Year 5. July 27. Building Community is Central to our Department’s Strategic Future
The strategic plan of our UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM) continues to shape and transform our department and influence our larger health system as we lean into our vision to Lead in Innovation, Transform Care and Advance Health for All.
An important pillar of our plan is Community Engagement and Investment. This pillar embodies our mandate as a public university to advance health and improve outcomes for our diverse communities and serve our Foundational Goal: To build community, within the DoM, grounded in our vision and core values. Across all missions this vision is undergirded among others through our commitment to Inclusive Excellence, to building Collaborations and Partnerships, and to our People.
What do some of these principles look like in action? This week, I share some examples of how the DoM is fulfilling this vision. Building community is a choice that we make and has to be intentional; it requires consistent and thoughtful engagement with each other, exemplified by active mentorship that transcends vested self-interest. In turn, as we impact our community, our community engages with us to greater extents — thereby amplifying our impact.
DoM L.A. Fires Research to Benefit from $1.8 Million Grant from Kao Family Foundation
Several of our faculty here in the DoM are leading vital research on the health impacts of the 2025 L.A. fires. I am pleased to share that their efforts are getting a financial boost from the Kao Family Foundation, which has awarded a $1.8 million grant for research led by David Eisenman, MD, MSHS through the UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions. The funds will be paid out in $200,000 installments over the next 9 years.
“My reaction was one of gratitude and excitement. The Kao Family Foundation’s support is a tremendous vote of confidence in the importance of understanding and addressing the health impacts of the Los Angeles fires,” Dr. Eisenman said. “As wildfires become more frequent and severe, there is an urgent need for evidence that can help communities, health systems and policymakers better prepare for and respond to these events.”
The award will support the L.A. Fire HEALTH Study, a comprehensive, multi-institution collaboration focused on understanding the health consequences of wildfire exposure. Dr. Eisenman co-leads UCLA’s arm of the work with Michael Jerrett, PhD at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, which includes projects designed to elucidate the physical and mental health impacts of the L.A. fires, improve our understanding of which populations are most vulnerable, develop and evaluate strategies to reduce health harms, and identify ways to strengthen community resilience and preparedness. The funding will support data collection, interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement. It will also provide opportunities for junior researchers working at the intersection of climate change health and community engagement.
“This award is especially meaningful because it provides sustained support over nine years, allowing us to pursue long-term research questions that are often difficult to study through shorter funding cycles,” Dr. Eisenman said. “It will help us deepen our understanding of how wildfire exposures affect physical and mental health, identify populations at greatest risk and develop strategies to reduce health harms and improve resilience.”
Other DoM faculty involved in this work include David Elashoff, PhD and the DoM Statistics Core (DoMSTAT) team as well as Arash Naeim, MD, PhD and his colleagues in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Dr. Elashoff, Dr. Naeim and Dr. Eisenman have already completed a study on the L.A. Fires’ impacts on “active defenders” — community residents who chose to actively defend their homes rather than immediately evacuate — and will build and expand upon their work with the Kao Family Foundation award. UCLA Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program pulmonary fellow Nicolas Baddour, MD is also contributing to their work.
“Most importantly, I am excited about the opportunity to generate knowledge that can benefit not only Angelenos but also communities around the world facing similar climate-related challenges,” Dr. Eisenman said.
Please join me in congratulating David and all those involved in this critical research!
2nd Annual Women’s Health & Economic Empowerment Conference Explores Solutions to Close the Health-Wealth Gap
On June 25th, community leaders, policymakers, healthcare professionals, researchers, advocates and financial experts gathered for the 2nd Annual Women’s Health & Economic Empowerment Conference, hosted by the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center in partnership with the LA County Commission for Women and numerous community organizations. The day-long event focused on the connections between women’s health, economic security and community well-being, convening experts from across sectors to discuss strategies for creating healthier and more equitable communities.
