In 2014 a former judge from San Diego County approached the UCLA Kidney Transplant Program with an unusual request: If the judge donated a kidney to a stranger now, could his then-4-year-old grandson, who suffered from chronic kidney disease, receive priority for a future kidney transplant if needed later in life? (more…)
UCLA program offers education and certification to physicians who agree to provide services in underserved communities
No one would argue that the United States has a significant shortage of primary care physicians, or that California’s shortage is extreme. A “shortage” is defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as fewer than one primary care physician for every 3,000 to 3,500 people, and according to the agency’s statistics, California has 607 federally designated shortage areas, impacting a population of some 6.7 million people. (more…)
This new process developed by UCLA researchers could also lower production costs
Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a more efficient way to turn methanol into useful chemicals, such as liquid fuels, and that would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions. (more…)
White Americans may view diversity and multiculturalism more negatively as the U.S. moves toward becoming a minority-majority nation, UCLA psychologists report.
As part of their study, the researchers divided 98 white Americans from all regions of the country — half male, half female, with an average age of 37 — randomly into two groups. One group was told that whites will no longer be the majority in the U.S. by 2050; in fact, this is likely to be true as soon as 2043, according to some projections. The second group was told that whites would retain their majority status in the U.S. through at least 2050. All participants were then asked a series of questions about their views on diversity. (more…)
A recently released study found some positive effects in Rhode Island after the state accidentally made prostitution legal for seven years
When the Rhode Island legislature inadvertently decriminalized indoor prostitution in the state from 2003 to 2009, it proved beneficial to UCLA public policy professor Manisha Shah. (more…)
People who committed suicide during the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009 were more likely to have been legally intoxicated at the time than those who committed suicide during other recent years, according to research led by UCLA professor Mark Kaplan.
Although one-third of all people who commit suicide are intoxicated at the time of their deaths, extensive research has shown that individuals who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment in a down economy are at increased risk for suicide. At the same time, people overall tend to consume less alcohol during economic recessions. (more…)
As part of a major federal initiative, UCLA has been awarded $15M to create a wireless, implantable device that could restore memory to millions
UCLA has been tapped by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to spearhead an innovative project aimed at developing a wireless, implantable brain device that could help restore lost memory function in individuals who have suffered debilitating brain injuries and other disorders. (more…)
Scholars say that, overall, gun violence can be reduced by instituting a risk-based approach to firearms possession and purchases
Recent mass killings in Isla Vista, California, and elsewhere have again raised concern among lawmakers and the media about the possible connection between mental illness and gun violence. A new study sets the record straight and recommends an evidence-based approach to limiting firearms fatalities. (more…)
