University of California, Merced - Kenneth Mashinchi

�鶹�� Celebrates Newest Fall Graduates

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 21:35:22 +0000

By Kenneth Mashinchi, �鶹��

December 18, 2019

Family and friends of the newest �鶹�� graduates gathered at Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center last weekend for Fall Commencement.

Nearly 200 students took part in the campus’s Fall Commencement exercise Sunday at the Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center as friends and family cheered them on.

Jessica Anderson ’10 served as the commencement speaker, continuing the tradition of having alumni speak at fall commencement. Shavone Charles ’12 and David Do ’09 were the speakers at the previous two fall commencement ceremonies.

Anderson encouraged students to discover what they are passionate about and to take their pioneering spirit with them as they enter the workforce.

“I hope they have found what their passion is, or are on the path to finding it, so they can find things that are exciting for them to do every day,” Anderson said after the ceremony. “That’s why we go to school and get these degrees, to find something that, yes, you can make money off of, but something that is enjoyable and that they are proud to do.”

A photo slideshow of Fall Commencement at �鶹��.

This was interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom’s first commencement while at the helm at �鶹��.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am to be a part of this university, and it is because of students like you,” Brostrom said to the graduates. “Many of you arrived here with doubts to overcome, personal or financial challenges that drained your time and energy and competing priorities in your lives. But you did not lose faith in your abilities, or the belief that you had something extremely important to accomplish. And you did.”

�鶹�� Rings in Holiday Season with Beginnings Lighting, Food Drive

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 16:37:46 +0000

By Kenneth Mashinchi, �鶹��

December 11, 2019

Rufus the Bobcat and the �鶹�� campus community rung in the holiday season at the Beginnings lighting and food drive last week.

�鶹��’s iconic Beginnings sculpture represents arms reaching out to embrace students as they embark on a higher education journey filled with wonder, excitement and joy.

Those same feelings embody the holiday season, and students, faculty and staff gathered last week for the ceremonial lighting of the sculpture. The annual tradition, now in its third year, helps ring in the holiday season with cookies and hot chocolate and a DJ playing popular holiday tunes.

�鶹�� partnered with Merced County Food Bank for a food drive that coincided with the lighting, with 236 pounds of non-perishable items collected during the event.

A time-lapse video of the food drive at the Beginnings lighting event.

On Tuesday, the campus’s mascot, Rufus the Bobcat, and students joined interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom in delivering the food to the food bank.

“I think the holidays are really about coming together and helping serve those who are most vulnerable,” Brostrom said. “I appreciate the partnership that we have with the Merced County Food Bank and the ability to come together to serve our friends and neighbors in Merced.”

This was the second year that a food drive accompanied the Beginnings sculpture lighting.

Rufus the Bobcat and students joined interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom in delivering the food to the food bank earlier this week.

New Director of Medical Education Ready to Unleash Valley’s Untapped Potential

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 19:20:01 +0000

By Kenneth Mashinchi, �鶹��

December 2, 2019

Dr. Thelma Hurd joins �鶹�� as the Director of Medical Education after working as a clinician, public health researcher and translational scientist.

Dr. Thelma Hurd’s journey in medicine has taken her from New Jersey to Nigeria, with stops in Texas and Buffalo. Along the way, she gathered experience as a clinician, public health researcher and translational scientist.

Her proficiency in these crucial areas has led Hurd to �鶹��, where she became the university’s director of medical education last month.

“It was an opportunity to be part of a new initiative that really resonates with my passion, which is to improve healthcare in rural, high-needs communities and underserved communities,” Hurd said. “The fact that �鶹�� is a young university means there is tremendous opportunity to both join ongoing and create new innovative initiatives, and that was incredibly appealing to me.”

After finishing medical school at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey — now the Rutgers School of Biomedical and Health Sciences — Hurd had a desire to be an academic surgical oncologist, allowing her to combine clinical and research approaches to her methods of treatment. Hurd worked in gastrointestinal oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas before transitioning to breast cancer at the Breast Surgery Department at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

She said her interest in examining health at a population perspective came from an encounter with a family at Roswell Park with whom she discussed treatment options.

