Dr. Charles Vega first walked into the UCI Health Family Health Center as a medical school graduate eager to make a difference in his first job as a physician. Twelve years later, his impact is felt both within the community of hundreds of grateful patients and their families he sees…
Backyard barbecues and beach bonfires are beloved summer activities across the country, but they also put people—especially children—at risk of painful, long-term injury. In fact, about half of the injuries treated at UC Irvine’s Regional Burn Center occur at the beach; most involve children 6 and younger who crawl or…
Imagine being unable to hear music, ringing telephones, laughter, or the sound of a loved one’s voice. The world is a silent place for more than one million Americans who are severely or profoundly deaf. But cochlear implants are helping a growing number of people connect with the hearing world…
As the son of a plastic surgeon, Dr. Samuel Bederman grew up surrounded by medicine. Now a surgeon himself, Bederman specializes in scoliosis and spinal disorders. He is part of an elite multidisciplinary team of experts in UC Irvine’s Comprehensive Spine Program. "I remember going with my dad to the…
Ask Dr. Emily Dow why she decided to practice medicine, and the answer might surprise you. Twenty years ago, she was teaching English as a Second Language to adults in Los Angeles when a middle-aged Latina student was stricken with chest pains during class. Dow wanted to call an ambulance…
Most types of skin cancer, such as basal and squamous cell cancers, are highly curable when treated early and appropriately. But the true size and extent of many skin cancers may be more than skin deep. "It is important to recognize that what is visible on the skin’s surface may…
Jonathan Barber, a 43-year-old certified public accountant from Tustin, Calif., struggled with being overweight most of his life. He even called himself a “chubby” kid. In high school Jonathan was able to manage his weight for a short period of time by playing baseball. After graduating high school, Jonathan went…
Fifteen-year-old Bailey Prince had been battling ongoing depression since the sixth grade. Medications were not helping and, after seeing several different psychiatrists, she was only getting worse. After one doctor switched her medication, she couldn’t sleep so on top of being depressed, she was also sleep deprived. “We were really…
When Brent Wong graduated in June with UC Irvine's first nursing science class, he didn't have to go far to land a job. Wong works as a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at UC Irvine Douglas Hospital, and he's already making a big difference in the lives…
When retiree Dan Christensen moved to Orange County from his native Oregon in September 2010, he immediately began searching for volunteer opportunities. "I wanted to be somewhat intellectually stimulated so that I didn’t get rusty, so to speak," Christensen says. His wife, Susan Christensen suggested he look at UC Irvine…
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