School of Medicine News
This page contains news articles that appear on the UCR School of Medicine website as well as the main campus UCR News website.
March 17, 2023
UCR SOM Celebrates Match Day 2023
Each year, the UC Riverside School of Medicine participates in Match Day, a celebration in which medical students across the nation simultaneously find out where they will be spending the next portion of their medical training.
This year’s event, which took place on Friday, March 17, was even more special because it took place amid the school’s 10-year anniversary celebration.
March 16, 2023
Class of 2023 Profile: Aislyn Oulee
Reposted from the University of California news story profiling California's Next Doctors, which includes students from all of medical schools.
Inequality can be hard to hide in Aislyn Oulee’s chosen field, dermatology. Having grown up in São Paulo, Brazil, Oulee frequently encountered people on the streets with debilitating skin ailments; left untreated, they were both painful and a source of shame and social stigma.
March 15, 2023
Supporting Students and Increasing Diversity at the UCR SOM
Few individuals have lived the history--or exemplify the mission--of the UC Riverside School of Medicine more than Teresa Cofield, director of the school’s Pathway Programs.
March 15, 2023
Class of 2023 Profile: Skylar Rains
Reposted from the University of California news story profiling California's Next Doctors, which includes students from all of medical schools.
Throughout Skylar Rains’ early childhood, her mom struggled with a chronic illness, and Rains spent a lot of time shuttling back and forth with her to the doctor. She was nine when her mom passed away during surgery.
March 13, 2023
Looking Back on Match Day at the UCR School of Medicine
For fourth-year medical students, there are few moments more anticipated than Match Day. Held annually on the third Friday in March, Match Day is the day where medical students at schools across North America learn where they will go for their graduate medical education, also known as their residency.
Most noteworthy is the fact that the students all open their envelopes at exactly the same moment: 9 a.m. in the west and 12 noon in the east.
March 13, 2023
Treatment needs of unhoused Hawaiians requires more attention, study says
An estimated 326,000 to 580,000 individuals experience sheltered homelessness in the United States each night, putting them at risk for depression, anxiety, serious mental illness, substance use, and physical health problems. Nonetheless, little is known about their treatment needs, particularly of community-dwelling unhoused individuals living outside the country’s major urban centers.
March 10, 2023
Biomedical sciences postdoc awarded UC fellowship
Meli’sa Crawford will examine the effects of agricultural dust exposure on intestinal barrier function
March 08, 2023
Looking Back on Black History Month 2023
For Black History Month 2023, the UCR SOM social media pages highlighted some of the outstanding contributions of our Black faculty and staff along with several programs and research aimed at supporting the Black community.
Teresa Cofield
Director of the Pathway Programs
March 01, 2023
Recent changes at UCR have promoted well-being, study finds
A nearly three-year longitudinal study on the culture of campus health at UC Riverside has found that focusing on well-being characterized by programs and services, such as fitness classes, as well as policy and structural-level interventions, such as stairwell beautification and hydration stations, has promoted
February 24, 2023
SOM Students Volunteer at Med Fest
On January 28, 2023, three medical students from the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine - Simrina Desar (MS2), Darby Graham (MS1), Samantha Zimmer (MS1) - and faculty member Adwoa Osei, MD volunteered at the Special Olympics MedFest in Orange County. MedFest is a community event where Special Olympics athletes can receive a free sports physical.
February 22, 2023
Is that a persistent cold, bad allergies, … or long COVID?
Dr. Martin Schlusselberg of the UCR School of Medicine explains
February 15, 2023
Burroughs, Cooper Receive Inaugural DEI Awards
Takesha Cooper, MD, MS and Michelle Burroughs, MPH have been named as the recipients of the 2022 Faculty Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award and the Staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion award, respectively. The awards were announced at the School of Medicine Town Hall held on February 7, 2023.
February 14, 2023
CHC Announces its 2023 Community Medicine and Population Health Mini-Grant Awardees
The UC Riverside School of Medicine Center for Healthy Communities has announced its 2023 mini-grants awardees. Each recipient was awarded a $5,000 mini-grant to support projects focused on community medicine and population health.
February 13, 2023
Jami Woods, DPh, MD to Speak about Caring for Transgender Youth
Hundreds of thousands of young people in the U.S. identify as transgender, but the lack of gender-affirming care can lead to an increased risk of mental health issues and substance use.
February 10, 2023
The Buildings That the SOM Has Called Home
The new School of Medicine Education Building II, scheduled to open in the fall of 2023, has everyone excited about the future of medical education at UC Riverside. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we thought we would look back on the many buildings that the school has used for biomedical sciences research, medical education, and administration over the last 40 years and talk to some of the people who worked in those facilities.
Webber Hall
February 09, 2023
A Lifelong Pursuit of Health Justice
For UC Riverside’s LACE program director, Moazzum Bajwa, MD, MPH, working as a family medicine physician and advocate comes down to one simple question: “How do you use the skills and resources that you have to make an impact at the one-on-one level and at that larger community level in a meaningful way?”
February 02, 2023
Biomedical scientist named fellow of American Gastroenterological Association
Fellowship honors Declan McCole’s professional achievements in the gastrointestinal field
January 31, 2023
Regents spotlight UCR’s role in economic growth and public health
The Regents of the University of California met at UC Riverside on Friday, Jan. 27, in a daylong series of meetings that highlighted the campus’s role in spurring economic growth through technology development, agricultural innovation, and public health.
