Recent headlines show how UCLA research findings and ongoing studies are making an impact across the nation and the globe
Research highlights in news media coverage of UCLA include heart disease screenings, efforts to develop drug therapies targeting lung cancer and melanomas, air pollution monitors near the Palisades burn zone and more.
Fire recovery: UCLA researchers set up a network of air pollution monitors near the Palisades burn zone
(July 24) Families struggling to recover from January’s Palisades fire worry about a long list of unknowns, from whether they can afford to rebuild to what their old neighborhoods will be like if they return. A project by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health may help calm concerns over at least one other variable — the quality of the air in and near the burn zone.
In the Los Angeles Times: Learn about how residents are using the project’s real-time data to inform recovery and rebuilding efforts. (Also KNX News, Palisades News, LAist, Los Angeles Times.)
UCLA teams up with USC and civic partners to cool the Los Angeles region
(July 21) As the City of Angels prepares for a plethora of major sporting events that will bring an influx of visitors over the next few years, a local initiative is working to improve shade in the region to help. In an effort led by USC Dornsife Public Exchange in collaboration with UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, “ShadeLA” will bring together the county, city, LA Metro, LA28 and community partners to bring more shade around the city.
In NBC News: Learn how this joint effort is informing neighborhood-specific decisions about expanding shade. (Also LAist.)
UCLA researchers get boost in effort to develop drug therapies targeting lung cancer, melanomas
(July 21) While many cancer treatments can be highly effective at first, cancers often become resistant over time. UCLA Health’s Roger Lo and his team aim to prevent resistance pathways from developing in the first place. This involves blocking residual tumor cells, left unscathed by the therapies, from mutating their DNA and evolving escape pathways. This summer, the group received two grants to bolster this promising research.
In The Los Angeles Business Journal: Learn how the team hopes to uncouple the word “relapse” from “remission” in cancer journeys.
UCLA study connects depression in adults with two common medical conditions
(July 17) “Insomnia not only robs older adults of rest but also primes their immune system to make them uniquely vulnerable to depression when faced with inflammation,” said lead researcher Michael Irwin, director of UCLA Health’s Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. “Treatments targeted at this inflammation-related depression may prevent depression and benefit these patients to improve their overall quality of life.”
In United Press International: Learn why insomniacs with inflammation are more prone to depression.
UCLA study finds a significant gap in EV charging access in certain L.A. neighborhoods
(July 17) People in Los Angeles’ lower-income communities have a significantly harder time accessing electric vehicle chargers, according to a new UCLA study. The study highlighted a significant gap in EV charging access, showing that about 70% fewer charging stations per capita are accessible in disadvantaged neighborhoods compared to others. The researchers also emphasized that equitable access to charging infrastructure is vital for the transition to electrified transportation.
In NBC News: Learn how the study is challenging previous government data about the supply of EV charging access.
UCLA analysis shows the harmful effects of cuts to CalFresh
(July 11) No state has more CalFresh recipients than California, and the forthcoming overhaul is set to “have really important consequences for the state,” according to UCLA researcher Arturo Vargas Bustamante. He and co-authors from the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute released a study exploring who uses the program, and why cuts to the program could hurt Latinos the hardest.
In LAist: Learn more about changes to coming to CalFresh and which groups are most at risk of experiencing food insecurity.
UCLA-developed model reports early outcomes from a Los Angeles County homelessness initiative
(July 10) A new report from the California Policy Lab at UCLA shows promising early results from Los Angeles County’s Homelessness Prevention Unit. The report — generated from a first-of-its-kind predictive model developed at the UCLA lab — found that people in the HPU program were 71% less likely to enter a homeless shelter or have contact with street outreach teams within 18 months, compared to similar high-risk people who didn’t enroll.
UCLA study identifies a key driver of liver cancer recurrence, introduces a potential new therapeutic target
(July 10) A new study led by investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center may help explain why certain liver tumors return quickly after thermal ablation, a widely used minimally invasive, image-guided technique that kills cancer cells by applying intense heat through a needle-like probe.
In Medical Xpress: Learn about how findings could lead to more effective liver cancer therapies.
UCLA study finds duration of heat waves accelerating faster than global warming
(July 8) New research finds that not only will climate change make heat waves hotter and longer, but the lengthening of heat waves will accelerate with each additional fraction of a degree of warming. Researchers found that the longest heat waves will see the greatest acceleration, and the frequency of the most extreme heat waves will increase the most.
Unique UCLA Health program offers early heart screenings for vulnerable group
(July 4) Anurag Mehta had no idea he was at high risk for heart disease until he had a heart attack at just 33 years old. He isn’t alone. South Asian people are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease, with UCLA research showing that they also tend to experience heart issues up to 10 years earlier than other ethnic groups.
Dr. Ravi Dave, director of UCLA’s South Asian Heart Program — the only one of its kind in Southern California — says early intervention is key.
On Spectrum News 1: Learn how Mehta’s story is helping connect others with the UCLA program.
UCLA dashboard highlights health disparities in Latino neighborhoods throughout California
(July 3) A new data dashboard focusing on Latino communities is confirming what many local groups already knew: Latino neighborhoods are more impacted by heat and air pollution. UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute debuted its Latino Climate and Health Dashboard last month, focusing on how heat and pollution are impacting Latino neighborhoods.
In The Bakersfield Californian: Learn how the data is empowering public health advocates and residents alike.
UCLA study finds high levels of particulate matter near EV charging stations in L.A.
(July 3) Levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air near 50 electric vehicle fast-charging stations across Los Angeles County were significantly higher than those measured at urban sites used for comparison, according to a UCLA study.
“For anyone, exposure to fine particles can contribute to health issues, and for those with existing conditions or heightened sensitivity, the risks are even greater,” said study author Michael Jerrett, a professor at UCLA Fielding’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences.
In U.S. News & World Report: Learn how the findings can help inform clean transportation infrastructure.
A potential tool for safer seafood consumption could safeguard fetal brain development in instances of in utero mercury exposure
(July 2) UCLA biologist Elaine Hsiao, who studies how the maternal microbiome affects fetal brain development, is part of a team engineering a commensal bacterium with mercury-resistant genes capable of lowering the amounts of harmful methylmercury derived from a fish diet in pregnant mice … the team envisions developing a probiotic to help lower mercury-related health risks associated with a fish-rich diet.
In The Scientist: Learn how the findings could one day increase the benefits of eating fish.
UCLA study finds Black Angelenos feel the brunt of evictions from corporate landlords
(July 2) In L.A. neighborhoods with relatively modest Black populations — like Hollywood, Woodland Hills and Koreatown — some Black tenants are disproportionately being evicted by Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs, a new UCLA study finds.
On KCRW’s “Press Play” with Madeleine Brand: Learn more about the study and hear directly from those impacted.
New UCLA data tool reveals environmental health disparities between L.A. communities
