National Academies progress report: health disparities

From costing society an estimated $11 trillion to hindering new discoveries in medicine and preventing access to effective interventions, underrepresentation of women, older adults and minorities in clinical research has several significant consequences, according to recent analyses commissioned by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

National Academies report identifies ways to reduce intergenerational poverty in US

Irvine, Calif., Sept. 25, 2023 — A report released Thursday, Sept. 21, by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identifies evidence-based programs and policies, such as increased K-12 spending for school districts serving low-income students, to combat intergenerational poverty in the United States.

Rutgers is Part of NSF-funded Consortium to Advance Photonics Research and Workforce Development

Rutgers is part of a new federally funded regional collaboration to drive economic and technological advancements in photonics, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced. The consortium, which includes researchers from Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-New Brunswick, awarded a development grant from the NSF’s Regional Innovation Economic Engine consortium, led by Princeton University and co-led by Rowan University, with partners throughout New Jersey and neighboring states Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York.

UC Irvine Labor Center opens on campus

The University of California, Irvine has opened a new campus center that will provide timely and policy-relevant labor research, will educate the next generation of labor and community leaders, and will advance labor and workers’ rights initiatives. Modeled after existing centers at UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Merced, the UCI Labor Center builds upon previous campus efforts to investigate low-wage worker sectors in Orange County.

UC Irvine receives most applications in campus history for third year in a row

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 — The University of California, Irvine has received more than 143,000 applications for fall 2023, setting a campus record for the third consecutive year and continuing to solidify its position as one of the most desired schools in the country. It also places UCI among the top four universities in the nation for the most freshman applications since 2015.

UCI to launch pre-health program with support from state of California

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 9, 2023 — Increasing underrepresented students’ access to careers in medicine is the focus of a new interdisciplinary, pre-health professional development program at the University of California, Irvine. A five-year, $3.6 million grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information will support UC PRIME Pre-Health Pathways, a resource for undergraduates from underserved communities who are interested in pursuing careers in healthcare.

NSF funds UCI project to boost STEM degree success for underrepresented students

The National Science Foundation has awarded almost $3 million over a five-year period to The Institute for Meaningful Engagement at the University of California, Irvine. This new education project will explore the environmental factors prompting underrepresented students to leave science, technology, engineering and math programs and investigate how faculty can foster better classroom cultures to retain them. A multidisciplinary leadership team will partner with the deans of UCI’s six STEM schools to accomplish this.

Student equity scholar Frances Contreras named dean of UCI School of Education

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 18, 2021 — Frances Contreras, who is widely acclaimed for her research on academic diversity and access from preschool to the Ph.D., has been appointed dean of the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine, following a nationwide search. She will assume her new role on Jan. 1, 2022. Contreras is currently associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as professor of education studies, at the University of California, San Diego.

UCI launches Black Thriving Initiative

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 25, 2020 — Changing the culture, leveraging the mission and engaging communities are the key components of a far-reaching new initiative at the University of California, Irvine to create a campus culture in which Black people thrive. The initiative recognizes and responds to systemic anti-Blackness as an existential threat to the mission of the university and calls on all members of the campus community to confront anti-Blackness.