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Dear UCI community,
Before we say goodbye to 2022, I want to first acknowledge all of the outstanding accomplishments UCI Public Health’s faculty, students, and staff have made this past year. From our students representing us at a global conference in Mexico and faculty bringing in $22 million in research funding to our staff helping to move us all into a new building – this year has been teeming with energy and collaboration on several levels.
The year ended with two interprofessional collaborations. First, to steward an effort in promoting uptake of the flu vaccine, a partnership among our Program, the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the UCI Student Health Center, resulted in nearly 1,900 flu vaccines administered at a pop-up flu vaccine clinic. Second, a prime example of our public health professionals serving as a bridge between the health sciences was an interprofessional education course between public health and pharmaceutical sciences students. Nearly 100 graduate-level students came together to address the most pressing public health crisis of their generation: COVID-19. The success of this course is a precursor to many more exciting opportunities to bridge public health with other disciplines.
As we enter a new year with anticipation for what’s to come, I encourage you all to take care of your health this holiday season. Due to the many public health precautions during the pandemic, such as quarantining and mandated mask-wearing, we have had limited exposure in the last few years to flu viruses. Therefore, it is imperative that you are up to date on your vaccines for influenza and COVID-19 and/or following public health recommendations at public gatherings. We can all do our part in ensuring the health and safety of the public at large.
To the entire UCI campus – I wish you all a safe and happy holiday. Best wishes for a successful start to 2023, which I hope will bring new adventures, collaborations, and achievements.
Sincerely,
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Bernadette Boden-Albala, MPH, DrPH
Director and Founding Dean
UCI Program in Public Health
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Pictured from top to bottom, left to right: Sean Arayasirikul, Saurabh Chatterjee, Andrea De Vizcaya Ruiz, Brandy Lipton, Denise Payan, Anamara Ritt-Olsen, Nicole Sparks, & Baolin Wu.
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Eight New Faculty Members Joined UCI Public Health in 2022
- Sean Arayasirikul, PhD, associate professor-in-residence of Health, Society, & Behavior
- Saurabh Chatterjee, PhD, professor of Environmental & Occupational Health
- Andrea De Vizcaya Ruiz, PhD, associate professor of Environmental & Occupational Health
- Brandy Lipton, PhD, assistant professor of Health, Society, & Behavior
- Denise Payan, PhD, assistant professor of Health, Society, & Behavior
- Anamara Ritt-Olsen, PhD, associate professor-in-residence of Health, Society, & Behavior
- Nicole Sparks, PhD, assistant professor of Environmental & Occupational Health
- Baolin Wu, PhD, professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Their collective research and experience will be a great addition to our growing program and to our community's research.
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Medicine for the gut to dampen Alzheimer’s disease progression
The National Institute of Aging (NIA) recently awarded co-investigators Masashi Kitazawa, PhD and Lulu Chen, PhD, a five-year, multi-center grant to develop a new genetically engineered bacterial biologic L-DOPA to treat the most common early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
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Research found that algae blooms could lead to toxicity in liver
Environmental health sciences doctoral student, Punnag Saha (at right), and Saurabh Chatterjee, MS, PhD, (at left) professor of environmental & occupational health, found that digestion and exposure to cylindrospermopsin a type of cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) can lead to gut microbiome alteration. They found that this type of bacteria had a connection to injury and impairment of the liver in mice models.
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Presenting on climate change related health risks to medical community
Saurabh Chatterjee, MS, PhD, professor of environmental & occupational health, was invited to attend the Department of Medicine Grand Round Series, Division of Infectious Diseases where he presented on the pathology and risks of non-cholera vibrio infections in underlying climate change stressors.
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Making the case for climate change as a social determinant of health
At a recent Coalition of Orange County Community Health Center's town hall, Jun Wu, PhD, professor of environmental & occupational health, was invited to speak on climate change’s impact on health, specifically how climate change is another social determinant of health.
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Saliva as a novel key for diagnostic biomarkers of cognitive decline
The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation awarded Elizabeth Thomas, PhD, professional researcher in the department of epidemiology & biostatistics, a one year grant to utilize salivary biomarkers to measure cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease.