Community partners share resources with conference participants
In her opening remarks, Janet P. Pregler, MD, director of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center and interim DoM senior executive clinical vice chair, welcomed attendees and highlighted the importance of bringing together diverse voices to help address complex challenges facing women across Los Angeles County. She emphasized the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center commitment to advancing women’s health through research, education and community partnerships, particularly in the areas of health services research, health equity and reducing disparities.
Conference attendees participating in talks with experts from across sectors discussing strategies for creating healthier and more equitable communities
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath delivered keynote remarks focused on the intersection of health and economic well-being. Supervisor Horvath emphasized that economic security is a necessary foundation for healthy families and thriving communities. She highlighted county initiatives aimed at preventing gender-based violence, expanding career pathways for women and removing barriers such as childcare and transportation that often limit economic opportunity. Additional remarks were provided by Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, who emphasized that women’s health and economic security are deeply connected and called for continued collaboration to address inequities and improve outcomes for women and families.
A featured presentation by UCLA Distinguished Professor of Medicine Felicia Marie Knaul, PhD, explored the often-overlooked economic value of women’s contributions to health and caregiving systems around the world. Drawing on global research, Dr. Knaul highlighted that women perform the majority of paid and unpaid health and caregiving work, yet much of that labor remains undervalued despite its essential role in supporting health systems and economies. She noted that women account for approximately 70% of the global health and caregiving workforce and called for greater investment in women’s health, education, leadership opportunities and workplace equity. Dr. Knaul emphasized that advancing gender equity is not only a matter of fairness, but also critical to building stronger health systems, expanding access to care and driving economic growth.
The conference also highlighted how autonomy, dignity and opportunity influence health outcomes. Kimberly D. Narain, MD, MPH, PhD, director of Health Services and Health Optimization Research at the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, discussed research examining how workplace structures and economic opportunities affect women’s health. Her remarks reinforced a recurring theme throughout the day: that empowering women through greater autonomy, access to opportunity and supportive policies can have meaningful impacts on long-term health and well-being.
Throughout the event, speakers emphasized that improving women’s health requires addressing the social and economic conditions that shape daily life. As we continue to identify solutions, it is important to continue building partnerships across sectors and to translate research, policy and community engagement into meaningful change.
Congratulations to Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center LEADERS Dr. Pregler, Dr. Narain, Julie Friedman, MPH and Sophie Viray, who made this successful event possible.
Gifty-Maria Ntim, MD and Nupur Agrawal, MD Accepted to UCLA Dialogue Across Differences Program
I am pleased to share that two of our Med-Peds faculty, Gifty-Maria J. Ntim, MD, MPH, FAAP, FACP and Nupur Agrawal, MD, MPH have been accepted to the 2026-2027 UCLA Dialogue Across Differences Faculty Fellows cohort. The program — a partnership between the UCLA Teaching and Learning Center and the Dialogue Across Differences (DaD) Initiative — is designed to help educators facilitate meaningful conversations between students across differences in their backgrounds, perspectives and lived experiences.
Among the many things Dr. Ntim and Dr. Agrawal will do over the next year as part of the program is learn and practice a range of dialogue frameworks, gaining the ability to discern when to employ strategies from each to meet educational and learning objectives. They will leverage best practices to create supportive context for dialogue in the classroom and, as part of the program, will create multiple opportunities in the courses they teach to practice the DaD Initiative’s five values of intellectual engagement, curiosity, empathy, active listening and critical thinking when addressing differences in the classroom. They will also form collaborative relationships with a community of colleagues across campus who share their commitment to engaging in meaningful dialogue with people who share different points of view.
Dr. Ntim is an associate clinical professor, program director of the UCLA Combined Internal Med-Peds Residency Program, and co-director of LGBTQ education at the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA. She was elated to learn that she had been accepted to the DaD program.
“I’ve heard wonderful things about the fellowship and I’m always looking to model for my residents that growth and learning never stops,” she said. She was motivated to apply by her experience witnessing younger physicians struggle to engage productively with viewpoints that differ from their own.
“Even though we are intentional about creating safe spaces, I’m curious about how to build foundations of trust that allow for differing viewpoints to exist and in turn lead to the creation of original ideas and programs,” Dr. Ntim said. “I want to learn how to do this well and teach others.”