Despite giving the family materials to review about the treatment in preparation for the treatment discussion, Hurd said the family told her, in unison, “whatever you say to do is just fine.” It was in that moment she realized there was a need to address community knowledge and advocacy.

If there was a need to solidify this new outlook on health, Hurd found it in Nigeria. As a member of the Center for Research on Minority Health team at MD Anderson that worked with the Nigerian government to develop a comprehensive cancer control, she began to consider how to deliver care in low- to moderate-resource environments.

“Need, disparities, inequity and rural healthcare issues and challenges don’t have geographic borders. They affect both high and low resource countries,” Hurd said. “If we can develop systems to address healthcare challenges in rural and less-resourced communities, it will be a critical step in bringing healthcare equity to the U.S.”

The experience in Nigeria also opened Hurd’s eyes to how to perceive healthcare crises in rural and high-needs communities that are often tagged as “medical deserts.”

“Nigeria taught me to stop looking at how empty the glass is and to start looking at how full the bottom portion of the glass is, and that is how I look at the San Joaquin Valley,” Hurd said. “I’m not looking at what it doesn’t have, I’m looking at everything it has that hasn’t been tapped or leveraged. You have community cohesiveness — people actually care about one another here and want to improve community health. People interact at a very different level than you see in highly urbanized areas and the Valley has resources. When you have those elements, you can pretty much do anything.”

"Need, disparities, inequity and rural healthcare issues and challenges don’t have geographic borders. They affect both high and low resource countries. If we can develop systems to address healthcare challenges in rural and less-resourced communities, it will be a critical step in bringing healthcare equity to the U.S."

Thelma Hurd

For the past four years, Hurd has served on the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District’s Health Science Academy Executive Board and worked with teachers as they tailored their curricula to best serve their students’ science education needs. The Tulare County school district is home to a medical education pilot program for �鶹��, and the opportunity to work with the future leaders in medicine in the San Joaquin Valley showed Hurd that addressing the medical disadvantages of the region can be found within.

“There is a tremendous amount of untapped intellectual capital within our students and they simply need to be in an environment that will help them to develop it,” Hurd said. “Our job as medical educators is to provide the educational and experiential opportunities so that they are able to go further than they’ve ever dreamed possible and go beyond what they perceive as limits.”

She said while medical education is thought of as just preparing students for medical school, it plays a major role in producing vital medical professionals in nursing, dentistry and allied health, as well.

“Medical education at �鶹�� provides the opportunity to work with people here to not only build a healthcare workforce but to build a workforce that can integrate rural and urban approaches to addressing health and disease,” Hurd said. “Those students who are now in high school or are undergraduates are the future of healthcare and of health in this country.”

�鶹�� Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Gregg Camfield said bringing in Hurd — who is a nine-time recipient of the Best Doctors in America designation — is critical to continuing to build the foundation of medical education at �鶹�� and in the Valley, one of the most medically underserved areas in the nation.

"She brings a wealth of experience and impressive skills to this very important position on our campus,” Camfield said. “From leading our efforts to further develop programs and initiatives in medical education to continuing her research in health disparities, Dr. Hurd will bring great value to the campus and the community. I very much look forward to working with her.”

Hurd said she is a strong believer in taking time to get to know the community and is looking forward to tapping into the potential of San Joaquin Valley students.

“There are a lot of innovative thinkers here and the university is a crucible for innovative thought. It draws people who think and dwell outside of the box,” Hurd said. “The �鶹�� family is one team and together with our communities as full partners, we will be able to change the face of health care and improve population health.”

New Chief Human Resources Officer Nicole Pollack returns to her Valley roots

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 18:03:10 +0000

By Jody Murray, �鶹��

November 19, 2019

Nicole Pollack joined �鶹�� in August, marking a return to the Valley for the longtime Turlock resident.

