A Community-Based Medical School for the 21st Century
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When UC Riverside School of Medicine student Pamela Muñoz received the call that she had won a 2026 Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarship, she didn’t believe it at first. “Knowing that I was able to win something like that felt so surreal,” she recalled. Her win marked the second...
When a patient transferred from a behavioral health hospital to Dignity Health St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino, UCR family medicine resident Isaac Morones, MD, knew she needed surgery. A common procedure would adequately treat her condition. But Morones, a physician from Mexico recertifying to practice medicine in the...
On Monday, the UCR School of Medicine hosted the 2026 Celebration of Women in Medicine and Science to recognize and honor women's advancements in the field of medicine. Presented by the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Strategic Initiatives, the annual event featured a keynote address by Alison...
Most master’s programs have a thesis or capstone project showcasing tools and knowledge that students gained during the program. The final project for the UC Riverside School of Medicine’s new Master of Public Health (MPH) program, however, takes it one step further. For their capstone projects, each MPH student works...
When Jorge Delos Santos, MPH, first entered the new Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the UC Riverside School of Medicine, he was focused on community health and worked at Riverside-based nonprofit TruEvolution. Over the course of the two-year program, though, Delos Santos developed a new goal: working in...
The UC Riverside School of Medicine Class of 2030 took their next step toward becoming doctors on Friday during the White Coat Ceremony. The annual event, which symbolizes incoming students’ entry into the medical profession, saw 96 new medical students and five PhD candidates in biomedical sciences receive their first...
Three research projects have received a UCR School of Medicine Dean's Collaborative Seed Grant for 2026. The annual program provides up to $25,000 in seed grant funding for interdisciplinary research projects working toward grant funding from the National Institutes of Health or similar organizations. The grants encourage collaboration between faculty...
On Wednesday, the UC Riverside School of Medicine hosted a Lunch and Learn event in honor of Pride Month. The annual monthlong observation in June commemorates the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more) community’s ongoing efforts to attain equal rights and recognizes LGBTQ+ individuals’ impact. Over 50 people...
The UC Riverside School of Medicine held its tenth Commencement and Hippocratic Oath Ceremony on Friday, June 5, 2026 at the UCR Student Recreation Center. The event marked the SOM’s first unified, shared commencement across degree programs, with 78 Doctor of Medicine (MD) students, 34 Master of Biomedical Sciences (MS)...
As an emergency medical technician (EMT) from 2017 through 2019, Andrew Huang routinely saw seizures as one of his most common calls. He treated several patients in car accidents only to be dispatched to their houses a week later when they had a seizure; other calls were for patients hit...
When a child received a diagnosis for a cardiac issue on one of her pediatrics rotations, Helen Setaghiyan knew exactly what to do. “I ended up talking to the mom about how I received an unexpected diagnosis and the challenges I faced, and how my family navigated that situation,” recalled...
When Andrew McLain started at the UC Riverside School of Medicine in 2020, he was sure of one thing: He did not want to specialize in emergency medicine. For the former emergency medical technician (EMT), “I initially told myself I wasn't going to do emergency medicine because as an EMT...
After studying microbiology in college in Arizona, Jennell Jennett considered becoming a doctor. Yet while working in a primary care office after earning her bachelor’s degree, she soon understood that it wasn’t her ideal career choice. “I realized direct patient care maybe wasn't for me,” recalled Jennett, who will graduate...
Alicia Junker knew she wanted to focus on veterans health for her Master of Public Health (MPH) thesis at the UC Riverside School of Medicine. But initially, Junker, a member of the MPH program’s inaugural class of 2026, had trouble choosing a specific topic. In memory of a friend and...
During one of his pediatrics rotations in medical school, Javier Prieto encountered a young patient with a tumor growing in his kidney. “His relatives had already had kidney problems, so hearing that his kidney would be taken out caused fear within his family,” recalled Prieto, who will graduate from the...
On Friday, the UC Riverside School of Medicine hosted the inaugural UC Summit on Methamphetamine. The daylong event provided a space for leaders in addiction medicine, faculty from UC campuses, researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and more to come together to address the increasing impact of methamphetamine use across California. The summit...
On Saturday, the UC Riverside School of Medicine welcomed the community to campus for Open House 2026. Held from 10 am until 2 pm, the annual event showcased the SOM and illuminated the path to pursuing a career in medical fields. Despite the possibility of rain, over 1,000 people attended...
Every evening, when Doan Khong, MD, came home from his family practice in a medically underserved neighborhood in San Francisco, he brought his work with him. He described his patients, his days, and his purpose. His four daughters listened. “I don't ever remember hearing him complain about seeing patients,” recalled...
Medical students across the nation waited with anticipation on Friday morning to learn where they would spend the next few years of their medical training. At the UCR School of Medicine’s Match Day event, students gathered with their family members and friends to celebrate the news. See the photos taken...
Most of the focus for the Office of Career and Residency Advising (OCRA) comes during Match Week, when fourth-year students find out the location of their residency programs. Yet the job is a year-round commitment to helping students work toward the next stage of their careers. With the results being...
