Index of Features | School of Medicine | University of California, Irvine

Second-year UCI medical student Julia Tran in the simulation training center

Scholarship benefits physician-to-be

Donor-endowed scholarship helps first-generation college student Julia Tran achieve her dream of becoming a doctor.

UCI research team awarded $3.4-million Cancer Moonshot grant

UCI researchers will use NIH Cancer Moonshot initiative grant to study potential breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy

UCI's Marian Waterman, professor of microbiology and molecular genetics; John Lowengrub, Chancellor's Professor of mathematics; and Arthur Lander, Donald Bren Professor of Developmental & Cell Biology

Looking at cancer in a whole new way

UCI moves to the national forefront of cancer research by taking an interdisciplinary systems biology approach to the devastating disease.

Aileen Anderson, director of UCI’s Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center

Stem cells: healing the body from within

Researcher Aileen Anderson, PhD, director of the UCI Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, explains what we know about stem cells and what we don't.

The 3D structure shows how a key Clostridium difficile toxin, TcdB (in orange), recognizes the human Frizzled protein (in green) as its receptor to invade cells, leading to damage in the intestinal barrier. Shown in the background is immunofluorescent staining of the healthy mouse cecum tissue (left) and the one damaged by TcdB (right).

C. difficile research may combat deadly GI infections

UCI School of Medicine researcher Rongsheng Jin, PhD, professor of Physiology and Biophysics, helped discover how the Clostridium difficile toxin causes deadly gastrointestinal infections.

Todd C. Holmes, PhD, UCI School of Medicine professor of Physiology and Biophysics, is awarded a $2.1 million NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award.

Biophysicist receives $2.1-million Outstanding Investigator Award

Biophysicist Todd C. Holmes, PhD, professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the UCI School of Medicine, has been awarded a competitive five-year $2.1 million Outstanding Investigator Award/Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) R35 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the first MIRA grant awarded to a UCI researcher.

UCI School of Medicine students learn how to prepare healthy meals so that they can become better doctors.

Cooking classes help UCI medical students become better doctors

UCI’s School of Medicine wants its graduates to know what a healthy meal is, but also how to actually prepare one. For a second year, the medical school is offering a regular course in culinary medicine — basically, cooking classes with a hefty dose of nutrition education.

Graduating UC Irvine medical student Ryan Gibney, flanked by wife Melissa and daughter Zoe, is thrilled to learn that he'll be an emergency medicine resident at UC Irvine Medical Center.

Meeting their match

UC Irvine School of Medicine's 99 graduating students in the Class of 2018 learn where they will serve their residencies during Match Day ceremonies.

UC Irvine School of Medicine leaders receive Apple's Distinguished School award.

Medical school earns fourth Apple honor for innovation and creativity

The Apple Distinguished School award recognizes UC Irvine School of Medicine for continued creativity and leadership in redefining medical education and clinical skills for the 21st century.

UC Irvine Health faculty members named Physicians of Excellence gather in front of Douglas Hospital. In the center foreground are Dr. Manual Porto, left, and Dr. Michael J. Stamos, dean of the medical school.Dr. Manual

150 School of Medicine faculty named "Physicians of Excellence"

The Orange County Medical Association recognizes 150 UC Irvine Health School of Medicine faculty members as "Physicians of Excellence" for 2018.

Microscopic view of human breast cells stained to show cell markers.

UC Irvine researchers to map breast cells for Human Cell Atlas project

UC Irvine scientists Devon Lawson, Kai Kessenbrock and Jered Haun collaborate in effort to map the breast cancer genome as a foundation for cancer research.

'Leaky' brain blood vessels link to Huntington's diseases identified

UC Irvine neurobiologists and colleagues, using stem cells, have learned why Huntington’s disease patients have defects in the blood-brain barrier that contribute to the fatal disorder. It is the first time induced pluripotent stem cells have been used for a neurodegenerative disease.

Quadruplet Brianna Miner poses for photos with Dr. Manuel Porto, the obstetrician who delivered her and her siblings 27 years earlier.

