A few months ago, a patient at the Coachella Valley Free Clinic had an uncommon reaction to a routine blood pressure test. Seeing the high blood pressure reading, the patient began hyperventilating until UC Riverside biomedical sciences master’s student Valeria Barrientos spoke to her in Spanish, helping to calm her...

Marina Joseph: Overcoming Self-Doubt to Thrive in Medical School A few days before Marina Joseph’s very first final exam as a medical student, her bag containing her laptop, iPad, and all her notes was stolen. At the time, Joseph, a member of the UCR School of Medicine Class of 2025...

Cutting meat at his grocery store job one day, then 19-year-old Paul Patlan had a realization. “I was like, if I don't do something, this is going to be my life and I'm never going to be able to give my children the childhood that I always wanted,” recalled Patlan...

Beginning medical school during the pandemic, UCR SOM class of 2025 graduate Jennifer Pinal studied in a cramped back house with no air conditioning, repurposing second-hand furniture to create a makeshift study space. As a single mother, she balanced medical school with her kids’ Zoom classes, grocery runs, and keeping...

At a community presentation in San Diego several years ago, Declan McCole, PhD, a professor of Biomedical Sciences at the UC Riverside School of Medicine, recalled speaking to a patient about his work on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when the patient’s husband approached. “He had tears in his eyes, and...

On Monday, the UCR School of Medicine hosted the Biomedical Sciences 50th Anniversary Symposium, marking the culmination of the department’s yearlong anniversary celebration. The event welcomed alumni, former faculty and staff, and current faculty, staff, and students to reflect on the impact of Biomedical Sciences over the years while looking...

Ninety minutes before the start of the 2023 School of Medicine Gala at the new SOM Education Building II, a blown circuit breaker in a nearby building threatened to derail campus catering’s plans. But the more than 300 guests in attendance had no idea that anything was amiss, thanks in...

In early March, researchers from UC Riverside visited Washington, DC, with an important message: If the United States loses its position as a global leader in science, other nations will take its place--and may withhold new discoveries impacting public health, security, and other vital areas. The visit, led by Scott...

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. Watch the Match...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Recently, a patient advised UCR Health psychiatrist Jami Woods, MD, DPh to dream bigger. “He said, ‘If people are not laughing at your dream, you're not dreaming big enough,’” she recalled. “That was from a patient--that wasn't from a psychotherapist; that wasn't from a PhD psychologist.” Woods, who is accepting...

For the second year in a row, a sold-out crowd attended the UCR SOM’s Celebration of Medical Education Gala to support the school’s Mission Award Scholarship. Monica Carson, PhD, chair of the Division of Biomedical Sciences and S. Sue Johnson Presidential Endowed Chair in Glial-Neuronal Interactions, welcomed the attendees, noting...