School of Medicine Latest News

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...

On Friday, August 7, 96 medical students and five biomedical sciences PhD students received their white coats in the annual convocation that serves as the kick off for their medical school careers. It also marked the culmination of a week of carefully orchestrated orientation events that were designed to get...

The UC Riverside School of Medicine has received full continued accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The school met all 93 LCME accreditation elements and 12 standards with no citations or concerns. The school celebrated the occasion with a reception for faculty, staff, and students on Tuesday...

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...

Step into a research lab at the UC Riverside School of Medicine, and it’s common to find faculty members, graduate students, and medical students working together to improve patient care and strengthen the health of communities in the Inland Empire and beyond. But they’re not the only ones making an...

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...

Dear SOM Community, On July 7, 2026, I received communication from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for medical schools, informing me that our recent progress report was reviewed by the LCME Board on June 16–17, 2026. I am pleased to inform you that the UCR...

Since 1876, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has served as the national association representing more than 400 accredited medical schools and teaching hospitals. The non-profit organization is perhaps best known for administering the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), overseeing the AMCAS centralized application service, and National Resident Matching...

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...

Christina Granillo, PhD, has been appointed as associate dean for Student Success at the UC Riverside School of Medicine. She will begin in the position on July 1. “I am so pleased to have Dr. Christina Granillo fill this important position,” said Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and the Mark...

In 2020, Ariel Galindo’s mother broke seven bones in a fall, leaving her bedridden and in pain. Observing her treatments, Galindo noted that her physician wasn't addressing the pain she was experiencing. “I immediately thought to myself, ‘Why doesn't this physician have that training that would make him actually have...

For someone living with multiple sclerosis (MS), each day calls for resolve, flexibility, and the quiet celebration of small victories that often go unseen. Morning stiffness or numbness can turn simple tasks into exhausting challenges, while afternoon energy may come in brief, unpredictable windows. By evening, fatigue and pain can...

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...

View Behavioral Health (VBH), a southern California-based behavioral health organization, announces the completion of View Behavioral Health Colton Children’s (VBHCC), a new 52-bed inpatient Psychiatric Health Facility for children and adolescents. VBHCC is the largest facility of its kind in the Inland Empire and will more than double the region’s...