At the 2025 National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) conference in June, a man from the audience congratulated UC Riverside School of Medicine student Joslyn Santana and her mother after Santana received an award. “He said, ‘When I see your daughter go up there, I can see my daughter,’” Santana recalled...

As a medical student, Mahsa Khayat-Khoei, MD, found neurology complex and interesting, but also somewhat intimidating. “You get to study neurons and different diseases that affect different areas of the brain, but there was no treatment, which was disappointing,” recalled Khayat-Khoei, now a fellowship-trained neuroimmunologist at UCR Health. Then she...

As a community-based medical school, the UC Riverside School of Medicine focuses not just on training future physicians but on collaborating with community members to improve health in the area. This effort extends to practicing community-engaged research, an approach in which investigators and community members work together to identify relevant...

A photo of the ribbon cutting for the UCR School of Medicine Education Building II captured the moment the building officially opened, but for Vladimir Oge, MPH, director of Strategic Initiatives (SI) at the SOM, the shot signifies much more. “That I contributed to something that truly is going to...

On Friday, the UCR School of Medicine held the Health Matters Forum Watch Party at the SOM Education Building II. Hosted by Michelle C. Burroughs, DHA, MPH, director of community engagement and outreach at the UCR SOM Center for Healthy Communities, the event welcomed individuals at UCR and interested members...

During an appointment several years ago, a longtime patient and Mexican immigrant told Adolfo Aguilera, MD, that she had recently become an American citizen but was unsure whether she wanted to vote. “I told her it's important to vote, that this is part of being a citizen of the United...

While studying for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1, UCR School of Medicine student Daniel Vasquez found himself plateauing on practice tests with a score just below the passing range. So, he made an appointment with Christina M. Granillo, PhD, director of the Office of Academic Success...

Recent student research projects at the UCR School of Medicine have investigated nationwide trends in contraceptive use, the link between blood pressure medications and pre-cancerous skin conditions, the development of Alzheimer's disease among patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in minority communities, and more. The common element? The projects rely...

The UCR School of Medicine on Wednesday hosted the 2025 Celebration of Women in Medicine and Science, an annual event that recognizes women's advancements in those fields. This year's event featured Deborah Prothrow-Stith, MD, dean of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine and founding...

For Lisa R. Fortuna, MD, MPH, MDiv, a love of working with children and helping them transition successfully to adulthood initially drew her to specialize in pediatrics. Yet she soon noticed that young people were at a particularly critical stage of their lives regarding their mental health. “Even though it's...

When CJ Lee, chief strategy officer for UC Riverside Health, decided to attend UCR for his bachelor’s degree decades ago, he didn’t realize the decision would shape his entire career in healthcare. With his choice at that time between UC Berkeley and UCR for business school, the Northern California native...

While returning to UC Riverside to serve as the keynote speaker for the 2024 graduation ceremony, UCR alumnus Peter Igarashi, MD, paused to reflect on his experiences as a student in the Division of Biomedical Sciences at UCR, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Igarashi, who grew up in...

A few years ago, the UCR Health - La Quinta pediatrics clinic was just an idea on a piece of paper. For Steve Reyes, PhD, the strategic planning and project manager in the UCR School of Medicine Department of Strategic Initiatives, helping such ideas become reality is a favorite part...

When a friend asked James Elkins, UCR School of Medicine class of 2025, to help at an immigration shelter as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Elkins imagined migrants as people escaping persecution to find safety in their new home. “I had this thought in my head that I'm going to...

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...