Medical student receives "hood" from the doctor who delivered her

Quadruplet Brianna Miner, UC Irvine School of Medicine Class of 2017 graduate, receives her ceremonial hood from Dr. Mauel Porto, the obstetrician who delivered the Miner quadruplets 27 years earlier.

UC Irvine microbiologist Anthony James, PhD, will lead a campaign to eradicate malaria in Africa.

UC Irvine microbiologist leads initiative to combat malaria

Acclaimed vector biologist Anthony James to spearhead a multimillion-dollar effort to block the deadly disease in Africa.

Infusing the medical school journey with beauty and passion

UC Irvine medical students attend an exhibit of fellow students' art work, created as part of the School of Medicine's effort to incorporate the humanities and arts into its programs.

UC Irvine epidemiologyist Hoda Anton-Culver, PhD, co-leads statewide precision medicine initiative

Epidemiologist to help lead statewide precision medicine initiative

UC Irvine epidemiologist Hoda Anton-Culver will help lead an ambitious and far-reaching statewide effort to recruit tens of thousands of patients for President Barack Obama’s million-person health study, part of his Precision Medicine Initiative.

Regular electroacupuncture can lower high blood pressure by activating natural opioids.

Acupuncture lowers hypertension by activating natural opioids

Regular electroacupuncture treatment can lower hypertension by increasing the release of a kind of opioid in the brainstem region that controls blood pressure, UC Irvine Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine researchers show.

Joshua Grill, co-director of UCI MIND and associate professor of psychiatry & human behavior

Alzheimer’s research ramps up

UCI MIND takes a multipronged approach to finding preventions and cures for Alzheimer's disease in effort to avert a looming crisis among baby-boomers.

david lieu uc irvine school of medicine alumni class of '79

Opening doors for the future

School of Medicine alum and current UC Irvine parent, Dr. David Lieu, MD, MBA, Class of '79, gives back as a tribute to those who helped him succeed.

Dr. Howard J. Federoff with student at white coat ceremony.

White coats, bright futures

The next generation of physicians and surgeons took the stage Friday night, Aug. 5, at the UC Irvine Health School of Medicine’s White Coat Ceremony, and thus began their journey to become doctors.

Oscar Hernandez (second from left) attends the UC Irvine School of Medicine’s 2015 White Coat Ceremony for incoming students.

A doctor-to-be without borders

Despite his immigration status and uncertain finances, first-year University of California, Irvine medical student Oscar Hernandez will not let his dream of becoming a doctor be deferred.

Christine and Gordon McLaren, UC Irvine researchers

Forging ahead in the fight against hemochromatosis

Christine and Gordon McLaren’s research advances are improving the prognosis for a hereditary blood-iron overload disorder.

Biochemist Bogi Andersen in his research lab at UC Irvine

UC Irvine study finds body clock protects metabolic health

Body-clock rhythms protect cells from metabolism-generated oxygen radical damage, UC Irvine study shows.

UC Irvine neurologist and multiple sclerosis expert Dr. Michael Demetriou.

UC Irvine researchers identify key immune system process

UC Irvine researchers identify a key process in immune system development, shedding light on how the body’s ability to fight infection develops.

UC Irvine Health pediatric genetics professor Dr. Virginia Kimonis

Making rare diseases their common cause

UC Irvine researchers are dedicated to finding genetic clues, giving new hope to families

Forging a new partnership

UC Irvine Center for Epigenetics & Metabolism partners with Saudi university

Another UC Irvine first: Integrating Google Glass into the curriculum

Wearable computing technology will transform the training of future doctors

Grace Nassar, 7, no longer needs a white cane to help her navigate the world.

The gift of vision

Grace Nassar was three months old when her parents were told she had nystagmus, a condition marked by uncontrollable eye movements. Worse, an underlying condition would eventually make Grace functionally blind.

Can kava cure cancer?

UC Irvine study of plant compound’s effectiveness against bladder malignancies has yielded promising results.

Another kudo for iMedEd Initiative

UC Irvine's iMedEd Initiative named a 2013-15 Apple Distinguished Program

Gavin Herbert Eye Institute on the UC Irvine campus

A vision realized in the new Gavin Herbert Eye Institute

The new Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, part of UC Irvine Health, was years in the making.

