Feb. 10, 2023

Five-year state grant boosts UC PRIME Pre-Health Pathways

A five-year, $3.6 million grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information will support UCI’s effort to increase underrepresented students’ access to careers in medicine. The cash will help fund a new interdisciplinary, pre-health professional development program, UC PRIME Pre-Health Pathways, which will be a resource for undergraduates from underserved communities who are interested in pursuing careers in healthcare. UCPPP will also establish a select cohort for intensive training, advising and support to increase their readiness for medical school.

Alumna and Pat Tillman Scholar to be honored at Super Bowl LVII

HyeJung Park, a 2015 UCI psychology graduate who earned her Ph.D. at Arizona State University last year, is one of four Pat Tillman Scholars who will participate as honorary coin toss captains at Super Bowl LVII this Sunday. Actor Kevin Costner will be narrating their stories during a 90-second video to be aired nationwide just before the game starts. Park immigrated from Korea in 2000 when she was 8, and she was a beneficiary of the California Dream Act and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Counseling services available for students with ties to earthquake-hit region

In a Feb. 8 message to students, Rameen Talesh, associate vice chancellor for student life and leadership, commented on the Feb. 6 earthquake that has so far killed more than 22,000 people in Turkey and Syria. “Our thoughts go out to all of the people that are affected by this catastrophic event,” Talesh said, urging students whose families were impacted by the tragedy to visit UCI’s campus counseling resources. The International Center is also available to assist members of the international community.

UCI Health Sciences construction update

Beginning Monday and continuing through March, UCI Health Sciences will perform street improvements resulting in alternating lane closures along California Avenue. Entry to UCI Research Park buildings will be available during the duration of the work.

UCI Health Sciences has provided the following work schedule: 

• Left lane both north & southbound. Start 2/13, end 2/24

• Right lane northbound: Start 2/27, end 3/10

• Left lane southbound: Start 3/13, end 3/31

Homecoming Festival
Saturday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Aldrich Park)

Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.

UCI’s Dean Williamson celebrates Black History Month

Dean Ian Williamson joined a group representing 100 Black Men of Orange County at the Black History Month Parade on Feb. 4. The group’s Passport to the Future program provides mentorship to young African American males in Orange County schools from grades six to 12.

#UCIconnected spotlights student, alumni, faculty and staff photos, essays, shoutouts, hobbies, artwork, unusual office decorations, activities and more. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.

Upload your vaccine and booster records

Daily COVID-19 Symptom check

By coming to campus each day, students and employees are attesting they are free of COVID-19 symptoms and are not COVID-19 positive. If you currently have symptoms of COVID-19 or recently tested positive, do not come to campus, or if you currently live on campus stay in your residence, and follow instructions for reporting your case or assessing symptoms on the UCI Forward page. Close contacts to a COVID-19 case are not required to stay home or quarantine, but should follow guidance for close contact instructions for masking and testing on the UCI Forward page.

Potential workplace exposure

UCI provides this notification of a potential workplace COVID-19 exposure. Employees and subcontractors who were in these locations on the dates listed may have been exposed to the coronavirus. You may be entitled to various benefits under applicable federal and state laws and University-specific policies and agreements. The full notification is available on the UCI Forward site. If you have been identified as a close contact to a COVID-19 case, the UCI Contact Tracing Program will contact you and provide additional direction.

UCI Forward – information on campus status and operational updates

UCI Health COVID-19 Updates – important information related to UCI Health

UCI Coronavirus Response Center – available at covid19@uci.edu or 949-824-9918

Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services – assistance with vaccines and vaccine uploads or to report a case, available at contacttracing@uci.edu or 949-824-2300

For questions specific to your personal health situation, please contact your doctor or healthcare provider.