Seminar & Workshop Recordings

Discover the latest service from the CCMBM Skeletal Biology and Biomechanics (SBB) Core and see how the Bruker GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiler is transforming spatial biology research. Learn how this powerful platform generates spatially resolved, cell type-specific transcriptomic and proteomic data from bone and other hard tissues, opening new possibilities for discovery. Whether you study musculoskeletal biology, bone, cartilage, or regenerative medicine, this workshop will introduce cutting-edge tools that can elevate your research. 

Recorded on August 20, 2026.

Join us for a hands-on workshop designed to help early-career scientists navigate application and utilization of AI in musculoskeletal research. Whether you use AI every day for your research or have never touched in, this workshop will demystify and provide guidance on safe use of AI for research. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain expert advice on the most up-to-date AI tools and applications!

Recorded on February 18, 2026.

The preparation of bone samples for the assessment of matrix mechanical properties is currently low throughput. To improve throughput and reduce investigator effort, we have designed a process flow that enables the simultaneous preparation and mechanical testing of up to 48 bone samples. We will discuss the advantages and versatility of this new tool for high-throughput assessment of bone matrix properties in a seminar-style format. 

Presented by Sam Stephen, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, Hernandez Lab, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UCSF. 

Recorded on December 4, 2025.

In this workshop, participants will learn about concepts involved in the analysis of transcriptome-wide gene expression data generated by RNA sequencing. Concepts and methods to be covered include:

Data format and organization
Data quality control
Experimental design
Differential expression analysis
Graphical display of results
Gene set enrichment analysis

Laboratory methods for generation of gene expression data will not be covered. Participants can apply these concepts to gene expression studies of human and non-human samples. We will highlight the use of gene expression data from the Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging (SOMMA).

This workshop was presented by:

Dan Evans, PhD, MPH 
Co-Director, CCMBM EBSD Core
Senior Scientist, California Pacific Medical center Research Institute
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UCSF

Recorded on June 18, 2025.

Join the UCSF MSK Center CCMBM for a high-level overview of skeletal imaging best practices featuring guidance from the Skeletal Biology and Biomechanics Core and the Mouse Metabolism Core. Presenters will discuss the state-of-the-art in skeletal imaging assessment using ex vivo micro-CT and in vivo DXA, including how-to sessions, case study presentations, and dedicated Q&A periods.

This workshop was presented by:

Mohamed Habib, PhD
Manager, UCSF MSK Center CCMBM Skeletal and Biomechanics Core

Jessie Turnbaugh, PhD 
Manager, UCSF Mouse Metabolism Core

Recorded on May 29, 2025.

This workshop is designed to help early-career scientists navigate the competitive world of grant funding. Focused on fellowship applications and career development awards in musculoskeletal research, this session will provide insights into funding opportunities, best practices for crafting compelling proposals, and key reviewer perspectives. Whether you're applying for your first fellowship or a career award, this workshop will equip you with the tools and strategies to enhance your grant-writing success. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain expert advice and boost your funding potential!

Workshop presenters:

Kelsey Collins, PhD 
Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Aaron Fields, PhD 
Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Ralph Marcucio, PhD 
Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Recorded on March 5, 2025.

Dr. Gardella requested that the recording of his presentation not be posted online. Instead, he has made available a redacted version of his talk slides. You can view those via UCSF Box here.

Presented on February 26, 2025.

Watch the CCMBM seminar featuring Uma Sankar, PhD, Associate Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine.

Dr. Sankar gave a presentation entitled, “Emerging Roles of CaMKK2 in Bone and Joint".

Recorded on January 28, 2025.

This workshop will introduce and demo “BCAB-CT”, a new open-source image analysis tool to extract 3D metrics of bone and muscle health as well as adipose depot data from CT scans. This tool was developed to support analysis of dedicated research scans or opportunistic clinical scans. This program is freely available to the UCSF community, is easy to install and manage on a standard laptop or desktop, and is operable by users without significant computing or imaging experience. The design of the results archival process centers on easy extraction and statistical analysis of data and on the storage of image masks in a standard format accessible for training of NNs or ML algorithms.​​​

Recorded on January 23, 2025.

Watch the CCMBM seminar featuring Rachel Cooper, PhD, McArdle Chair in Ageing and Professor of Translational Epidemology, Newcastle University.

Dr. Cooper gave a presentation entitled, “Sarcopenia and multimorbidity through a life course epidemiology lens".

Recorded on November 19, 2024.