Getting inside the child mind

With a major neurology award and $10 million in funding, Dr. Tallie Z. Baram strives to understand early-life brain development.

Making research relevant

Defined as scientific research that helps render findings from basic science useful for practical applications that enhance human health and well-being, translational research is a growing priority at UC Irvine.

Seeking the source of seizures

Grad student Ryan Schutte’s epilepsy research has earned him a Public Impact Fellowship

The changing face of medicine

UC Irvine School of Medicine is about to make history. The 2013-2014 first-year medical school class will include the largest number of women ever; they will outnumber men by approximately 15 per cent. This is the first time since the school’s founding in 1896 that the gap between male and female has been this large.

Going Viral

UC Irvine microbiologist Bert Semler seeks to stop certain viruses from replicating, changing the way we fight the common cold and other illnesses

New front in fight against brain cancer

Experimental vaccine trains immune system to target remaining tumor cells after surgery, chemo

Charting a new course

Thanks to an innovative program developed by School of Medicine faculty and personnel from the Department of Information Services, UC Irvine’s 104 first-year students - members of the Class of 2016 - are learning how to digitally chart patient records.

In pursuit of happiness

Gerontologist Kerry Burnight shares lessons she's learned on living well

Frank LaFerla, left, Mathew Blurton-Jones and colleagues found that neural stem cells could be a potential treatment for advanced Alzheimer's disease.

Celebrating the progress, potential of stem cell research

Stem cell awareness activities highlight UC Irvine’s pioneering work in promising field

Miniature telescope inserted in a UC Irvine patient's eye restores central vision

Eye telescope restores center sight in macular degeneration patients

Two UC Irvine eye surgeons are the first in Orange County to implant miniature telescopes in the eyes of patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness among older Americans.

Have iPad, will travel

Installation ceremony marks John E. Connolly Endowed Chair in Surgery

Kudos for a senior physician and professor

Lorraine Evangelista heads study of protein-rich diet’s effect on cardiac patients

Nursing a new approach to heart disease

UC Irvine's Daniele Piomelli studies how the body’s own marijuana-like chemicals can be utilized to treat stress, pain and obesity

Finding his bliss in research

A love of discovery made him a spokesman for medicinal use of cannabis

Targeting ovarian cancer

UC Irvine's Dr. Robert Bristow finds disparities in access to the top-quality care that boosts survival

Keeping hospitals healthy

Mandatory vaccinations are just one of many measures the medical center's infection prevention team has enacted to stop the spread of hospital-acquired infectious diseases — a major public health problem. "More people die from healthcare-related infections in this country than breast cancer, but you don't hear as much about it," Dickey says.

Members of the Gold Humanism Honor Society distributed candy and words of gratitude on Valentine's Day

With love, on Valentine's Day

UC Irvine medical students thank hospital staff "for all you do each day"

Stage performance teaches medical students the importance of compasionate elder care

The play's the thing for geriatric education

Stage performance teaches medical students the importance of compassionate elder care

UC Irvine study analyzes use of dogs to alter the temperament of children with attention deficity disorder

A different breed of therapist

UC Irvine study analyzes the use of dogs to alter the temperament of children with attention deficit disorder

Uncharted territory

UC Irvine's Ivan Soltesz, chair of anatomy & neurobiology, is recognized as one of the world's leading epilepsy researchers

UC Irvine pediatrician Dr. Dan Cooper believes that exercise can be the best medicine for children.

Promoting children's health through exercise

Philippe Caupain at his Old Towne Orange restaurant, Bruxie.

Savoring life anew

The success of Philippe Caupain's restaurant in Old Towne Orange is a sweet finish to what was otherwise a dire year for the chef.

Can robots take over rehab?

At UC Irvine, professor David Reinkensmeyer develops devices designed to restore movement to damaged limbs

Dr. J. Stuart Nelson, director of UC Irvine's Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, helped invent the cooling device that allows laser treatment of vascular birthmarks.

