Our monthly UC Spotlight celebrates the UC locations, teams and individual staff members who are helping to make UC a great place to work. Fiat Lux!
Individual highlights
UCSF Facilities West Campus Landscape Supervisor Dunja Duranovic reimagined the rooftop garden of the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building as a sustainable haven featuring native plants that attract pollinators.
UCLA South Bay Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Steve Yu, a former Bruin himself, shares his passion for launching a new branch of the university.
Josephine Falvey, a nurse at UC Davis Medical Center, performed seven minutes of solo CPR and saved someone’s life!
UCSF Digital Producer Jonathan Menendez shares his passion for promoting and elevating Queer artists of color, including as founder of the Latina/o Queer Arts and Film Festival.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, symbolizing Berkeley’s prominence as a force for innovation and economic advancement.
Tasha Toliver, manager of UCSF Health’s Office of Population Health Outreach Team, participated in a podcast about her work providing comprehensive and individualized health care services to publicly insured pregnant patients in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Doctors Joshua Adler, Robert A. Cherry and Joseph M. Galante were recognized as “Chief Medical Officers to Know” by Becker’s Hospital Review.
Preet Ahluwalia kicked off her new role as the UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) area director for Colusa, Glenn, Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties. She’s already building relationships, raising awareness of UCCE programs and finding opportunities to advocate for advisors and staff.
Sherston Sanz, Trouble Call Desk dispatcher at UCLA Facilities Management, shares how he helps solve problems around campus — something he’s been doing for over 30 years.
David Lubarsky, Patty Maysent, and Johnese Spisso have been recognized as “CEO Influencers to Know” by Becker’s Hospital Review.
UCLA retirees, alumni and current volunteers Roxanne Neal and Chris Palomo share why the university holds a special place in their hearts and in their lives.
Jonelle Mason, primate trainer at the California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis, was featured in a special episode of Animal Behavior Conversations, the official podcast of the Animal Behavior Management Alliance.
Jessica Bernaki shared how her commitment to being an ally for the LGBTQ+ community inspires her work as founding psychologist and program director of behavioral health for the UCLA Gender Health Program.
Mel Maxwell shared his data-driven approach to leading the Logistics team at UCSF.
Team and group highlights
Staff from several teams collaborated to reestablish UC Riverside’s Asian Pacific Islander Alumni Network, building a sense of community amongst former Highlanders and creating new opportunities to support current students.
Nurses on Three North Wing (3NW) of the UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center orthopedic surgical unit were recently recognized with the prestigious DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses and the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Several current and former UC Santa Cruz faculty and staff have joined with leading experts in the field of conservation genomics to launch Wise Ancestors, a non-profit centering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities as co-creators of biodiversity conservation projects.
The San Diego Supercomputer Center in the School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences at UC San Diego has been recognized in the Ninth Annual BigDATAwire Readers’ and Editors’ Choice Awards for leadership in the National Data Platform.
UC Davis Health Veterans Employee Association members took part in the annual Wreaths Across America event, honoring veterans by laying wreaths at their graves at two local cemeteries.
UC Berkeley’s Center for Effective Global Action is leading a worldwide network of over 1,500 researchers who will help the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) improve the cost-effectiveness of its efforts to fight global poverty and promote economic growth.
The UC South Coast Research and Extension Center (REC) in Irvine is providing out-of-the-classroom experiences in agri-business, career exploration and other educational opportunities for high students through its GROW program.
Colleagues from CalFresh Healthy Living, UC; the UCSF Food Farmacy at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital; and UC Cooperative Extension joined forces to encourage Oakland residents to eat fresh fruits and vegetables for better health.
The UC Berkeley Police Department and Cal Dining partnered with Community Service Organization student workers and the Federated University Police Officers’ Association to purchase and deliver 100 Thanksgiving meals and gift cards for student families in need.
Andrew Cronan, Jennifer Eller and Karen Doescher of the UC San Diego School of Social Sciences are drawing upon their own experiences as social sciences graduates to inform and mentor current undergraduate students.
Members of the UC Office of the President Asian Pacific Islander Staff Association invited all colleagues to a vibrant celebration of Diwali — the Indian festival of lights.
UC Merced’s Experimental Smart Farm and the regional farms participating in its Dining Services’ award-winning BIPOC Produce Buying Program are featured in a new short film by seasoned chef and media personality Ed Porter.
UC Davis Health medical staff welcomed a visit from a former patient whose life they saved in October.
The UCLA Health Sound Body Sound Mind program recently donated $60,000 worth of new exercise equipment to a local middle school, along with a robust exercise and nutrition curriculum designed to promote lifelong wellness for its 800 students.
The UC San Diego Design Lab celebrated its 10th anniversary by hosting the World Design Capital Convocation Ceremony and showcasing a decade of groundbreaking projects.
The UC Merced Division of Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence joined with the Merced Sunrise Rotary and Yosemite Conservancy to host a free workshop for veterans in Yosemite National Park featuring mentorship, career and educational opportunities, and other resources.
Staff at the UC Riverside School of Medicine Office of Academic Affairs are devoted to their mission of helping faculty succeed in their careers, from recruitment to development to advancement.
Rankings and ratings
Forbes’ first-ever ranking of America’s Dream Employers — as chosen by a survey of more than 10,000 U.S. college students — included UC Berkeley, UC Davis Health, UC Irvine, UCLA Health and UC San Diego. UCLA Health ranked 17th in the nation, across all industries!
Forbes recognized UC Davis Health as the top health system employer in California.
The UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA Health was awarded the highest designation as a Level I institution in the American College of Surgeons Children’s Surgery Verification program.
U.S. News and World Reports’ latest rankings of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care recognized UC Davis Medical Center; UC Irvine Medical Center; UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center – Olive View and UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center; UC San Diego Health-La Jolla and Hillcrest Hospitals; and UCSF Medical Center as High Performing in Maternity Care.
For the ninth year in a row, the 2024 University of Indonesia GreenMetric World University Rankings has named UC Davis the “greenest” campus in the U.S. The campus ranked seventh most sustainable in the world — the 12th consecutive year it’s made the top 10.
Healthgrades, a leading consumer website for hospital and doctor selections, recognized UC Davis Medical Center; UC Irvine Medical Center and UC Irvine Health Fountain Valley; Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital; UC San Diego Health Hillcrest Hillcrest Medical Center; and UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights in its 2025 Specialty Excellence Awards, which reflect high-quality patient care in speciality medicine areas.
The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization recognized UC Davis Medical Center with the Gold Level ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support.
UCSF Health’s hospitals at Parnassus Heights, Mission Bay and Mount Zion received the 2024 Top Hospital award from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog organization that sets standards for health care safety and quality.
Submit your achievements!
UC Spotlight honors workplaces, teams and individual staff members that make UC a great place to work. To send a recognition or achievement for consideration, email the relevant URL to ucnetwork@universityofcalifornia.edu. Please note that UC Spotlight is intended to reflect staff-specific achievements; to that end, we do not accept recognitions that are student, faculty or alumni-focused. Submissions are chosen for publication at the editor’s discretion. Funding and promotion/hiring announcements are not appropriate for this feature.