Sept. 12, 2024

UC IRVINE NEWS

Scientists research brain damage treatments

With newly awarded funding from the National Science Foundation, researchers at UC Irvine and USC’s Keck School of Medicine hope to revolutionize the treatment of neurological diseases through intelligent biocomputing. The four-year, $2 million grant is part of the NSF’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation program. This effort will merge engineering principles with stem cell research to restore motor functions to patients who have suffered brain damage from a stroke or experienced other neurological problems. “We believe that combining systems engineering and regenerative medicine might, with further research, help patients with neurological damage,” said Dr. An Do, (top left), a UC Irvine associate professor of neurology, whose team includes (clockwise from top right) Hung Cao, Leigh Turner and Zoran Nenadic. “The program will support the scientific research necessary to establish the foundations for future patient treatment applications.”

Co-Worker Perception Survey

On Sept. 16, the fall 2024 Co-Worker Perception Surveys will be sent to a random sample of staff who have worked at UC Irvine for at least six months. Please watch your email for this important survey invitation from our trusted third-party partner, Gallup. The deadline to complete the survey is Sept. 30. It will take about five minutes to complete and help improve our workplace. If you need support, please contact the UCI Employee Experience Center at eec@uci.edu or call 949-824-0500 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, please visit the Co-Worker Perception Surveys webpage.

UCI Health experts issue ketamine warnings

There is no safe, standardized dosing formula for ketamine, which is increasingly being used off-label to treat depression. Anesthesiologist Dr. Rakhi Dayal urges experts to come together to identify guidelines that will keep patients safe. Meanwhile, psychiatrist Dr. Robert McCarron argues that while ketamine is an effective therapy for treatment-resistant depression, it carries the potential to become addictive and even fatal.

UC NEWS

Sexual and reproductive health care services at UC student health centers

All UC student health centers offer a full range of comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including medication abortion, in a student-centered environment. In fact, the nine UC student health centers provided primary or urgent care to more than 87,000 students during the 2022-23 academic school year. By prioritizing safety, working to establish trust and open communication, and welcoming ongoing innovation, student health centers are committed to developing and sustaining health and wellness services that adapt to students’ needs.

SAVE THE DATE

UCI Teaching Day

Thursday, Sept. 19, all day (sponsored by the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation)

For more events, visit UCI Today.

#IamUCI

After retiring, Anteater gives back to his alma mater

Steve Borowski ’79 retired this June after 45 years in investment management, during which he built two companies from the ground up. With his career behind him, Borowski is actively engaged with his alma mater’s athletics program and the School of Social Sciences. He credits his success to his training as a scholar-athlete, which taught the Anteater pitcher and economics major teamwork, time management, communication, multitasking and a willingness to fail. “I think one of the great things about being a student-athlete is that you learn rejection, you learn how to lose. It’s part of life,” Borowski said. “Even the most successful hitters in baseball fail 70 percent of the time.”

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