Many people think the skin's only function is to provide a physical buffer to the body.
Dr. Kimie Fukuyama has something to teach those people. We have found many of the proteins have chemical functions against invaders from the outside, such as ultraviolet light. One of her major research interests at UCSF is to elucidate the chemical functions of epidermal proteins in cell defense mechanisms. Another interest is granulomatous inflammation disease, which Dr. Fukuyama investigates with colleague Dr. William Epstein, two of only a handful of researchers studying this disease. She taught at Tokyo Women's Medical College from 1961 to 1965 and began her career at UCSF in 1965 as a lecturer.