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...

The UC Riverside School of Medicine welcomed 91 medical students and five biomedical sciences students at the annual White Coat Ceremony at the Student Recreation Center on Friday, August 8, 2025. This was the 13th White Coat Ceremony in the school's history and the culmination of five days of orientation...

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...

The University of California, Riverside School of Medicine celebrated the graduation of 74 students in the class of 2025 at its annual Commencement and Hippocratic Oath Ceremony on Friday, June 6, 2025 at the UCR Student Recreation Center. See a photo gallery of the event Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences...

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...

Isaac Owusu-Frimpong, financial administrative officer in the Division of Biomedical Sciences, was named the recipient of the UCR School of Medicine Values in Action Award (VIAA) at the quarterly Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Owusu-Frimpong was honored for his "unwavering commitment to the SOM values," and for...

UCR Health announced on Tuesday, June 3, a major expansion of its clinical footprint, with a signed letter of intent targeting an initial 21 acres in Riverside at the intersection of Valley Springs Parkway and Gateway Drive. The vision for the site will include an outpatient diagnostic center and possible...

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...

The UCR School of Medicine’s Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) and Inland Empire Street Medicine (IESM) program partnered with Temalpakh Farms, run by the Augustine Band of the Cahuilla Indians in the Coachella Valley, to host a two-day nutrition presentation for Nova Academy High School students on April 15-16. The...

The UC Riverside School of Medicine welcomed the community on Saturday to Open House 2025, an annual on-campus event that invites attendees to learn about the school and the path to pursuing a medical career. This year’s event drew a record attendance of over 1,200 guests, including students of all...

The UC Riverside School of Medicine presented its annual Faculty, Staff, and Student Awards at a dinner on Thursday, March 24, 2025 at the UCR Alumni and Visitors Center. Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education Pablo Joo, MD, was the host of the event. Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and...

Adwoa Osei, MD, FAAP, has been named the associate dean for medical education quality and compliance at the UC Riverside School of Medicine. Her appointment begins on July 1, 2025. "Dr. Osei has been an integral part of our School of Medicine for years, shaping our curriculum, mentoring students, and...