UC Spotlight: September 2025

Before its Sept. 15 termination due to loss of federal funding, the UC ANR-managed Southwest Regional Food Business Center awarded 73 grants worth $1.5 million to farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs who will strengthen local food systems and supply chain resiliency throughout the southwestern U.S.

UCSF dental student Belle Lao-Ngo received the 2025 Chancellor Award for Public Service for working with the Chinatown YMCA in San Francisco to create and lead a multi-lingual dental health program for residents.

UC Davis firefighters traveled to Calistoga to help battle the Pickett Fire ― mopping up burned areas, keeping flare-ups from restarting and helping bring the blaze to full containment.

Staff and faculty from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health have trained more than 300 construction workers on how to protect themselves from potentially toxic debris left after the 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires.

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and UC Merced entered into a five-year partnership with the Almond Board of California. Drawing on UC research, they’re working to make the California almond industry more productive, resilient and sustainable.

UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden staff refreshed the Arboretum All-Stars database to help gardeners from throughout California choose the best plants for resilient, beautiful landscapes.

UC Santa Cruz celebrated the 25th anniversary of its GEAR UP program, which provides guidance, resources and encouragement around higher education for Pajaro Valley Unified School District students.

To help expand educational access, UC San Diego’s Concurrent Enrollment program allows members of the public to take undergraduate and graduate-level courses on the main campus without being matriculated students.

In the first year since the facility’s opening, providers and staff at the UCSF Bayfront Medical Building at Mission Bay have fulfilled the center’s mission of providing quality health care access to the southern San Francisco community.

The UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology and UC Cooperative Extension partnered to hold their annual Grape Day — a free event that informs wine, table and raisin grape growers about the latest grape-related field trials and innovations that have come from UC research.

Led by the Veterans Employee Association employee resource group, UC Davis Health staff volunteered at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery on Sept. 11, the National Day of Service. 

The staff who lead the Career Advising Specialized Certificate program at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies are training the next generation of career advisors.

UC Santa Cruz has partnered with The Conservation Fund to conserve more than 200 acres of privately held land and to expand sustainable agriculture programs on campus.

In response to growing demand for information about agave farming, UC ANR has launched a new webinar series to address top concerns identified by growers.

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden Learning by Leading Ecological Land Management team transformed a weedy, over-grazed landscape into a haven for biodiversity and native plants on public land.

Several UC Health leaders from five locations were recognized in Becker’s Hospital Review for excellence in the health care field.

UC Davis physician Debby Lee received the 2025 Dr. Ifeanyi Onyeji Resident/Fellow Inclusive Excellence and Equity Award for her commitment to championing culturally sensitive care that values patients’ traditions and beliefs.

UC Irvine Health has launched the Van Cave, the first mobile prostate cancer screening unit of its kind. The innovative vehicle will expand access to life-saving screenings and help transform men’s health across Orange County.

Staff at the UC Davis MIND Institute’s Family Navigator Program have assisted more than 800 families in navigating care options, resources and next steps after a new diagnosis of autism or another neurodevelopmental condition.

The UC Irvine Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing will soon launch a family nurse practitioner residency program, providing hands-on training and serving vulnerable local residents. 

UC Davis Health celebrated the opening of the new 114,000-square-foot Folsom Medical Care Clinic. Offering primary and specialty care, the clinic will significantly expand access to high-quality care for the Folsom, El Dorado Hills and foothills region.

The UCSF Medical Center has earned a five-star rating for overall hospital quality from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the third consecutive year, recognizing the highest standards of care.

UC Davis Health and WellSpace Health have teamed up to open a heart failure clinic. Integrating specialty cardiology support into the primary care setting will improve care access and outcomes for high-risk patients in the community.

Several nurses at UC Irvine Health were honored with DAISY Awards — recognitions that celebrate nurses who represent the best of their profession.

UC San Diego Health’s Wee Nuzzle program provides breastfeeding support for families in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Researchers and staff from six interdisciplinary UC San Diego teams received three Petabyte Innovation Quest awards from Western Digital for pursuing innovative data storage projects.

The UCLA Library’s Modern Endangered Archives Program awarded 34 grants to its seventh annual cohort — its largest yet — to support archival work in 26 countries.

Mike Alvarez Cohen, director of innovation ecosystem development at UC Berkeley, wrote a nonfiction book chronicling the campus’s historical relationship with the start-up industry, from early reluctance to its emergence as a leading center for entrepreneurship and innovation.

The UC Riverside School of Medicine Office of Faculty Development and Office of Strategic Initiatives partnered with faculty and leadership to produce the 2025 Celebration of Women in Medicine and Science.

David Familian, artistic director of UC Irvine’s Beall Center for Art + Technology, shared how the center has become an incubator of interdisciplinary collaboration focused on addressing technology’s impact.

UC Santa Cruz is leading the development of the state’s first FAA-compliant ecosystem for clean-energy-powered drones and advanced aerospace vehicles. 

CJ Lee, UC alum and chief strategy officer for UC Riverside Health, shared his career journey and vision for his new position.

UC Santa Barbara secured a long-term lease on a large research and development facility in Goleta that will be used to foster collaboration between campus researchers and local businesses. 

Highlighting UC San Diego’s key role in biotech innovation, the campus hosted an industry town hall with U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary and more than 60 regional biotechnology and pharmaceutical leaders.

Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director at the Greater Good Science Center, led a podcast conversation focused on forgiveness — what it is, how it works in the body and brain, and safe and empowering ways to practice it.

UC Santa Cruz is preparing to host the eighth US-India Conference, which will focus on AI, innovations that could revolutionize human health, and the role India and the U.S. can play in rebalancing global cooperation.

Erik T. Mitchell, librarian at the Audrey Geisel University Library, explained how a new exhibit celebrates the bold ideas and creative thinking of UC San Diego researchers, as well as the library’s role in accessible research.

The UC Davis Emergency Management team, led by Benton Best, was honored with the UC Excellence Award — the highest recognition across the UC system — setting UC Davis apart as a leader in preparedness and resilience.

UC Irvine staff introduced “stair chairs” throughout campus, providing an accessible evacuation option for people with physical disabilities.

Through a novel partnership with Riverside Community College District, UC Riverside opened a new communal development that houses both community college and university students.

Nicole Lim, portfolio coordinator in UCLA Extension’s Engineering Department, spoke with UC Tech News about how she used AI to support student success.

Protective Services Business Operations Manager Tamela Adkins, a founding staff member at UC Merced, retired after 20 years of service — and a 45-year law-enforcement career.

Ruben Canedo, UC Berkeley’s director of strategic equity initiatives, is making sure college students have the food, housing and other essentials they need to succeed in school and life.

UC Davis Student Affairs team is introducing two new student centers and renaming other units to student-friendly names to support students and strengthen the campus community.

UC Merced marked the beginning of its 20th-anniversary school year with campus-wide festivities.

Pam Heintzleman, the new director of Payroll Operations, Accounting and Compliance at UC Davis, shared her enthusiasm for building partnerships and celebrating colleagues’ work.