January 30, 2023
2023 Primary Care Summit Brings Together Local Medical Students to Explore Careers in Primary Care
The Inland Empire has a shortage of primary care physicians, but UCR’s Primary Care Summit aims to help change that. The event returned to campus on January 14, 2023 for the first time since 2020. Hosted by the UCR School of Medicine’s Family and Preventative Medicine Interest Group (FPMIG), the event brought together students from UC Riverside, California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM), and Western University to explore future careers as primary care physicians.
January 26, 2023
Health impact of chemicals in plastics is handed down two generations
UC Riverside mouse study finds paternal exposure to phthalates increases risk of metabolic diseases in progeny
January 25, 2023
Asian American shootings: This is ‘not an exception’ and other issues that need to be discussed
Farm working, mental health, and social and cultural barriers that some Asian American communities face.
January 24, 2023
Is ChatGPT a threat to education?
UC Riverside experts share thoughts on the AI-powered language model that understands and responds to natural language
December 22, 2022
Mired in silence
Health of Southern California’s farmworkers needs to be a priority, says UC Riverside study
December 22, 2022
Giving Back Over the Holidays
The UC Riverside School of Medicine works to give back to the local area by improving medical care and access, but the staff, faculty, and students also directly support the community during each holiday season with donation drives.
December 21, 2022
High religiosity/spirituality linked to better cardiovascular health
UC Riverside-led study focused on African Americans living in Jackson, Mississippi
December 15, 2022
Building the Future of Medicine in Inland Southern California
For Jesse Romo, constructing UC Riverside’s new School of Medicine Education Building II has helped him contribute to improving medical care in the community. It has also held a more personal meaning for the labor foreman: working toward finding a cure for his daughter, who has lupus.
“There's nothing her doctor can do,” Romo said. “I think that eventually there'll be a cure, and hopefully it'll be before my daughter goes, but if not, I know I can help somebody else by building this new medical center.”
December 14, 2022
Hernandez Receives Predoctorate Fellowship from American Heart Association
December 13, 2022
2021-22 School of Medicine Year in Review Now Available
The 2021-22 UCR School of Medicine Year in Review is now available for download from the SOM website.
The 28-page magazine is called "Reaching New Heights" and highlights the array of accomplishments within the educational, research, clinical, and community components of the school.
December 08, 2022
Salton Sea dust triggers lung inflammation
UC Riverside study has health implications for people living around California’s largest lake
November 28, 2022
Discovery of antibody structure could lead to treatment for Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus
Study provides insights into fighting broad range of pathogen’s viral strains
November 22, 2022
Biomedical scientist promoted to lieutenant colonel
Scott Pegan is an international expert on Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
November 07, 2022
SOM Researchers to Look at Chronic Illness and Parenting
Even in the best of times, parenting can be a challenge. But for parents who live with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and more, those challenges can be magnified, causing complications that can make things even more difficult for parent and child alike.
October 26, 2022
Research at new center to focus on health impact of cannabis use
School of Medicine’s Nicholas DiPatrizio will lead the Center for Cannabinoid Research
October 25, 2022
SOM project marks major milestone
UC Riverside’s new School of Medicine building project recently passed a major milestone with construction more than halfway complete.
Construction crews celebrated a topping-off of the new building last month, placing the top steel beam on the five-level structure. Many of the main elements of the concrete structure, including walls, columns, and floors, have been completed.
October 24, 2022
School of Medicine receives award for excellence in diversity
Annual award is given by oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education
October 17, 2022
Two School of Medicine faculty elected to National Academy of Medicine
Deborah Deas and Mario Sims are recognized for their contributions to advancing public health
October 12, 2022
Biomedical scientist to study novel mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease
Sika Zheng in the School of Medicine has received a grant of $250,000 from the National Institutes of Health
October 10, 2022
Meet UCR’s new faculty members
For fall quarter 2022, UC Riverside welcomed 34 new permanent faculty members from a variety of disciplines.
Learn more about the new faculty below:
College of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences
September 30, 2022
An intervention for children with ADHD
Kimberley Lakes in the School of Medicine receives federal funding to develop the intervention
September 28, 2022
Addressing the anxiety crisis
UC Riverside mental health professionals answer questions specific to adults, children, and students
September 26, 2022
DoD, UCR to host ‘Taking the Pentagon to the People’
UC Riverside, and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Diversity Management Operations Center will present "Taking the Pentagon to the People" on Oct. 7, an opportunity to learn about employment opportunities within the Department of Defense, or DoD.
Students will hear from program managers and recruiters about internships, scholarships, and direct hiring programs. Faculty and staff can learn about research and grant programs, small business partnerships, and leave and sabbatical programs within DoD.
September 19, 2022
COVID-19 took serious toll on Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander mental and physical health
Two UC Riverside-led studies found concerning psychological and physical health problems among more than 300 NH/PIs in five US states
September 07, 2022
A shot in the arm
UC Riverside experts answer questions on Americans needing just one COVID-19 booster vaccine each year
August 18, 2022
School of Medicine receives prestigious STEM award
Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine honors UCR medical school for helping students from underrepresented groups enter STEM fields
August 16, 2022
Generous gift establishes School of Medicine Mission Award Scholarship Endowed Fund
Teresa and Byron Pollitt are longtime donors to UC Riverside
August 10, 2022
Monkeypox explained
UC Riverside experts discuss disease symptoms, vaccines, and anxiety management
August 02, 2022
UCR to appear on “The College Tour” television series
UC Riverside will be showcased in an upcoming episode of “The College Tour,” a television series that profiles campuses through student stories and is available on Amazon Prime and many other streaming platforms.
A television crew completed a week of filming across multiple campus locations that included interviews with 10 students in late July.