September 2020  10th Edition
A Message from the Dean

Dear colleagues,

As summer comes to a close, we are thrilled to welcome some of you back on campus in person and others back via Zoom! 2020 sure looks different than years past, but we continue on in our commitment to discovery and innovation, training future healthcare leaders, and advancing individual and population health. 
 
Discover Row 1
Pickled capers activate proteins important for human brain and heart health
A compound commonly found in pickled capers has been shown to activate proteins required for normal human brain and heart activity, and may even lead to future therapies for the treatment of epilepsy and abnormal heart rhythms. 
 
Study reveals day- and night-biting mosquitoes respond differently to colors of light and time of day
In a new study, researchers found that night- versus day-biting species of mosquitoes are behaviorally attracted and repelled by different colors of light at different times of day. 
 
Discover Row 2
UCI researchers publish new guide for viral tracers in neural circuit mapping
Researchers from the newly-established Center for Neural Circuit Mapping evaluate the properties of anterograde and retrograde viral tracers, comparing their strengths and limitations for use in neural circuit mapping. 
 
Discovery reveals brain network mechanism that causes spatial memory impairment in Alzheimer’s
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease frequently suffer from spatial memory loss, such as no recognition of where they are.  Until now, the brain network mechanism that causes spatial memory impairment had been unclear.
 
Discover Row 3
Kevin Beier, PhD, receives Daniel X. Freedman Prize Honorable Mention 
Kevin Beier, PhD, was received an honorable mention for the 2020 Daniel X. Freedman Prize, an award given for outstanding achievement in basic research by a Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator.
 
Unequal access for refugee women and perinatal social support are targets for new COVID-19 funding
Two new COVID-19 related studies receive funding: one to address unequal access to sexual and reproductive services in refugee women, and a second to study perinatal social support and mental health during the pandemic.
 
Teach Row 1
Two medical students welcomed into CNLM fellowships
This fall, the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (CNLM) welcomed two predoctoral scholars into the Howard Schneiderman Interdisciplinary Training Program in Learning and Memory.
 
iMed grants incoming students iPads and ultrasound devices
During their online technology orientation, the Class of 2024 learns they will become the second UCI School of Medicine class to receive their own personal Butterfly iQ hand-held ultrasound devices.
 
Teach Row 2
Five medical students receive Arnold P. Gold Foundation fellowships
Five UCI medical students were selected as 2020 Gold Student Summer Fellows by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, each embarking on a project directly aiding underserved communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
PRIME-LC recognized as a finalist for 2020 Examples of Excelencia
UCI School of Medicine's PRIME-LC program is one of only 20 programs selected as finalists in the national 2020 Examples of Excelencia awards.  
 
Teach Row 3
Two medical students create free web resource to encourage medical Spanish education online
Medical Spanish is quite complex, even for native Spanish speakers. Two medical students created a website together after seeing firsthand the problems that miscommunication caused for Spanish speakers, especially surrounding medical terms, medical jargon or phrasing.
 
Oswald Steward, PhD selected for Landis Award
Oswald Steward, PhD, founding director of the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at UCI has been selected for the Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship, an annual award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
 
Teach 1 Article Rows
Student wins grant to distribute food and diabetes medicine in Guatemala
Daniel Haik, MS4, has been selected to receive a grant through the UCI Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation to distribute food and medications to people in Guatemala. 
 
Heal Row 1
Infectious diseases expert honored by Research Associates
Internationally recognized infectious diseases expert Susan Huang, MD, MPH, has been named the 2020 recipient of the Athalie Clarke Achievement Award for Medical Research by Research Associates, a Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences support group.
 
UCI Health clinical trial targets recurrent AML
The UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer has launched a first-in-the-nation clinical trial combining two recently approved drugs to prevent recurrence of adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in patients with myelodysplastic changes or therapy-related AML.
 
Heal Row 2
New UCI Health advanced care center to offer greater access to world-class care
North campus facility will include a center for child health and and adult speciality services
 
UCI Medical Center among America's Best Hospitals for 20 consecutive years
U.S. News & World Report’s annual America’s Best Hospitals survey listed UCI Medical Center among America’s Best hospitals for the 20th consecutive year. 
 
Heal 1 Article Rows
UCI Health-Newport Beach center offers science-based integrative health
New clinic in Newport Beach to provide cutting-edge approach to comprehensive care.
 
FQHC's in Anaheim and Santa Ana recognized by HRSA
The Health Resources and Services Administration has nationally recognized the UCI Health Family Health Center for ongoing improvement in diabetes management. 
 
Chaplains recognized for work they are doing during pandemic
Throughout the pandemic, our chaplains have served our patients and coworkers through daily rounding and general spiritual care support.
 
Run. Walk. Bike.
This year’s Anti-Cancer Challenge is going to be different, but its mission remains the same—raise funds for critical cancer research. An 8-week virtual program will in a virtual celebration event on October 3.
 
SOM in the News

Op-Ed: Diversity is the answer to disparities in healthcare

Why is there no consensus about reopening schools? 

UC Irvine receives $529 in research funding, 20 percent more than previous years record

Medical residency is always hard, but now 38,000 trainees are starting during a pandemic

What we know about COVID-19 and kids

UCI medical school stays connected during pandemic
 
 
Calendar

Sept 10 - UCI MIND 31st Annual SoCal Alzheimer's Research Conference "Tacking Dementia with Technology"

Sept 16 - Cannabis in a Changing Brain: The Evolving Impact of Cannabinoids Across the Lifespan

Sept 17-19 - 12th Annual Sickle Cell Disease Educational Seminar

Oct 2 - 2020 Kidney/Pancreas Transplant and Nephrology Symposium

Oct 6 - COVID-19 Dynamics: State of Science
 
 
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