Dr. Ntim noted that difference has shaped her own professional identity — specifically, the experience of moving across continents and cultural contexts, caring for patients living at the margins of society who have learned not to trust healthcare systems and navigating institutional spaces that were not always designed for people like her in mind.
“These experiences have made me a more attentive clinician and more intentional educator, but experience alone is not enough,” Dr. Ntim said. “I am hoping this fellowship offers me structure, community and expert-guided growth in the skills I am asking my residents to develop.”
Dr. Agrawal is an assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics and co-director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program Health Equity and Advocacy Pathway. She is also a fellow in the Macy Faculty Scholars Program, which is funding her work on a curriculum for medical students about patient advocacy.
“I am so thrilled and excited to be part of DaD and honored to join a cross-campus community of faculty committed to dialogue across differences,” Dr. Agrawal said. “Ever since I applied, I hoped I would have the opportunity to participate. Having had the privilege of participating in many incredible opportunities since starting at UCLA, this was one I was especially giddy about getting into.”
She added that she first learned about DaD from Deb Lehman, MD, a mentor of hers in the pediatrics department. Dr. Lehman participated in last year’s DaD cohort and felt that Dr. Agrawal’s work as a Macy’s Faculty Scholar aligned closely with the program’s goals and philosophy.
“Based on everything I read and learned during the application process, I couldn’t agree more,” Dr. Agrawal said. She is excited to learn from the diverse perspectives and experiences of her UCLA colleagues who are as committed as she is to fostering respectful, meaningful engagement.
“In a time of increasing polarization and sensationalized discourse — driven in part by social media and the erosion of trusted, nuanced journalism — it has become more important than ever for all of us across the medical education continuum to learn how to engage in meaningful dialogue across difference,” Dr. Agrawal said. She added that progress requires conversations between people with different viewpoints.
“Real change doesn't happen when we only speak with people who think like we do. It happens when we have the courage, professionalism, humility, and skills to engage thoughtfully with people whose perspectives differ from our own — to better understand their experiences, challenge and deepen our own thinking, and work together to develop solutions that meaningfully move healthcare forward,” Dr. Agrawal said. “The lives and well-being of our patients depend on our ability to engage across differences with curiosity, respect, and a shared commitment to improving care, and I'm looking forward to broadening and deepening my own toolkit in this space.”
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Ntim and Dr. Agrawal!
A Spotlight on Specialty ACE
DoM faculty are eager to support the next generation of physicians as they navigate their careers. The start of a new academic year at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is right around the corner, so this week I would like to shine the spotlight on the DGSOM Specialty Advisors for Career Exploration (ACE). This excellent program introduces medical students to specialties by pairing them with faculty physicians who give them advice and insights on their field and help them navigate the process of applying to residency.
“We love our faculty getting involved,” Co-Director Jodi L. Friedman, MD, who also serves as DoM vice chair for education, said. “We have hundreds of faculty all over the city, and this is a way for them to stay connected with the medical school and have a significant impact on our medical students.”
Specialty ACEs for Internal Medicine was launched by Dr. Friedman and program Co-Director Neveen S. El-Farra, MD in 2021 in an effort to give preclinical medical students in-depth insight into potential career paths as early as possible. It is now made up of two tracks — one for first and second year medical students, one for third and fourth years. The first track, Early Career Exploration, is focused on discovery and knowledge accumulation, while the second, Advising and Residency Planning for Internal Medicine, offers more intensive guidance and residency application prep.
“Faculty are very excited about the chance to mentor,” Dr. El-Farra said. “Specialty ACE gives them the tools and structure they need to do that in a way that is learner-centered.”
In Early Career Exploration, directed by Stanley E. Yuan, MD, a cohort of mentors from primary care, hospital medicine and DoM sub-specialties meet with students who are interested in their respective fields and provide ongoing advising as they refine their interests. They also facilitate connection to research and scholarship mentors in addition to shadowing opportunities.