Nicole Pollack is happy to be home.

After a few years in the Bay Area, the longtime Turlock resident is back in the San Joaquin Valley and diving into her new role as �鶹��’s chief human resources officer and assistant vice chancellor of Human Resources.

Since starting the job Aug. 5, Pollack met with human resources staff members to get a feel for the department’s pulse. She embarked on a cross-campus listening tour to learn how the Department of Human Resources can partner with the campus to achieve common goals.

“All of this helps set the priorities for the next three years,” Pollack said.

Pollack comes to �鶹�� from San Mateo County, where she was director of the county’s Human Services Agency and previously served as the Workforce and Economic Development director for the county. In this role, she served as a strategic partner with local businesses, community colleges and regional governments to develop recruitment and training systems.

Before her five years with San Mateo County, Pollack worked for government human services agencies in Merced, Stanislaus and Nevada counties. And that’s why coming to �鶹�� is a return to roots for the graduate of California State University, Stanislaus.

“I like the connectedness of the Valley,” said Pollack, who raised her children in Turlock. “I like the family values, I like the community and the spirit.”

Now she’s back in Turlock, where she earned a bachelors’ degree in child development and a master’s degree in public administration. Pollack said she has swapped the bustle and congestion of the Bay Area for a more relaxed standard of time. Instead of spending three hours in traffic, she takes several minutes to chat up a grocer or gas station attendant who remembers her from years past.

“The Valley has a certain rhythm to it, and it’s a comforting rhythm to me,” said Pollack, who likes to relax by gardening or by opening a good book on her Kindle. She enjoys going to community festivals and musical performances (she’s happy to take in a rap show, a country band or an opera; as long as it’s live, it’s good). And she likes to travel. Her next big trip will be to Cambodia, Vietnam and Singapore.

Since taking over as chief human resources officer and assistant vice chancellor of Human Resources, Pollack has engaged in a cross-campus listening tour to work with campus partners to establish common goals.

In short, she’s open to new experiences and to listening to different viewpoints.

“You absolutely have to listen without judgment, and you have to really hear,” said Pollack, who has a graduate degree in counseling psychology. “And there’s a difference between listening and hearing.”

Pollack combines her attentiveness with a wealth of experience in talent recruitment, training and retention, along with policy development and employee relations. She served as chair of the Human Services Committee of the Bay Area Social Services Consortium, acting as a liaison for 12 counties and several universities, including UC Berkeley.

“I think Nicole has been fantastic as she digs into the work,” Interim Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Michael Riley said. “Nicole is a hands-on, innovative leader with a commitment to collaboration, coalition-building and inclusiveness.”

Rich Shintaku, a member of the search committee that interviewed Pollack, expects her to make a big impact on campus.

“Nicole’s knowledge of human resource best practices will certainly be of great value as our workforce grows and the complexity of our work increases,” said Shintaku, senior adviser and chief of staff to the provost.

Pollack said she will engage stakeholders across campus and help schools and divisions develop and achieve goals. She also will encourage colleagues to pursue new ways to do things and to embrace lifelong learning. Most of all, she will listen.

“Employees are the subject matter experts in how they do their jobs,” Pollack said. “There’s value in what they experience, and they may have very, very creative ways of doing things that, if we just listen, would increase the organization’s effectiveness.”

After years of making her mark in county government, Pollack said she has made real a goal she first set at age 11: working on a university campus.

“The first time I came here for the interview, I felt an immediate connection,” she said. “And I thought, ‘This is the environment. This is the place where I want to work.’”

Men's Soccer Wins Cal Pac Title

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 18:48:58 +0000

November 12, 2019

The �鶹�� men's soccer team's 6-0 victory over Cal Maritime on Saturday clinched the Cal Pac title for the Bobcats.

The �鶹�� men's soccer team won their second straight California Pacific Conference title and earned an automatic berth to the 2019 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round.