Lighting the way for vascular birthmarks

UC Irvine's Dr. J. Stuart Nelson got the idea for a cooling device that makes laser treatment of vascular birthmarks possible while watching a baseball game.

Dr. Robert Bristow, director of UC Irvine Healthcare's Gynecologic Oncology Services

Blazing a trail in gynecologic cancer

UC Irvine's Dr. Robert E. Bristow, whose father was the American Medical Association's first black president, is also a trailblazer—in gynecologic oncology.

UC Irvine Medical Center patient Juanita Miller and her two daughters, Rachel and Alexa.

Saving lives, one pint at a time

The reasons people donate blood vary, but the critical need and the impact of each pint never change.

UC Irvine Medical Center employee recovers swiftlty after suffering stroke

Swift, expert stroke treatment results in full recovery

UC Irvine Medical Center employee recovers swiftly after suffering stroke

Searching for the power to heal

UC Irvine Medical Center rated among nation's top hospitals for the 11th consecutive year

UC Irvine Medical Center again ranks among top U.S. hospitals

UC Irvine Medical Center is ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the nation's best hospitals for cancer treatment and gynecology, nephrology and urology services.

Half-day tour of UC Irvine Douglas Hospital gives high school students a glimpse of a medical student's life.

High school students get jump on medical school

UC Irvine's High School Medical School Forum gives physicians of tomorrow a head start on learning.

Take care before jumping into summer sports

Taming the weekend warrior

How to avoid summer injuries

Seeing a specialist— from afar

Telemedicine gives patients in underserved communities access to UC Irvine experts

Expanding the role of robots

Robotic device for spine surgeries adds to firsts in UC Irvine Medical Center operating rooms. Surgeons continue to find innovative uses for the technology, including thyroid, lung and colorectal procedures.

Combating the No. 1 killer of women: heart disease

Matters of the heart

UC Irvine cardiologist Dr. Dawn M. Lombardo works to combat the No. 1 killer of women: heart disease.

UCI researcher Wendy Liu is trying to make the lifesaving devices less life-threatening

Improving biomedical implants

Biomedical engineer Wendy Liu is researching safer coatings for implants

Christopher Lay, a UC Irvine doctoral student, works seven days a week researching whether crippling strokes in rats can be averted by simply stroking a whisker shortly after the trauma occurs.

A stroke of good fortune

UC Irvine doctoral student researches whether strokes in rats can be averted by stroking a whisker after the trauma occurs.

Researchers with UC Irvine’s Institute for Clinical & Translational Science advanced efforts to turn scientific discoveries into new methods, treatments and cures to improve public health.

Taking research to the community

New center facilitates collective effort to address Orange County healthcare issues

By providing students with high-tech tools, UCI School of Medicine is revolutionizing healthcare education

Medicine's new wave

Incoming UC Irvine medical student Sara Rooney receives an iPad

Setting his sights on a cure

Dr. Henry Klassen is finding success with a stem cell-based treatment for retinitis pigmentosa

The key to getting and staying fit, according to UC Irvine expert, is being realistic

How to have a healthier 2011

UC Irvine expert reveals the key to getting and staying fit

iPhone to hearing aid

UCI team develops iPhone app that mimics a hearing aid and produces basic hearing tests

Finding the ‘fingerprints’ of prostate cancer

Dr. Dan Mercola’s genetic biomarker tests enable earlier detection

First-year UC Irvine medical students Will McKelroy and Sam Dodson practice checking vital signs on a portable ultrasound machine.

Medicine's new wave

By providing students with technological devices such as iPads and portable ultrasounds, UC Irvine School of Medicine is revolutionizing the way healthcare is taught. For the future doctors, such tools could one day be as standard as the stethoscope.

Taking aim at deadliest cancer

Dr. Ignatius Ou is the primary investigator on nearly two dozen clinical trials that test cancer treatments at UC Irvine Medical Center. The study of non-small cell lung cancer highlights advances in targeted drug therapy.

