Community health fair; book club launch

April 23, 2024

Eastern redbud trees blossom along Ring Road. (Photo by Steve Zylius/UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Free tests offered at Santa Ana health fair

The educational and career pathways team provides guidance on STEM and healthcare career pathways and opportunities at UC Irvine.

More than 200 Orange County residents had their cholesterol, vision, blood sugar and other vitals checked at a free community health fair organized by UC Irvine’s Interprofessional Education & Practice Collaborative. Held at Santa Ana’s Second Baptist Church, the oldest African American congregation in the county, the April 7 event also offered nutrition counseling, educational booths and other resources.

Improved treatment for pneumonia, urinary infections

Two large, multi-state studies have uncovered a highly effective way to improve antibiotic selection for patients hospitalized with pneumonia or urinary tract infections. Helping clinicians tailor antibiotic prescriptions to patients can improve results by preserving healthy bacteria in the body and reducing the risk of future antibiotic resistance.

Compass Book Club announced

The Compass Community of Practice Book Club invites all members of the campus to contribute insights into its reading selections. The club’s May 2 meeting (via Zoom) will be the first of six sessions to discuss The Abundant University: Remaking Higher Education for a Digital World by Michael D. Smith, a Carnegie Mellon University professor of information technology and public policy. Smith argues that higher education should embrace digital technologies for enrolling, instructing and credentialing students. The book is available online through UCI Libraries.

New strategy detects hospital outbreaks

A multi-state study in 82 hospitals that was led by UCI Health, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, HCA Healthcare and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that an automated tool improves outbreak detection for hundreds of pathogens and can serve as an early warning system for hospitals.

Correction: A photo caption in Monday’s UCI Digest incorrectly reported that the men’s volleyball team defeated Long Beach State on Saturday to advance to the NCAA tournament. In fact, the Anteaters advanced to the tournament despite losing that game.

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Nursing professor honored for California policy work

Susanne Phillips, a professor and senior associate dean in UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, received the 2024 Outstanding Policy Award from the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. She was recognized for developing, implementing and advocating for policies, including California’s codification of rights and privileges for nurse practitioners to deliver essential healthcare services.

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