June 15, 2026

A graduate celebrates with a selfie during commencement. (Photo by Steve Zylius / UC Irvine)

UC IRVINE NEWS

Closing the care gap

Candice Whealon (left), and Tiffany Nielsen, both associate clinical professors of nursing, serve patients in disadvantaged communities while also teaching and mentoring the next generation of nurse practitioners.

Patients walking into UCI Health’s federally qualified health centers in Anaheim and Santa Ana often arrive with symptoms complicated by personal circumstances. For faculty at the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, those challenges have become part of the classroom. Doctor of Nursing Practice faculty are serving patients directly through these FQHCs and the Student Health Center while simultaneously teaching and mentoring the next generation of nurse practitioners. The approach strengthens access to care for Orange County residents and gives students hands-on clinical training grounded in community needs.

Law professor testifies before Congress

Jane Stoever, professor of law, testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement on May 14. Stoever, who directs the UCI Initiative to End Family Violence and the UC Irvine Law Domestic Violence Clinic, appeared as a minority witness at a hearing titled “Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies.” In the hearing, Stoever underscored that immigrant domestic violence survivors must be able to safely access legal protection, police response and community resources without fear of deportation.

How Disneyland subtly served as one of society’s first introductions to animation

In this episode of The UC Irvine Podcast, Roland Betancourt, Chancellor’s Professor of art history, shares his unique journey from medievalist to authoritative voice on the technology that powers the happiest place on Earth. In this discussion, he connects 1950s anxieties about automation with today’s concerns about artificial intelligence.

UC NEWS

Meet 6 of UC’s newest graduates from the Class of 2026

(UC Irvine’s youngest graduate from the School of Humanities, Clovis Hung.)

This spring, 64,000 undergraduates will earn their degrees at the University of California. Behind each of those diplomas is a story. Meet a few of UC's stellar graduates.

#IamUCI

The cultural roots of medical care

Carolina Silva was nine years old when she decided what she wanted to do with her life. While delivering hygiene products and homemade tortas to unhoused individuals in San Jose, a pivotal conversation with a young woman who needed medical attention for a hernia started her on her chosen path. But without health insurance or a home, the woman was so afraid of being judged or mistreated by staff that she refused to seek medical care. Silva set her sights on becoming a different kind of doctor. That dream brought Silva to UC Irvine, where she is now a pre-med student pursuing what may, at first glance, seem a surprising double major: Chicano/Latino studies and public health. “UC Irvine creates space for students to integrate cultural understanding, community engagement and academic preparation in a way that is not always possible elsewhere,” said Lena M. Njoku, director of the UC PRIME Pre-Health Pathways program that Silva participates in. “Carolina has fully leaned into that, pairing Chicano/Latino studies with public health and pre-med to ground her future practice in both knowledge and lived context.”

#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

Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. UC Irvine Libraries offers free subscriptions to The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register and The Washington Post for students, faculty and staff.