissue Interactions that Pattern the Face
    2005-01-01 - 2007-12-31
    NIH R03DE015901
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • CELL DEATH IN EMBRYONIC HEAD MUSCLES
    1996-09-01 - 1900-01-01
    NIH F32DE005683
    Role: Principal Investigator

About Ralph Marcucio, PhD

Ralph Marcucio was born in and grew up in Amsterdam, N.Y. Dr. Marcucio began his research career as an intern at The Boyce Thompson Institute while he was an undergraduate at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1990, Dr. Marcucio was accepted into Cornell University's School of Agriculture PhD program. He completed his PhD in 1995. For his exemplary performance and dedication as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, Dr. Marcucio was recognized by the Dean of Cornell University's School of Agriculture for his outstanding contribution to undergraduate education. After receiving his PhD, Ralph was awarded a prestigious NIH training grant to study tissue interactions that control development of the musculoskeletal system. Dr. Marcucio spent 5 years in the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine studying the origins of the musculature responsible for moving the head and jaw skeleton.

In 2000, Dr. Marcucio joined the Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco, (UCSF). In this position, he began studying how the skeleton of the face attains its shape and form. This work has resulted in the preparation of numerous manuscripts for publication in world-renowned research journals and has formed the basis for his independent research career.

In 2003, Dr. Marcucio was appointed to the faculty at UCSF as an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. His research program focuses on two basic science areas. First, he studies bone fracture healing focusing on the transformation of chondrocytes to osteoblasts and other cell types, as well as the inflammatory process during healing. Second, Dr. Marcucio is examining the role that the brain plays during normal development of the facial skeleton. Many facial birth defects have an underlying brain malformation, and the goal of the research is to generate novel therapeutic approaches that will allow correcting facial malformations prior to birth.

Dr. Marcucio is a dedicated and enthusiastic mentor to dental and medical students. His students have been invited to participate in university, state, national, and international research competitions.

 

Visit:  Marcucio Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab
Follow:  Twitter/X

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