The team will be the top seed in the California Pacific Conference Championship Tournament that kicks off at Bobcat Field this week. The Bobcats will play on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

More information is available on the �鶹�� Athletics page.

External Links: http://www.ucmercedbobcats.com/article/1516.php

Brostrom Delivers Annual University Address, Welcomes New Trustees

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 16:15:14 +0000

By Kenneth Mashinchi, �鶹��

November 1, 2019

An impact showcase provided trustees and invited guests the opportunity to learn about spaces in the two new research buildings on campus.

The �鶹�� Foundation Board of Trustees welcomed six new members, and an alumni representative, on Wednesday during their fall meeting on campus.

The Foundation welcomed:

Sally Bednar, Managing Director, Wells Fargo Securities, New York City
Lesley Slaton Brown, Chief Diversity Officer, HP Inc., Palo Alto
Lori Rossi Gallo, Community Liaison, Joseph Gallo Farms, Merced
Janna Glaze, Co-owner, J&R Tacos, Merced; Mechanical Engineer, Intel, Santa Clara
Christopher Kennedy, Jr., Associate, SOLIC Capital, Chicago
Sidney Israels, Partner, Wendel Rosen LLP, Modesto
Yukiko Kojima, Partner, Nossaman LLP, Los Angeles

The trustees have been appointed to three-year terms on the board. Glaze will serve a one-year term as the alumni representative. The �鶹�� Foundation Board is a volunteer fundraising board comprised of business and community leaders from across California and the United States that helps promote and increase private philanthropic support, advocates for the university, and manages a portion of the university's endowment.

Among the areas in the impact showcase was the recording studio in the Arts and Computational Sciences Building.

As part of the impact showcase — where foundation members can learn about different aspects of the university — trustees and visitors toured the new Sustainability Research and Engineering and Arts and Computational Sciences buildings. The sessions included a look at the maker and machine spaces, sustainability hub, recording studio and film screening room.

Chancellor Brostrom presents Chancellor’s Address

Interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom presented the annual Chancellor’s Address to the �鶹�� Foundation and invited guests.

Brostrom highlighted �鶹�� serving as an example of how higher education can achieve better results and serve a changing population of students. Brostrom also pointed to the importance of the work being done by three newly appointed endowed chairs - Professor Jessica Trounstine, the �鶹�� Foundation Presidential Chair, Professor Clarissa Nobile, the Kamangar Family Chair in Biological Sciences, and Professor Asmeret Asfew Berhe, the Ted and Jan Falasco Chair in Earth Sciences and Geology.

Interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom took part in a Q&A with �鶹�� Board of Trustees chair Denise Watkins following the Chancellor's Address.

“Our campus came of age amidst emerging societal challenges – climate change, widening disparities of health and income, and the California drought, to name just a few,” Brostrom said. “Each of these has become a �鶹�� research opportunity, and our faculty are spurring advancements in fields as diverse as the environmental sciences, including water and air quality; big-data analysis and computer science; mechanical, environmental and materials engineering; political science; and much, much more.

“In this way, our story is California’s story.”

Chancellor Brostrom’s entire address is available online.

A Q&A with �鶹�� Board of Trustees chair Denise Watkins followed, with Brostrom discussing topics like medical education, intercollegiate athletics and the university’s long-term plan when the Merced 2020 Project is complete.

�鶹�� Celebrates Bobcat Pride During Homecoming Weekend

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 22:41:30 +0000

By Kenneth Mashinchi, �鶹��

October 24, 2019

A photo slideshow from the Campus and Community Showcase that was part of �鶹��'s Homecoming festivities.

�鶹�� hosted its annual Homecoming celebration last weekend.

Current and prospective students and their families, as well as members of the community, took part in the Campus and Community Showcase, including face painting, inflatables, information tables and performances by various student clubs.

Homecoming weekend also served as the 10-year reunion for the Class of 2009, �鶹��’s first full undergraduate graduating class. You can learn about their journey from first-year students at a brand new university to welcoming First Lady Michelle Obama as their commencement speaker in this oral history.