“One of the biggest strengths of the Early Career Advising track is that it provides early exposure through meaningful, individualized mentorship,” Dr. Yuan said. “Many preclinical students are still exploring specialties and may not have a clear understanding of what internal medicine looks like in practice. By pairing them with an experienced internist, they gain an authentic perspective on the day-to-day life of an internist, the breadth of the specialty, and the many career paths within it.”
Dr. Yuan believes strongly in the power of mentorship because of his own experience as a mentee.
“I wouldn't be where I am today without the mentors who invested in me throughout my own training. Leading this advising track is one way for me to pay that forward and create those same opportunities for the next generation of physicians,” he said. He noted that it is especially rewarding to hear from students who have experienced impact of the same magnitude through Specialty ACE, even if they ultimately choose a different specialty from their faculty mentors. He also loves witnessing the relationships between students and faculty blossom.
“It's also rewarding to hear from our faculty mentors,” Dr. Yuan added. “Many tell me they genuinely enjoy working with students and feel energized by their curiosity, enthusiasm, and fresh perspectives. The mentorship is truly bidirectional — students gain guidance and opportunities, while faculty reconnect with the reasons they entered academic medicine in the first place.”
In the second track, led by Allison L. Diamant, MD, MSHS, third-year students work with advisors to plan sub-internships and electives to support their residency ambitions, while fourth-year students work with advisors to rank programs, review their application materials, practice interviews and more. The vast plurality of them are applying to programs in internal medicine.
“The residency application process has gotten more complicated and competitive over the years," Dr. Diamant said. “Being able to help and support students as they are making their final specialty choices and then highlighting their strengths in the application allows them to be more competitive.”
Dr. Diamant advises third- and fourth-year students alongside Rachel P. Brook, MD; Alexandra M. Glaeser, MD, Marmar Vaseghi, MD, PhD; Edward L. Ha, MD, MEd and Rachel C. Dejani, MD. She is motivated to take part in this process because she enjoys shepherding students on their journey of exploration and decision-making, even late in their medical school careers.
“No two students are the same, whether it is their short- and long-term specialty interests, where they want to go for residency or personal and family issues that influence their choices,” Dr. Diamant added. “It is about helping them through the often-challenging process to meet and even exceed their goals.”
Dr. Friedman, Dr. El-Farra, Dr. Yuan and Dr. Diamant are always looking for more faculty members to join Specialty ACE as advisors. Dr. Yuan sends out a yearly email inviting sign-ups, but you can join at any time by contacting any of them by email. Thank you to all of you for creating a platform through which our faculty can help the next generation of physicians succeed!
Cardiology Division Secures Award to Fund Program for Faculty Innovation
The second fundraising update I am excited to share with you this week comes from the UCLA Division of Cardiology, which recently received $1 million from an anonymous donor to establish the Cardio X Fund. Cardio X is a new program that provides seed funding to take promising cardiology-related ideas to translational development — including high-risk, high-reward concepts — and prepare them for potential external funding or commercialization opportunities. All faculty in the department are eligible to participate as long as their project is related to cardiology, and cross-discipline collaboration is encouraged.
“This type of creative funding is critical to the research mission of the UCLA DoM, particularly during this challenging climate for federal funding,” Priscilla Y. Hsue, MD, chief of the cardiology division, said. “Our hope is that the Cardio X Fund will foster innovative research that might be more difficult to support using traditional funding mechanisms and that this project support will directly lead to improved cardiovascular care for patients.”
The division expects to award Cardio X grants to at least two projects in the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Each accepted project will receive approximately $160,000 over a two-year period, with more additional awards likely to be made available during future application cycles. Proposals can be submitted by individuals who hold a faculty appointment in any series and the applications can consist of a single principal investigator or a team. Applications will be evaluated based on innovation, clinical impact, scientific merit, cross-disciplinary collaboration, unmet need and more.
The first round of funding is now open; applications are due by Oct. 1, 2026. Applications will be reviewed by Dr. Hsue and a committee of investigators, and awardees will be notified by Nov. 2, 2026. Here is a link to the application. Please reach out to Kristie Wong at kawong@mednet.ucla.edu if you have any questions.