Going the distance in the fight to end childhood obesity

Cross-country runner and premed student Jessica Vaughan’s long-range goal: ending childhood obesity

Reducing infections, one central line at a time

Medical center takes aim at stemming patient complications and healthcare costs

Treating fibroids without surgery

UC Irvine radiologist Dr. Scott Goodwin uses a catheter to fibroids in a procedure called uterine fibroid embolization

Tackling concussion

Team of UC Irvine doctors works with local high school athletes to improve concussion diagnosis, treatment

Robots redefining cancer surgery

UC Irvine’s innovative Robotic Oncology Center offers minimally invasive treatment in multiple disciplines

Anesthesia residents work with a mannequin in UCI’s new Medical Education Simulation Center – the only one of its kind in Orange County and among the most sophisticated in the nation.

Medical education through simulation

UC Irvine's School of Medicine's new medical simulation center lets doctor-to-be lets doctors-to-be practice on highly realistic mannequins.

Attracting pre- premed students

New summer program shows area teens what it takes to get an M.D.

UC Irvine oncologist Dr. Rita Mehta pioneered the now-routine use of chemotherapy on tumors before surgery

Targeting breast cancer

UC Irvine oncologist Dr. Rita Mehta pioneered the now-routine use of chemotherapy to shrink or eradicate breast cancer tumors before surgery.

Overcoming ovarian cancer

UC Irvine's gynecologic oncology group forges treatment breakthrough

For students, the future is now

Folu Ani, a member of the Class of 2014 at UC Irvine School of Medicine, holds an iPad pre-loaded with his first-year curriculum.

UC Irvine research nurse Connie Parido draws blood from a Long Beach middle school student as part of the HEALTHY study, an effort to reduce obesity in children at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

A healthy plan for lowering diabetes risks

UC Irvine's HEALTHY study shows school-based diet and exercise programs can reduce obesity and lower diabetes risk in children.

Clearing the air

UC Irvine epidemiologist Dr. Ralph Delfino shows link between vehicle exhaust and heart disease

Dr. Ira T. Lott consults with Sandra Steigner, a participant in his current study on Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's.

Down syndrome may hold clues to Alzheimer's

UC Irvine pediatric neurologist Dr. Ira Lott and his team study Down syndrome adults to learn why – and when – cognitive decline is triggered by Alzheimer’s.

Medical students Scott Kendall and Heather Sand examine a patient under the gaze of Dr. Emily Dow.

Students lauded for launching health clinic

A team of medical students wins UC Irvine's Living Our Values Award for creating and staffing a free clinic in Orange County.

UC Irvine research Aileen Wiglesworth led research studies on inflicted bruising of the elderly.

Uncovering elder abuse

UC Irvine studies of older adults has identified the types of bruising most likely caused by abuse and found that most seniors, even those with memory disorders, can remember the cause of an intentional injury.

UC Irvine disaster response specialists Dr. Kristi Koenig and Dr. Carl Schultz

Masters of disaster

UC Irvine doctors Kristi Koenig and Carl Schultz help shape emergency medical responses the world over with their book detailing the best principles and practices for handling medical needs during a disaster.

Reducing obesity

UC Irvine surgeon Dr. Ninh T. Nguyen says two studies demonstrate that both gastric bypass and gastric banding surgeries are safe, but the bypass results in greater weight loss.

A medical education building that is both wired and green.

Blazing a trail in 21st century medicine

UC Irvine's new medical education facility is designed with future of healthcare - and planet - in mind.

Beyond mammography

A handheld laser scanner developed at UC Irvine improves detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer

Patient advocate

Pioneering urologist and inventor Dr. Ralph Clayman brings surgical precision and a singular focus on healing to his new role as dean of UC Irvine's medical school.

Dr. Kenneth Chang founded UC Irvine's H.H. Chao Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center, one of the few clinics in the country to provide a full spectrum of care specifically for digestive disorders.

The missionary doctor

Dr. Kenneth Chang, founder of UC Irvine's H.H. Chao Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center, uses lessons learned in a Taiwanese fishing village to develop leading-edge care for digestive disorders.

New stroke therapy succeeds in rats

UC Irvine professor James H. Fallon and his research team has mobilized existing stem cells, causing them to proliferate, migrate and eventually differentiate into new cells that fill in the damaged brain, returning function to the stroke victim.

