On Friday, the UCR School of Medicine hosted match day for the class of 2025. The annual nationwide event gives medical students the opportunity to find out, all at the same time, the residency program where they will spend the next several years of their medical education. This year, 98.6%...

Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Sciences David Lo, MD, PhD, of the UC Riverside School of Medicine has been appointed to the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants. The appointment is for a three-year term. The panel meets quarterly and is charged with reviewing proposed...

The UCR School of Medicine hosted the 41st annual Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)-West Regional Conference on February 8, 2025. About 700 people attended, making it the largest West Regional Conference for LMSA according to Jennifer Pinal, the co-vice president of conference of LMSA West. See photos from the event...

Every day in the office is different for Antonio Garcia, MD, a family medicine physician in Riverside and an alumnus of UC Riverside School of Medicine. “One day, you’re treating a teenager, the next thing you know, you’re removing a skin tag or doing an abscess drainage, and next you’re...

Adam Kukic and Jovanna Hernandez have been named recipients of the UC Riverside School of Medicine’s Values in Action Awards (VIAA) for the first and second quarters of 2024-25. The awards were presented at the SOM Dean’s Town Hall on February 11, 2025. The VIAA recognizes faculty, staff, or students...

As a child growing up in a conservative part of Southern California, Elizabeth A. Jacobs, MD, MPP, frequently heard her neighbors disparaging the migrant farmworkers who lived in the area. Jacobs’ mother taught many of the farmworkers’ children in a nearby high school, leading to Jacobs becoming friends with some...

With a population of 4.8 million people, Inland Southern California’s population increased approximately 10% from 2010-2020 — a growth that presents significant challenges and opportunities for the future of healthcare. As a healthcare community, we need to evolve to meet those challenges. Riverside County is currently facing a perfect storm...

This year’s UCR School of Medicine Open House will take place on April 19, 2025 from 10 am until 2 pm. The event, which showcases the medical school and its programs, welcomes prospective applicants of any age and their families. “This is a great opportunity to experience the breadth of...

Robert M. Rodriguez, MD, has been named associate dean for clinical research at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine (UCR SOM). He will begin his appointment on April 16, 2025. The associate dean for clinical research provides leadership in clinical research at the UCR SOM and UCR Health...

When the UCR School of Medicine received preliminary accreditation in 2012, Djurdjica Coss, PhD, was immediately interested in a faculty position. “That was big news; you can't create a medical school every day,” recalled Coss, who earned her PhD from UCR in 2000. “When they started hiring, I applied right...

UCR School of Medicine has announced the recipients of the 2025 Dean's Collaborative Seed Grants. The grant provides funds up to $25,000 in seed grant funding for collaborative interdisciplinary research projects between faculty in the Division of Biomedical Sciences and UCR as a whole, aimed at developing proposals and preliminary...

The UCR School of Medicine will host the 41st Annual LMSA-West Regional Conference on February 7-8, 2025. The conference’s theme will be “Cultivando Comunidad: Seeds of Justice in Healthcare.” This will be UCR’s first time hosting the conference for the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) West Region, which includes 12...

Katherine Emmett Browder has been named the new chief of staff and assistant dean for Strategic Initiatives at the UC Riverside School of Medicine. Her appointment begins on January 2, 2025. Browder comes to UC Riverside from UC San Diego, where since 2021 she has served as the assistant dean...

As a 15-year-old patient, Michelle Bholat, MD, MPH often found herself sitting for hours in Los Angeles County waiting rooms. “Nobody was checking in with you; it was like a cattle call,” she recalled. “That struck me then, as a teenager, and I thought, ‘No, this isn't okay.’” The experience...

This week, the UCR School of Medicine Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) announced the recipients of its 2024 Community Medicine and Population Health Mini-Grants Program. Third-year medical student Zayan Musa and third-year developmental psychology PhD student Chelsea McElwee will receive funding for their projects to establish a breast milk depot...

Faculty at the UCR SOM are often hesitant to pursue a promotion out of concern that they’re not ready. Fortunately, the SOM’s Office of Academic Affairs is there to guide them through the review process and any others they will encounter as faculty. Wydette Morales, a senior academic affairs analyst...

The UCR School of Medicine presented the 2024 UCR SOM Faculty Achievement Awards during its quarterly Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, December 3. The awards covered categories including teacher of the year, mentor of the year, research achievements, clinical faculty awards, and more. “I’d like to take the opportunity to...

Growing up in Moreno Valley, Carla Urmeneta witnessed local health issues like poor air quality in her hometown. After earning her MBA in healthcare administration and management from Cal Baptist University, she was accepted into the UCR School of Medicine’s Administrative Fellowship program, allowing her to learn more about regional...

The UC Riverside School of Medicine's new Family Medicine Residency Program is accepting applications for the first class of eight residents, which will begin July 1, 2025. "Our program offers a comprehensive and diverse training experience across multiple clinical sites," said Program Director Ken Ballou, MD. "Our residents will gain...

UC Riverside alumna Carolyn Russo, MD, will return to her alma mater on November 21 to present during the School of Medicine Grand Rounds--but as a high school student, she never envisioned a career in medicine. Growing up in West Covina, Russo, now medical director of the Affiliate Program and...