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UCI representation at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) conference
Trina Norden-Krichmar, PhD, assistant professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and lab members Xiaochen Liu, Tulika Kakati, Stanislav Listopad, Kevin Yuan, and Chloe Thangavelu represented UCI Public Health at the 72nd annual American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) conference which focused on potential human genetics and genomics.
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Tackling tobacco use and its related diseases through interdisciplinary research
Principal investigator, Sora Park Tanjasiri, DrPH, professor of epidemiology & biostatistics, received nearly $700,000 as part of the TRDRP research grant to understand the degree to which community-based tobacco control programs are experiencing a misalignment regarding communities with the greatest needs, and how can those programs be optimized for the greatest risk reductions.
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Biomarkers in saliva are associated with those found in the rest of the body, suggesting shared inflammatory mechanisms between these two fluids
Recent publication by corresponding author Beth Thomas, PhD, professional researcher of epidemiology and biostatistics, studied the the associations between saliva and plasma cytokines in cognitively normal, older adults.
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Analyzing effectiveness of California’s Medi-Cal expansion on undocumented older immigrants
Annie Ro, PhD, associate professor of health, society, & behavior at the UCI Program in Public Health, was awarded a research grant to analyze changes in Type 2 diabetes medication and management among older Latino undocumented patients after California's full-scope Medi-Cal Expansion.
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Dr. Payán joins editorial board of the Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Denise Payán, PhD, assistant professor of health, society, and behavior, joins the Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (JAND) editorial board early November. The monthly, peer-reviewed journal presents original articles on science of food, nutrition, and dietetics by scholars and practitioners in the field.
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Confronting disparities in our country’s reproductive health services
Dylan H. Roby, PhD, interim chair and associate professor of health, society, and behavior, was featured as the recent Bridging the Gap columnist. His article explores the role of insurance coverage and how inequitable access to reproductive health services can disproportionately impact women of color.
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Dean Boden-Albala appointed to the Board of Directors for ASPPH
Founding dean Bernadette Boden-Albala, MPH, DrPH, was elected for an at-large position of the Board of Directors for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. ASPPH is the voice of accredited academic public health, representing schools and programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. She will begin her term in March of 2023.
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Policy surveillance and local implementation of flavored tobacco product sales bans in California
Principal investigator, Denise Payán, PhD, received nearly $775,000 with a TRDRP New Investigator award to conduct a three-year research project to uncover gaps and opportunities to enhance the effectiveness and impact of tobacco sales bans.
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Dr. Turner selected as a Newkirk Faculty Fellow
Leigh Turner, MA, PhD, professor of health, society, and behavior, was selected to be a part of the UCI Newkirk Center for Science and Society as a 2022-2023 Newkirk Faculty Fellow where we will focus on various initiatives around the strategic mission of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society.
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UCI Public Health Students featured at “Looking Back, Moving Forward” photography exhibit
The exhibit was an opportunity to share their photovoice project that documented the impact of COVID-19 on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across California. A few “VOICES” (Visualizing Our Identities and Cultures for Empowerment) featured at the exhibit included students, Annie My Phan, Cynthia L. Fok, Sidra Ali and Sorina Long. Long’s exhibit pictured a sign saying “Stay Safe! We will get through this together!” at a local donut shop owned by Cambodian Americans, which was intended to remind customers that the pandemic is a collective experience and alludes to the resilience of the Cambodian community.
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PhD student presents at the American Institute of Cancer Research Conference
PhD student, Hemangi Mavadiya, MPH, RDN, represented UCI Public Health with her research on disparities in diet related perceptions and behaviors among cancer survivors at the American Institute of Cancer Research Conference in Virginia this past month.
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UCI Public Health Alumna Joins UCI Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences
Hannah Pease, recent double major graduate in Public Health Policy and Psychology, 22' joins UCI Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences as Alumni Relations Specialist. Hannah loves getting to support opportunities and programs for alumni, and being able to see firsthand all of the amazing things her fellow alums are accomplishing. Her future goals are to obtain her MPH and grow in the field of public health.
Hannah’s advice to current students:
"Get involved and take advantage of all of the opportunities at UCI! Through my involvements, I met some of my favorite people and learned a lot outside of the classroom."
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