The Ultrasound Student Instructor Cadre (USSIC) at the UCR SOM is creating a powerful peer-led model for medical education by training MS2 students to teach ultrasound skills to first-year students. somnews.ucr.edu/articles/202...

New research led by Nicholas V. DiPatrizio, PhD, from the UCR School of Medicine’s Division of Biomedical Sciences is helping explain a long-observed cannabis paradox: why chronic cannabis users often show lower body weight and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes despite increased appetite.

New research from Xuecai Ge at the UCR School of Medicine found that the “primary cilium” — a microscopic, antenna-like structure found in nearly every cell — helps guide early brain development and could be linked to disorders affecting the brain and other organs. news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

Our next UCR SOM Grand Rounds will take place on Tues., May 19, 2026 from 11:45 am to 1 pm in room 205 of the Education Building II. Our speaker is Alaina P. Vidmar, MD, presenting "Pediatric Obesity: From Diagnosis to Long-Term Care." Lunch and parking is available. RSVP via the QR code by May 11.

Today, our medical students participated in the Annual Anatomical Donation Program Memorial Service to give thanks and remembrance to the twelve people who donated their bodies so that our medical students could learn from them.

Fourth-year medical student Mariamu Osumah has been named one of five recipients of the 2026–2027 American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) Physician Scientist Support Foundation (PSSF) Fellowship, a nationally recognized program that supports the development of future physician-scientists.

Congratulations to Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education Pablo Joo, MD, on being named to serve on the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) inaugural Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction, and Research (CAIR) Group Steering Committee!

Prof. David Lo, MD, PhD, and graduate researcher Diana Del Castillo of the UCR SOM's Division of Biomedical Sciences have published research in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology that identified previously unrecognized immune “sentinel” cells in hair follicles. news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

Congratulations to Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Denise Martinez, MD, on being selected to participate in the 32nd cohort of The Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) at the Drexel University College of Medicine. somnews.ucr.edu/articles/202...

On Friday, the UC Riverside School of Medicine hosted the inaugural UC Summit on Methamphetamine. With California being disproportionately impacted by methamphetamine use, the daylong conference provided a space to come together to address the overdose crisis. somnews.ucr.edu/articles/202...

On March 26, the UCR SOM PRIME African, Black, and Caribbean Exhibit will open at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California The reception begins at 12 noon and features refreshments, guests, and a first look at the exhibit. The institute is located at 3933 Mission Inn Ave., Suite 103

This Friday, medical students will find out the location of the residency program where they'll take the next step in their careers. The UCR SOM Office of Career and Residency Advising (OCRA) helped them get there. See how OCRA supports students on the SOM News website.

The UCR SOM’s PRIME LEAD ABC Program has received the 2026 Civic Engagement and Community Service Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, recognizing its work preparing future physicians to advance health equity for African, Black, and Caribbean communities in Inland Southern California.

Medical and premedical students from across California will gather at the UCR SOM this Friday and Saturday, March 13 and 14, for the 2026 Unified California Community Health Conference (UCCHC), which is focused on advancing community health initiatives and collaboration among future physicians.

Good luck to Nala Kachour, a doctoral student in the School of Medicine's Division of Biomedical Sciences, who will be competing in today's semi final of Grad Slam at the Genomics Auditorium at 1:15 pm! Her presentation is titled "Built to Last: How Toxoplasma Maintains Life-long Infection."

The University of California, Riverside School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience is partnering with The Craig School in Irvine to bring comprehensive, no-cost mental health services directly to students through the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI).

Thank you for all of your efforts in caring for our patients and communities and for teaching our medical students! Your hard work does not go unnoticed!

More than four decades after its recognition by the US government, Black History Month continues to hold importance in communities, serving as a space for reflection and remembrance. To honor this, several members of the UCR SOM community shared their perspectives on what this month means to them.

Professor Sika Zheng of the UC Riverside School of Medicine and his team found that an when a protein called UPF2 is missing, neurons lose their way and the brain’s structure can become disorganized, with changes linked to epilepsy, autism, and schizophrenia. news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

The month of Ramadan, which began last week, is when many Muslims around the world fast from dawn to sunset. Sherif Hassan, MD, a professor of internal medicine at the UCR School of Medicine, answers questions about fasting, including its benefits as well as the risks and precautions.

The UCR School of Medicine's Internal Medicine Interest Group hosted a cardiac ultrasound workshop at the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Healing the Earth Conference held at the SOM Education Building II on February 7, 2026.

Save the date for the UCR School of Medicine Open House on Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 10 am to 2 pm. Learn more at our website. medschool.ucr.edu/openhouse

Congratulations to doctoral student Ting-An Lin, who works in the lab of Professor of Biomedical Sciences Changcheng Zhou at the UCR School of Medicine, on receiving a 2026 American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship. insideucr.ucr.edu/awards/2026/...

February is American Heart Month and heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States. Ramy Sadek, MD, a board-certified cardiologist with UCR Health, hosts a Q&A that discusses key heart health facts, including often-overlooked risk factors, and the importance of prevention.

Tuesday, February 3 was National Women Physicians Day! We are proud of each and every one of our physicians in the UC Riverside School of Medicine and UC Riverside Health. Thank you all for what you do!

First and second year medical students from the UCR School of Medicine Run Club competed in the Surf City Half Marathon in Huntington Beach on Sunday, February 1st. Advisor Patricia Walker, the associate director of LACE, also ran the half marathon.

