Nov. 10 - Veterans Day salute, “A” for hospital safety
Section 1
For all who served: The Veterans Day ceremony at the UCI Flagpoles this morning included a Humvee display, the Army ROTC raising the flag, the National Anthem performed by Filbert Fontejon, an Information & Computer Sciences web and graphic designer and Marine veteran, a welcome from Dani Molina, director of the Veteran Services Center and Army veteran, and keynote remarks by Ronald S. Cortez, chief financial officer and Air Force veteran.
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
No UCI Digest on Thursday
In observance of Veterans Day, this newsletter will take Thursday off and return Friday.
Veterans Day salute
Teylor Cohen is a recipient of the Suzanne Leider Nursing Endowed Student Award and the Elizabeth C. Tierney Nursing Scholarship and the Nursing Leadership Award. But his exemplary academic career was interrupted by a five-year stint in the Marine Corps, which included three deployments overseas. Cohen is among more than 300 student-veterans, as well as staff and faculty members who served, that the Veterans Service Center celebrated this morning.
UCI Health nationally recognized for hospital safety
UCI Health received its 15th consecutive “A” in the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, which recognizes a health system’s commitment to patient safety and achievements in preventing harm. “This national distinction is a true testament of the tireless work and commitment from our co-workers in keeping our patients safe,” said UCI Health CEO Chad T. Lefteris. “We’ve had to pivot a lot during the pandemic, and patient safety remains the highest priority for everyone at UCI Health.”
UCI among founders of national coalition to improve clinical trials
Advancing Clinical Trials at the Point of Care coalition launched on Tuesday with UCI as a founding member. The aim of ACT@POC is to generate high-quality clinical research evidence in real time to better evaluate treatments and therapeutics, including those to treat COVID-19. Academic health center members will engage a broader, more diverse group of patients and providers and develop digital health tools that make clinical trials simpler to run and more accessible to patients.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
Nearly 1 million kids will have first COVID shots by end of today
Vaccinations began in earnest last week and ramped up over the weekend and early this week. Now the White House says around 900,000 elementary school-age children will have received their first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by today’s end, representing about 3% of those ages 5 to 11. About 700,000 more have appointments scheduled in the days ahead at pharmacies.
Pediatricians are overwhelmed, understaffed — and eager to help vaccinate
As parents seek to immunize their 5- to-11-year-olds, pediatricians nationwide say a crush of appointment requests has both overwhelmed and energized them as they seek to keep children from contracting or spreading the virus. As a North Carolina pediatrician put it: "We're excited for children to get the vaccine. It's hard work, but doing hard work is what we do in primary care."
28 public health experts talk turkey about their holiday plans
It has been nearly two years since COVID-19 reared its ugly head (as best we know), and we’re fast approaching the first anniversary of the deployment of highly effective vaccines that arm us against the virus. Asked about specific risks they are willing to take now, infectious diseases experts gave mixed reactions, although — like much of the American public — they made it clear that they aren’t giving up another Thanksgiving.
EVENTS
Book Party: Elizabeth Allen, Uncertain Refuge: Sanctuary in the Literature of Medieval England
Friday, noon (sponsored by UCI Illuminations)
INF Seminar Series: The Promise of Access: Technology, Inequality and the Political Economy of Hope
Friday, 2 p.m. (sponsored by Information and Computer Sciences)
Audio Theater
Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; also Saturday, 2 p.m. (sponsored by Drama Department)
Visit today.uci.edu to see and submit event listings. Events of general interest will be shared in UCI Digest two days before they occur.
UCI IN THE NEWS
Friendly breakup: After 129 years, GE plans future as three smaller companies
Marketplace (audio), Nov. 9
Cited: John Joseph, associate professor of strategy
Student Stress and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
NPR’s Academic Minute, Nov. 10
Guest: Mahtab Jafari, director of UCI Center for Healthspan Sciences and professor of pharmaceutical sciences and ecology & evolutionary biology
Four High-Sodium Snack Foods No One Should Be Eating Anymore Because They Cause Bloating & Acid Reflux
SHEFINDS, Nov. 7
Cited: Andrew Odegaard, associate professor of health sciences
#UCICONNECTED
Janeana “@Momz_Rock” Bernstein can’t mask her delight at being back at KUCI. Twitter/@Momz_Rock
#UCIconnected spotlights student, alumni, faculty and staff photos, essays, shoutouts, hobbies, artwork, unusual office decorations, activities and more. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected hashtag.