I am deeply grateful to these donors for their support of research in the UCLA Division of Cardiology. Please join me in thanking Dr. Hsue andcardiology division LEADER Tamer Sallam, MD, PhD for their vision and thoughtful stewardship of these donors!
A Thank You to Our DoM LEADERS at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
Last week we recognized and celebrated UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center’s 100 years of service to the local community, a remarkable milestone that reflects the innovation and compassionate care led by hundreds of faculty, trainees and staff. What began as a 60-bed hospital has evolved into one of the nation’s leading medical centers. Our department is proud to have many exceptional LEADERS throughout Santa Monica Medical Center whose dedication has contributed towards its success. I extend my gratitude for your expertise, compassion and service that helps our patients lead fuller lives.
It was wonderful to see the carnival themed celebrations that took place outside of UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center in honor of the faculty, staff and trainees who make this community a special place. I especially enjoyed receiving this photo from our DoM hospitalists celebrating alongside a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers!
On behalf of the department, thank you to every DoM community member at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center for your commitment to our patients, the department, and for continuing to create a culture of excellence that will carry us forward for the next 100 years.
Dale,
P.S.
One person solved the riddle as I envisioned it, but others got to the correct answer by different ways. There were many interesting submissions.
- Hi Dr. Abel,
The number 12 is used frequently in the Bible (I went to Catholic and Church of England schools.) There are 12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples of Jesus, 12 pearly gates guarded by 12 angels. The number 12 is associated with perfection and perfect governance arising from the divine. Perhaps you are letting Dr. Brent know he is leading perfectly...
- Hi Dr. Abel,
Sorry for the multiple responses. I misread your clue earlier. The number 13 is frequently associated with 12 in the Bible. But that has more of a negative connotation, such as imperfection or rebellion. Jesus had 12 disciples and at the Last Supper, and Judas was counted as the 13th guest. Perhaps you are making the point that Dr. Brent is a great teacher of many disciples?
Probably you have had many correct responses by now, but kind of you to offer a prize!
- Dr. Abel,
I have been following the weekly riddles with great interest. I am not sure if I am on the right track, but in Old and New Testament writings 12 is often viewed as the number of governance/authority (12 tribes, 12 apostles) and is often viewed as a number of completeness. It is often associated with the number 7 which can also represent wholeness. Interpreting the number as "completeness" of "wholeness" one could argue that the answer to the original riddle is that Dr. Brent turned 70 years old as this would be a milestone birthday and is considered by some to represent a "complete life" depending on the interpretation of Psalm 90:10.
70 is also a plausible deduction based on the year Dr. Brent graduated from medical school.
- Thank you for including me — this is Dr. Abel’s puzzle to adjudicate, so will let him comment. I wanted to add, though, that in Psalm 90:10, there is provision that those with enduring strength (perhaps regularly completing a half marathon qualifies) may get another 10 years. "Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” Psalm 90:10 NIV
- Subject Line: This may be a stretch…
The number 12 is often associated with number 7 in Judaism (12 tribes, 7 days of creation, etc.). I know Greg is not 84! So, another multiple of 7 that could be more likely is 70?
- Hi Dr. Abel,
Good morning! I think I know the answer to your riddle. In both the Gospels and rabbinic writings, the number most commonly associated with 12 is 70 (or 72).
I guess Dr. Brent celebrated his 70th birthday. This is my answer.
Thanks everyone. I appreciate your engagement, and I am sure that Dr. Brent does as well. My initial thinking regarding the 12-70 connection and the DaVinci Code clue was, based on the following.
12 apostles = 12 disciples. Subsequently an additional 70 were commissioned.
However, as I went down the rabbit trail I also discovered some interesting connections between 12 and 70 in rabbinic literature, such as the widely understood 12 tribes of Israel. Less well known connections include the 70 nations descended from Noah. During the Exodus, Moses appointing 70 elders to help him govern, and an interesting geographical note of 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees in Elim where Israelites camped enroute from Egypt!
I will reach out the winners individually.
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