Tomorrow, February 4, 2026 at 12 noon, the UCR SOM welcomes Gabrielle Pina, DO, for our Black History Month Lunch and Learn. This event is open to the campus and public. Register using the QR code in the image Co-hosted by UCR SOM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and UCR African Student Programs

The UCR SOM Center for Healthy Communities has announced the recipients of its annual Community Medicine and Population Health Mini-Grants Program. The program funds up to two community health and population medicine initiatives per year and has awarded more than $60K to over the past seven years.

New research by Emma Wilson, PhD, professor of biomedical sciences at the UCR School of Medicine, has found that the common parasite toxoplasma gondii is far more complex than previously believed and may be why it has been so difficult to treat. news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

Mark Wolfson, PhD, professor and chair of the UC Riverside School of Medicine's Dept. of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health, is quoted in the New Yorker about what political parties are doing correctly and incorrectly in creating political coalitions. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Are you interested in shaping UC policy and decisions that impact the student experience? Then you should apply to be the next Student Regent! RSVP for an informational webinar on 1/29 and learn more here: https://bit.ly/3YeWrqS

A pair of recent studies by Declan McCole, PhD, professor of biomedical sciences at the UCR School of Medicine, highlight the role of a gene called PTPN2 in protecting the gut from harmful bacteria linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

The UCR SOM welcomed Cheryl Anderson, PhD, MPH, professor and dean of the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, as the speaker for its 2026 Grand Rounds last Thursday, January 15, 2026.

The California Medicine Scholars Program (CMSP) is a statewide initiative that helps community college students pursue careers in medicine, reports a paper published in the journal Academic Medicine. The UC Riverside School of Medicine's Daniel Teraguchi and Teresa Cofield are coauthors.

The School of Medicine is excited to announce that we are hosting the 2026 Unified California Community Health Conference (UCCHC) on March 13-14, 2026. Ticket info and more can be found at their link. www.ucchconference.org

Not all heart failure is the same! Research by UCR SOM medical students, including Kayhon Rabbani, MD, Cloie Chiong, MD, Roy Mendoza, MD, and MS3 Pavneet Kaur, examined more than 250K hospitalizations to analyze how types of heart failure impacts patient outcomes. cr.elmerpub.com/index.php/cr...

Research from Changcheng Zhou, PhD, in the UCR School of Medicine Division of Biomedical Sciences finds that a father’s microplastic exposure can alter sperm RNA and raise metabolic disease risk in offspring, with female offspring most affected. Published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

A new issue of the journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America co-edited by Lisa Fortuna, MD, seeks to shift how people think about girls’ mental health by focusing on the systems that support them. Fortuna (r) is pictured with Michelle Porche, EdD, a contributor to the issue.

Mahsa Khayat-Khoei, MD, joined UCR Health for the opportunity to help underserved patients while conducting groundbreaking multiple sclerosis (MS) research. somnews.ucr.edu/articles/202...

Changcheng Zhou, PhD, of the UCR SOM is the lead author of a study in Nature Communications that shows that a small, previously overlooked small RNA molecule plays a major role in controlling the body’s cholesterol production and the development of heart disease. news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

Congratulations to the UCR School of Medicine intramural basketball team for winning third place in the UCR Men’s Intramural Basketball League! For team captain Aamir Ansari (MS2), "Basketball is a way of building community, working under pressure, and staying active."

A collaborative study by scientists at the UCR School of Medicine, including Professor of Biomedical Sciences Sika Zheng, PhD, and researchers at USC, reports on how a process known as alternative splicing may help explain why some mammals live far longer than others. news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

A research team, including UC Riverside School of Medicine Biomedical Scientist Scott Pegan, PhD, has developed a vaccine for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) made from a non-infectious version of the virus that protects quickly and provides long-lasting immunity. news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

UC Riverside-led mouse study finds link between microplastic exposure and atherosclerosis news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease has been making a comeback across the country this Fall. UCR Health Pediatrician E. Caroline McGowan, MD, answers some important questions about the illness in our latest expert Q&A. news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

Last year, UCRSOM researchers led by Maurizio Pellecchia, PhD, developed a molecular crowbar strategy to degrade a protein that is overexpressed in many cancers. They designed compounds that bind to Pin1 and cause its degradation. This could lead to a new therapeutics. news.ucr.edu/articles/202...

On November 2, 2025, members of the UCR School of Medicine's Dermatology Interest Group participated in the Nth Dimensions BioSkills Workshop hosted at Loma Linda University.

The School of Medicine hosted its Fall Festival on Thursday, Oct. 30. Staff and faculty decorated their spaces and dressed in costumes and students enjoyed treats throughout the building. Thanks to everyone who participated! Check out more photos here: photos.app.goo.gl/dX2HEaLSFAVU...

Kudos to UCR SOM's Shawn Christianson, Laura Cantrell, and Joel Purkiss who recently organized the second annual SOM Undergraduate Medical Education School Supply Drive that provided supplies for students at Highgrove Elementary School, one of Riverside's less-resourced elementary schools.

Candidates for California governor will meet for a debate at UCR on Nov. 7 titled “Health Matters: A Conversation with California’s Next Governor.” It is hosted by 11 California health-focused advocacy orgs. The UCR SOM will host a watch party at 1 pm. RSVP here: events.ucr.edu/.../health-m...