A guide to healthy aging

UC Irvine's Dr. Sonia Sehgal tells her geriatric patients that age is not just a number; it's a mix of many factors - some we can control, some we can't. The internist and geriatrician offers a decade-by-decade approach to maximizing quality of life.

Giving the gift of life

Kathryn Jennell's decision to donate her husband's organs saved three lives and led UC Irvine Medical Center to broaden its donor policy. UC Irvine now leads Orange County hospitals in organ donations.

UC Irvine health sciences students open a weekly free clinic

Future doctors and nurses spend Saturday mornings caring for those most in need at the UC Irvine Outreach Clinic, which offers free care in Tustin.

Trailing the blood detective

UC Irvine hematologist Dr. Jae Chang uses his medical sleuthing skills to identify rare blood disorders.

A mummy's curse: hardened arteries

UC Irvine cardiology professor Dr. Gregory Thomas and colleagues discover hardened arteries in ancient Egyptian mummies, showing that this precursor to heart attacks and strokes isn't just a modern malady.

Stem cells show promise at alleviating the memory loss that accompanies radiotherapy

Stem cells restore memory after radiation therapy

Human stem-cell transplants help rats regain cognitive ability within four months of radiation treatment for brain tumors, UC Irvine radiation oncology professor Charles L. Limoli and colleagues discover

A zigzag path to better vision

UC Irvine ophthalmologists Drs. Marjan Farid, Sumit Garg and Rogert Steinert have pioneered a zigzag incision technique that improves the outcome of laser-assisted corneal transplantation

UC Irvine expands options for the hearing impaired

A sound practice

At UC Irvine Medical Center, cochlear implants restore children's hearing by directly stimulating the auditory nerve.

Dedicated to the ER

Medical student Jamie Akiva Kahn lives UC Irvine's values: intellectual curiosity, respect, integrity, commitment, empathy, appreciation and fun.

Healing the tiniest patients

Nursing graduates begin satisfying careers caring for critically ill and premature newborns at UC Irvine Douglas Hospital.

Trauma does its Level 1 best

UC Irvine's Level I trauma center, which was re-verified as meeting the highest national standards, plays a critical role in treating Orange County's most severely injured patients.

Targeting tumors

UC Irvine School of Medicine researchers Kenneth Longmuir and Richard Robertson develop more precise ways to deliver chemotherapy drugs to tumors.

Race against the clock

UC Irvine researcher Leslie Thompson's stem cell work gives hope to Huntington's disease patients, for whom time is the enemy.

Why do we laugh?

UC Irvine's Dr. Kathryn Larsen, chair of family medicine, explains the mechanisms behind such quirky human reactions as goosebumps, hiccups and laughter.

Triumph through teamwork

Without precision team work by UC Irvine's emergency and trauma specialists, spine surgeons and Fullerton paramedics, Jon Wilhite could not have survived the car crash that claimed the lives of Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart and two friends.

Hospitalist: The new medical specialty

Dr. Alpesh Amin is a pioneer and leader in the rapidly growing field of hospital medicine

Ready for PRIME time

Inaugural class in model UCI medical education program graduates this spring

Dr. Chris Fox with an ultrasound scanner in the emergency department

Ultrasound: Wave of the future

Portable ultrasound scanners save lives in the ER, helping to diagnose life-threatening conditions in minutes, says Dr. Chris Fox.

Fire pits pose hidden dangers

UC Irvine Burn Center director and parents of injured toddler warn of fire pit danger, say injuries can be avoided

Stopping the spread of infectious diseases

UC Irvine's research on viral and bacterial illnesses could benefit millions worldwide

White coats, bright future

UC Irvine's first married medical students tackle healthcare's changing face with passion, hope

A stress test for healthy babies

UC Irvine psychiatry residents study prenatal stress among pregnant women

The superfood quest

Xiaolin Zi gauges effects of naturally occurring compounds on bladder and prostate cancers

Leading the way to cancer cures

New Chao center director Rick Van Etten focuses on boosting patient treatments and access