Legacy Builders - An Oral History about the Class of 2009

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 16:25:16 +0000

By Kenneth Mashinchi

October 18, 2019

The Class of 2009 were pioneers of the Bobcat spirit, overcoming obstacles and defying the odds. Ten years later, we look back at �鶹��’s formative beginnings from the perspectives of those who lived the journey.

Click the link below to read the story.

External Links: http://bit.ly/2MKzokY

�鶹�� Hosts Voter Registration and Census Festival, Welcomes Padilla

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 22:05:16 +0000

By Kenneth Mashinchi, �鶹��

September 24, 2019

Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom hosted a rally at the National Voter Registration and Census Festival.

�鶹�� hosted the National Voter Registration and Census Festival Monday, with more than 200 students registering for next year’s election.

The university partnered with the Latino Community Foundation and Secretary of State Alex Padilla for the event. Merced County Elections Department assisted with voter registration.

More than 200 students registered to vote in next year's election during the National Voter Registration and Census Festival.

A voter registration and census pledge drive was held in the morning before Padilla and Interim Chancellor Nathan Brostrom led a rally encouraging students to vote and be counted in next year’s census.

The event concluded with Padilla and �鶹�� Professor Jessica Trounstine holding a “fireside chat” with students and members of the community. The two discussed the electoral process and the value of encouraging others to vote.

�鶹�� Professor Jessica Trounstine and Secretary of State Alex Padilla took part in a "fireside chat" with students and community members.

�鶹�� Playing Bigger Role in New UCSF SJV PRIME

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 16:50:40 +0000

By Kenneth Mashinchi, �鶹��

September 16, 2019

UCSF SJV PRIME's newest cohort spent time at �鶹�� as part of their orientation. �鶹��’s Center for Medical Education and Health Sciences Associate Director Rosa Manzo (far left) led the cohort through various activities.

With a projected shortage of more than 4,000 primary-care clinicians over the next decade in California, the newest cohort in the UCSF SJV PRIME program presents a glimmer of hope to San Joaquin Valley medicine.

Six medical students — all from the Valley — have been admitted to the UCSF San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME), and spent several days at �鶹�� during the summer preparing.

UCSF SJV PRIME is specifically for future physicians who are committed to providing high-quality, culturally competent and accessible medical care that addresses the Valley’s unique health needs. The Valley already faces a monumental shortage of physicians, not including the nearly one-third of the region’s current physicians who are at or near retirement age.

�鶹��’s Center for Medical Education and Health Sciences Associate Director Rosa Manzo led the cohort through various orientation activities on campus.

“Students participated in a variety of activities including community engagement opportunities, mentorship sessions with pre-health students and research presentations as a way to learn about unique needs of communities,” Manzo said. “These activities also expose students to multifaceted approaches to fostering collaborations as a way to address the health needs through culturally competent approaches.”

SJV PRIME started in 2011 as a collaboration among �鶹��, UCSF Fresno, the UCSF School of Medicine, and the UC Davis School of Medicine, with UC Davis serving as the medical degree-granting institution.

SJV PRIME students will train at UCSF Fresno and other Valley locations, including �鶹��.

In July 2018, UCSF Fresno was approved as a branch campus of the consistently top-ranked UCSF School of Medicine. The designation made UCSF the degree-granting institution for SJV PRIME and paved the way for students to spend the bulk of their training at UCSF Fresno and other Valley locations, including �鶹��. As the curriculum continues to develop for the new UCSF SJV PRIME, there is momentum in developing a summer research program in conjunction with �鶹��.

“�鶹��’s Health Sciences Research Institute faculty members are eager to engage medical students in research,” Manzo said. “Six faculty members presented their research to the students during orientation week, and encouraged them to stay in touch to explore research collaborations.”