Watch the CCMBM seminar featuring Tom Nickolas, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Dr. Nickolas gave a presentation entitled, “Visualizing the skeletal effects of Chronic Kidney Disease".

Recorded on May 22, 2024.

This workshop discusses challenges, strategies, and opportunities related to translating basic science discoveries into clinical practice and commercial success. Experts on basic science, clinical medicine, and entrepreneurship discuss:

• how to incorporate translational considerations into study aims
• types of evidence needed to change clinical management
• how discoveries are commercialized

Workshop Speakers:

Dennis Black, PhD 
Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Alexis Dang, MD 
Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Charles Hart, PhD 
Executive Director, UCSF Catalyst Program

Sarah Knox, PhD 
Professor, Department of Cell & Tissue Biology

Conor O’Neill, MD 
Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Recorded on March 27, 2024.

This workshop--presented by CCMBM EBSD Core co-director Dan Evans, PhD, MPH--covers many of the steps needed to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS), with a focus on musculoskeletal (MSK) traits and outcomes. The workshop slides can be downloaded here.

Discussion points:

• GWAS study design
• What can be a learned from a GWAS
• Regulatory and compliance steps needed to gain access to genome-wide genotype data
• Common file types used for genome-wide genotype data
• Quality control (QC) approaches
• Association testing methods and result interpretation

Recorded on February 15, 2024.

Watch the Orthopaedic Surgery Research Seminar featuring Fiona Freeman, PhD, Assistant Professor and Ad Astra Fellow, University College Dublin, and Stefaan Verbruggen, PhD, FHEA, Lecturer & Visiting Academic, Queen Mary University of London & Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine.

Dr. Freeman gave a presentation entitled, "Utilizing Bioengineering Technologies to Create Innovative Therapeutics for the Repair of Damaged or Diseased Bone."

Dr. Verbruggen gave a presentation entitled, "Osteocyte-cancer cell crosstalk in the bone metastatic niche."

Recorded on January 31, 2024.

This workshop--presented at UCSF on January 17, 2024--provides an overview of clinical biomechanics best practices featuring experts from the UCSF Human Performance Center including:

Anthony Luke, MD, MPH
Director, UCSF Human Performance Center

Richard Souza, PT, PhD
Director of Research, UCSF Human Performance Center

Brooke Schultz, MS, ACE-CPT
Biomechanist & Lab Manager, UCSF Human Performance Center

Mathias Sorensen, MS, ACE-CPT
Exercise Physiologist, UCSF Human Performance Center

The workshop included demos of the technology in the UCSF Human Performance Center (top video) followed by a separate lecture portion (bottom video). To view the workshop's data outputs, click here. 

Watch the CCMBM seminar featuring Elena Ambrogini, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Dr. Ambrogini gave a presentation entitled, “Role of oxidized phospholipids in bone metabolism".

Recorded on January 9, 2024. Due to some technical issues, a portion of Dr. Ambrogini's talk is missing from this recording.

This workshop--recorded on August 30, 2023--provides a high-level overview of skeletal proteomics best practices featuring experts from the Buck Institute and the Medical University of South Carolina including:

Peggi Angel, PhD
Associate Professor of Cell & Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Medical University of South Carolina

Birgit Schilling, PhD
Director of the Mass Spectrometry Core & Professor at Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Charlie Schurman, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Schilling Lab at Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Jacob Rose, MS
Project Scientist, Schilling Lab at Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Per his request, a portion of Dr. Schurman's presentation has been redacted from this recording.

Join Dr. Ralph Marcucio, a reviewer for the NIH Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration study section, for an overview of biosketch writing best practices. Dr. Marcucio will also show you how to tailor your biosketch to strengthen a grant application.

This workshop was recorded on April 20, 2023.

The resources shared by Dr. Marcucio during his presentation are as follows: 

Current instructions for biosketches from the NIH
Biosketch forms, and examples from the NIH
Create your own biosketch online via SciENv
Biosketch FAQ from the NIH
"How to write an NIH Biosketch" on YouTube

Watch the CCMBM & Department of Orthopaedic Surgery sponsored seminar featuring Jeffrey N. Katz, MD, Professor of Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Katz gave a presentation entitled, “Management of Meniscal Tear in Middle-Aged and Older Adults”.

Recorded on December 13, 2022.

Watch the CCMBM Seminar Series featuring Fabrisia Ambrosio, PhD, MPT, Inaugural Director of the Atlantic Charter Discovery Center for Musculoskeletal Recovery at the Spaulding Research Institute, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Ambrosio gave a presentation entitled, "Forever Young: Targeting Youthful Signals in Circulating Extracellular Vesicles through Engineering and Exercise."

