March 3, 2025

Fireworks entertain the crowd at the conclusion of the homecoming pep rally Saturday in Aldrich Park. (Photo by Steve Zylius/UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Interdisciplinary institute’s founding director aims to demystify depression

As founding director of the Noel Drury, M.D. Institute for Translational Depression Discoveries, Diego Pizzagalli (above) hopes to harness the expertise of three schools – medicine, biological sciences and engineering – to better understand and treat depression. “It’s our duty to inform the public about depression and what might cause it,” says the Distinguished Professor of psychiatry and human behavior as well as neurobiology and behavior. His biggest message? Don’t suffer alone. “It’s not that your personality is a problem. It’s a disease,” he says. “It’s not your fault, and for most people, there are very efficient treatments.”

Nurses who lead, educate celebrated with DAISY Awards

UCI Health recently recognized several exemplary nurses with DAISY Awards. Those honored have consistently displayed the values of compassion, courage and integrity in both patient care and co-worker interactions. One of them is Alyssa Torreflores (above), a nurse navigator at UCI Health’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In November 2023, experts at the UCI Health Chao Digestive Health Institute discovered that 11-year-old Lauren Torres had a solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas – a baseball-sized tumor rarely found in children. Dr. David K. Imagawa, one of the top U.S. liver and pancreas surgeons, removed it during a complex Whipple surgery, and Lauren was back onstage just three months later. “The care she got at UCI Health … was nothing short of amazing,” says her mom, Vicki Torres. “We are forever grateful!”

UC NEWS

SpeechMatters Podcast: ‘Moderation: It’s Not Just About Content’

In the latest SpeechMatters Podcast, “Moderation: It’s Not Just About Content,” John Perrino, senior policy and advocacy expert at the Internet Society clarifies what’s at stake, why it matters and how using technology in moderation can improve our lives.

#IamUCI

Since February 2022, the CalHOPE Courage Award has recognized two student-athletes at California colleges and universities monthly for overcoming the stress, anxiety and mental trauma associated with personal hardships and adversity. One of the most recent winners is men’s baseball redshirt senior Will Bermudez, who at 17 suffered a traumatic brain injury and the loss of an Air Force scholarship. After excelling at baseball at UC Davis and Mt. San Antonio College, Bermudez transferred in 2023 to UC Irvine, where he majors in psychology, with a minor in sociology. “Congratulations and very well deserved for Will,” said head coach Ben Orloff. “He makes all of us better and has been a great member of our program who will leave a lasting impact here.”

#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.

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