As UCSF medical students, SJV PRIME students spend the first 18 months at the main campus focusing on foundational and health-system sciences and principles of discovery. They also learn about health issues impacting the Valley and remain connected to the region, spending time learning and conducting research locally, including with �鶹�� faculty.

After the initial 18 months, SJV PRIME students spend the remainder of their training — about two and a half years — at UCSF Fresno. Rotations take place at clinical sites such as Community Regional Medical Center, Family HealthCare Network’s Ambulatory Care Center in Fresno, VA Central California Health Care System, University Centers of Excellence and other family medicine clinics in the Valley.

“The aim of SJV PRIME is to take students from the Valley, train them here, offer them residency training in the Valley with the hope they will stay to practice,” said Loren Alving, M.D., a neurologist and director of SJV PRIME.

All six members of the new cohort grew up in the Central Valley and are helping to address the mounting shortage of physicians in the area.

Students in the first UCSF SJV PRIME cohort include:

Alejandro “Alex” Alejandrez was born in Mexico, immigrated to the U.S. when he was two, and grew up in Madera. He graduated from UC Santa Cruz and is a U.S. Army reservist. Alejandrez is taking time off to go to medical school and plans to serve as a medical officer before coming back to the Valley. His interests include taking care of veterans and underserved populations.

Reyoot “Rey” Berry was born in Ceres, grew up in Modesto and graduated from Fresno State. She looks forward to gaining the tools and experiences to serve communities in the Valley that face health care barriers, including the LGBTQ, homeless and migrant communities, as well as those with mental health issues.

Marcus Cummins was born and raised in Fresno. He attended Buchanan High School and graduated from UC Davis. Cummins said he is excited about the opportunity to train at one of the nation’s top medical schools in his hometown and in the Valley where there is a great need for physicians.

Stephen Georgiou grew up in Los Banos and graduated from UC Berkeley. He was introduced the medical field by his father who is an obstetrician and gynecologist in Los Banos. His parents instilled in him the importance of giving back to the community and helping the underserved. Originally from Mexico, his mother was a pediatrician but retired when he was born. He said SJV PRIME is a perfect fit for his long-term goals and he looks forward to caring for patients, even during his medical education.

Lemuel Vince Rivera was born in the Philippines and moved to the United States in 2005. He relocated to Fresno in 2009 and graduated from Fresno State. While there, Rivera worked at Community Regional Medical Center as a scribe in the emergency department. He looks forward to learning more about the health inequities in the region and returning to the Valley to work with underserved populations.

Amitoj Singh, from Fresno, is a UCSF Fresno Sunnyside High School Doctors Academy and UCLA graduate. As a Doctors Academy student, he learned about many of the health disparities that exist in the Valley. His interest in pursuing medicine was reaffirmed at UCLA. Through SJV PRIME and early in his medical education, he looks forward to helping the community he one day hopes to serve as a physician.

University of California, Merced - Kenneth Mashinchi

�鶹����� Celebrates Newest Fall Graduates

�鶹����� Rings in Holiday Season with Beginnings Lighting, Food Drive

New Director of Medical Education Ready to Unleash Valley’s Untapped Potential

New Chief Human Resources Officer Nicole Pollack returns to her Valley roots

Men's Soccer Wins Cal Pac Title

Brostrom Delivers Annual University Address, Welcomes New Trustees

Chancellor Brostrom presents Chancellor’s Address

�鶹����� Celebrates Bobcat Pride During Homecoming Weekend

Legacy Builders - An Oral History about the Class of 2009

�鶹����� Hosts Voter Registration and Census Festival, Welcomes Padilla

�鶹����� Playing Bigger Role in New UCSF SJV PRIME

�鶹�� Celebrates Newest Fall Graduates

�鶹�� Rings in Holiday Season with Beginnings Lighting, Food Drive

�鶹�� Celebrates Bobcat Pride During Homecoming Weekend

�鶹�� Hosts Voter Registration and Census Festival, Welcomes Padilla

�鶹�� Playing Bigger Role in New UCSF SJV PRIME