The Biology of Heart Development and Congenital Heart Defects
with Irfan Kathiriya M.D. Ph.D of UCSF
- Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
- Time: 7:30 – 8:30 pm
- Place: Terra Linda High School Innovation Hub [map], 320 Nova Albion, San Rafael
Description: Dr. Kathiriya will introduce how the human heart develops from a simple tube into a complex four-chambered organ during early pregnancy. He’ll discuss congenital heart disease, which affects about 1% of newborns and represents one of the most common and life-limiting birth defects. Then, he will present recent discoveries on how specific genes control the organization of heart cells during development, and how disruptions in these genetic programs contribute to congenital heart defects. This research provides new insights into why some babies are born with heart problems and may lead to improved treatments and diagnostic approaches in the future.
Bio: Dr. Kathiriya is a pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist who cares for patients at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco and Oakland, and Professor of Anesthesia at the University of California, San Francisco. He is part of a team that cares for patients born with heart defects needing surgery. In the laboratory, Dr. Kathiriya’s research uses experimental genetics and data science—including disease modeling with human pluripotent stem cells, cell lineage tracing with mouse genetics, and genomics—to understand how the developing heart forms properly and what goes wrong in congenital heart disease. His goal is to uncover insights from the laboratory to improve the natural course of congenital heart disease for patients and their families.
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