July 15, 2024
Aldrich Park's jacaranda trees get a glassy reflection.
Aldrich Park’s jacaranda trees get a glassy reflection. (Photo: Steve Zylius/UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

School of Social Ecology launches Orange County politics podcast

Graphic of Red County, Blue County, Orange County featuring host and guests
On Aug. 1, the School of Social Ecology will post its first episode of “Red County, Blue County, Orange County,” a podcast exploring the transformation of Orange County from a homogenous territory behind the “Orange Curtain” to the vibrant, diverse “OC” known across the nation today. Hosted by Mike Madrid, a senior social ecology fellow and co-founder of The Lincoln Project, the podcast features interviews with current and former politicians, journalists, political operatives and authors, showcasing the stories that have made Orange County “purple” and explaining why the OC’s congressional races are central to party control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Biomedical expert argues for broader ethical standards in research

Mark A. Rothstein
Biomedical research involving human subjects has traditionally provided individual rights and protections for participants. But Mark A. Rothstein, director of translational bioethics at the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, argues that the social, economic and psychological implications of gene therapy, xenotransplants and artificial intelligence should also be considered. Rothstein is lead author of a Science magazine article in which experts in research ethics and law from 22 countries evaluated current biomedical research policies around the world. “Our study reveals that the U.S. is an outlier,” Rothstein said. “Of all the countries we examined, it’s the only nation that explicitly prohibits institutional review boards from factoring in social implications. This international collaboration indicates an overwhelming consensus that the societal and long-term implications of biomedical research are extraordinarily important and should be considered in ethics assessments.”

UCI Medical Center is redesignated a baby-friendly hospital

UCI Medical Center, part of UCI Health, has once again achieved a baby-friendly designation from Baby-Friendly USA for adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. This recognition is a tribute to the commitment to ensuring that every mother has the resources and support needed to give their baby a healthy start.

#UCIconnected

Left to right: Tom Andriola, Kim Sadler Abbey, Marianne Smith, Tracy Charles and Ramona Agrela

On June 4, the ANTrepreneur Center held its Spring Forward Campaign Finale, a featured event of the Work Reimagined 2.0 initiative. One-hundred-and-eight proposals were submitted for how to enhance efficiency across departments, units and schools. Winner Tracy Charles (above, second from right), a graduate affairs analyst for the School of Social Sciences, proposed using DocuSign to digitize and streamline the process of sending quarterly notices of approvals to student workers. She was awarded a $1,000 STAR Award and a trophy. Also posing with Chief Digital Officer Tom Andriola and Chief Human Resources Officer Ramona Agrela are runners-up Marianne Smith (center), senior director of corporate and foundation relations, and Kim Sadler Abbey (second from left), director of financial operations, who both received $500 STAR Awards and trophies. Smith's pitch focused on increasing efficiency in corporate and foundation relations, while Abbey championed the adoption of a new budgeting tool for the campus.

#UCIconnected spotlights interesting updates from the UC Irvine community. #IamUCI spotlights profiles of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected or #IamUCI hashtags.

UC IRVINE NEWSMAKERS

Parade logo

The One Unexpected Thing Infectious Disease Experts Are Begging You to Stop Doing If You Don't Want to Get COVID This Summer

Parade, July 13
Cited: Bernadette Boden-Albala, director and founding dean, Program in Public Health

Fox News logo

Biden: ‘Still work to do’ on ceasefire deal

Fox News, July 12
Cited: Alon Burstein, visiting assistant professor of political science

LA Dance Chronicle logo

National Choreographers Initiative Celebrates 20th Anniversary

LA Dance Chronicle, July 15
Cited: Molly Lynch, professor of dance

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