Recorded November 30, 2022.

Watch the CCMBM Seminar Series featuring Warren Grayson, PhD, Professor and Vice-Chair for Faculty Affairs in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Grayson gave a presentation entitled, "Decoding Neurovascular Interactions to Promote Musculoskeletal Regeneration."

Recorded on October 26, 2022.

Watch the CCMBM Seminar Series featuring Isidro B. Salusky, MD, Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Chief of Pediatric Nephrology and Director of the Pediatric Dialysis Program.

Dr. Salusky gave a presentation entitled, "Is there a Clinical Role for the Performance of Bone Biopsy in Renal Osteodystrophy?"

Recorded on September 28, 2022.

Watch the CCMBM Seminar Series featuring Gabriel Mbalaviele, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Mbalaviele gave a presentation "Parsing the Paradoxical Pyroptotic and Osteoclastogenic Fates of Macrophages."

Recorded on April 21, 2022.

​​​​​Watch the CCMBM Seminar Series featuring Mishaela Rubin, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Columbia University.

Dr. Rubin gave a presentation on Hypoparathyroidism in 2022.

Recorded on February 10, 2022.

Watch the CCMBM Seminar Series featuring Michelle McDonald, PhD, Bone Microenvironment Group Leader of the Bone Microenvironment Group at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia.

Dr. McDonlad gave a presentation on Osteomorps and Osteoclast Recycling: A Mechanism for Rebound Bone Loss Following Withdrawal of Denosumab Therapy.

Recorded on December 2, 2021.

Watch the CCMBM Advanced Machine Learning Workshop focused on implementing and training an image classifier model to classify Covid-19 x-rays. The workshop showcased how to load and visualize data, balance and split your dataset, and train a model using the PyTorch framework. 

Listen in for this CCMBM sponsored seminar provided by Brent Richards, MD, MSc, Professor of Medicine, Human Genetics and Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, McGill University, Quebec

Dr. Richards spoke on the topic of Genetics to Identify Drug Targets for Osteoporosis.

Recorded on September 24, 2021.

Listen in to this CCMBM sponsored seminar featuring Nicholas Harvey, MA, MB, BChir, PhD, FRCP, Professor of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology, University of South Hampton, UK.

Dr. Harvey spoke on "The role of muscle measures in fracture risk assessment: findings from MrOS and WHI."

Recorded on July 8, 2021.

*Note: Some of the data in this presentation is unpublished, so certain slides are blurred.

Listen in to our March CCMBM Seminar series featuring Marc Wein, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard University. He provided provided a talk entitled “Dissecting novel mechanisms of osteocyte differentiation and function.” 

Tune into this CCMBM Seminar featuring Tony Keaveny, PhD, Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Bioengineering at UC Berkeley. He gave a talk a talk entitled “Biomechanical Computed Tomography Analysis (BCT) and its Clinical Use for Assessing Osteoporosis”

Listen in to us part two of a two-day Bradford Lectureship featuring Lynda Bonewald, PhD, Director of the Indiana Musculoskeletal Center & Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology, Physiology and Orthopaedic Surgery at Indiana University. Talk title: “The Generation of Tools to Study Osteocytes: Cell lines and Cre models”

*Note: Some of the data in this presentation is unpublished, so certain slides are blurred.

Listen in to part one of a two-day lecture featuring Bradford Lectureship speaker Lynda Bonewald, PhD, Director of the Indiana Musculoskeletal Center & Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology, Physiology and Orthopaedic Surgery at Indiana University. Talk title: “Beyond Movers and Shakers: Bone and Muscle as the Musculoskeletal Endocrine Unit”

Listen in to the CCMBM Seminar Series that was recorded on on December 16th, 2020 - featuring Julio Carballido-Gamio, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiology at the University of Colorado Denver- Anschutz Medical Center. His talk was entitled “A Decade of Statistical Parametric Mapping in Bone Studies: What Have We Learned?”

This demo workshop showcases innovative tools that support musculoskeletal discovery using published genome-wide association study results. These tools aim to support laboratory researchers, even those with minimal computational experience, in leveraging large genome-wide association studies to prioritize clinically relevant genes for further laboratory study.Click the link above to view. 

The CCMBM/PREMIER MSK Genomics Workshop that took place on November 12, 2020 was entitled “New Computational Tools for Musculoskeletal Discovery using Genome-wide Approaches.”​​​​​​