The Institute for Human Genetics (IHG) was established in January, 2005, with the appointment of Dr. Neil Risch as the Institute's first director.  Dr. Risch is the Lamond Family Foundation Distinguished Professor in Human Genetics. 

UCSF has always had a significant presence in human genetics.  In fact, survey of the scientists who have received the two most prestigious research awards (Allan Award and Stern Award) from the American Society of Human Genetics, the pre-eminent human genetics society in the world, shows that UCSF is a leader in the number of awardees.  The major aim of the Institute for Human Genetics is to create a more exciting and productive environment for research and training and to provide institutional support in the form of a central structure, of which the Core and Affiliate faculty are a component.  

Human genetics research has increased and will continue to increase in importance in medical practice.  It is also clear that dramatic events in molecular biology, such as the sequencing and characterization of the human genome and other model organism genomes, and in informatics and computer science, where we now routinely talk in gigabytes of memory rather than kilobytes, and in molecular genetic methodology, where DNA sequences can be obtained for pennies, offer unprecedented opportunities to make progress in both the discovery and application phases of human genetics.

Investigators come from most of the departments in the School of Medicine as well as from the Schools of Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing.