News

This summer, BSP’s first cohort of CIRM COMPASS scholars marked the end of their first year by attending CIRM’s inaugural Trainee Networking Conference at the University of Southern California. Here, BSP COMPASS Scholars presented their research posters, participated in career development workshops, networked, witnessed stem cell therapy patient testimonials, and more.

BSP alumnus Dr. Juan Magaña (c/o 2007) was recently interviewed by Montage Health Foundation about his shadowing program, Minorities in Medicine, which outreaches to underrepresented students at community college and CSU Monterey Bay. Participating students are able to shadow doctors at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula and spend time in the hospital environment. Dr. Magaña speaks about his motivation to return to his community as a physician and credits BSP as one of his inspirations in establishing the program.

In the September-October 2022 issue of the Department of Integrative Biology's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Newsletter, recent BSP alumna Grecia Abarca was interviewed about her experience as part of the inaugural cohort of IB's Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program (SURE). She highlights the mentorship and personalized support she received, and credits BSP for encouraging her to apply to SURE.

BSP Director Dr. John Matsui was interviewed by Roadtrip Nation's Caring Forward documentary team, which includes current BSP members Alma Diaz De Leon and Samuel Solis. The student-led documentary series features leaders in California working to increase inclusivity and accessibility in health care. Read and watch Dr. Matsui's full interview here: 

Roadtrip Nation | John Matsui

BSP alumna Isabeth Mendoza co-hosted NPR's Life Kit podcast for the episode, "4 tips for talking to your Latinx parents about mental health" along with Naydeline Mejia. They speak about their personal experiences and interview others on navigating mental health conversations in the Latinx community. Isabeth is currently a NPR Code Switch Reporting Fellow. 

View the article and podcast audio here:

BSP alum Kendall Calhoun is a current UC Berkeley graduate student (PhD '23) and Chancellor's Fellow. He shares his research on California wildfires, their impact on native wildlife and biodiversity, and how these findings can inform future conservation efforts. This video is part of UC Berkeley's Light the Way campaign.  

Light the Way | Grad student monitors wildlife up close after CA fires

Several members of the BSP community were featured in the Fall 2021 edition of the MCB Transcript newsletter, published by UC Berkeley's Department of Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB). 

Current BSP members Estephannie Alvarez, Marvin Miller, and Anna Rios were named the recipients of the MCB Class of 2021 Sponsored Research Award. 

BSP alumna Nazineen Kandahari and her sister, current BSP member, Nilufar Kayhani, recently founded a health education initiative, the Afghan Clinic.

In honor of Father's Day, BSP alum Dave Tran, MD, shared a tribute to his dad. Tran cared for his father when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), a transformative experience that helped guide his professional journey. 

On page three of the first bi-monthly edition of the Integrative Biology Diversity Equity & Inclusion (IB DEI) Newsletter, learn how the Biology Scholars Program positively impacted Cara He, a current PhD candidate in the UC Berkeley Department of Integrative Biology and BSP alumna. 

Claudio Alberto Rivera, M.D. | English Literature and Molecular & Cell Biology Major Class of 2002

Gastroenterologist & Author, Los Angeles, California

Cleavon Gilman, M.D., an emergency-medicine physician working in Arizona and BSP alum, has said he was asked not to return to work after tweeting about COVID. After his trouble with the hospital went public, he received a slew of supportive messages from his peers.

Raul Diaz, PhD | Integrative Biology Major Class of 2004

Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Los Angeles
Research Associate, Department of Herpetology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Catch up with BSP and Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB) alum Shanna Tucker, MD, and learn about her post-Cal medical school and career journey. Next, find out how the BSP fosters an inclusive community at UC Berkeley in the Fall 2020 edition of the Molecular & Cell Biology Transcript newsletter.

Cleavon Gilman, M.D., is a BSP alum, Iraq-war veteran, and an emergency medicine physician in New York City, where he worked through the shocking rise and deadly peak of the COVID-19 coronavirus in March 2020. His warfare and pandemic experiences share striking similarities. Read his survival guide, told, in part, through his own words here:

BSP member Ratu Orisi Lalabalavu shares his journey to UC Berkeley and how he found both his voice and a community on campus. He speaks about the importance of his mentors to his success.

The Biology Scholars Clinical Exposure Program (BICEP), is our five-day shadowing program that pairs students with doctors in the Pulmonary Clinic at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

Learn how BSP and Integrative Biology alum Holvis Delgadillo uses his life experiences to improve others' lives through his work as the Assistant Health Services Administrator at Wellpath, where he oversees health care in Alameda County jails. Read the story in the Spring 2019 edition of the Integrative Biology (IB) Insight newsletter.

What is the Biology Scholars Program? Learn this and more about what the BSP is doing to recognize the potential in all students and help them develop their STEM talents. Read the story in the Spring 2018 edition of the Integrative Biology (IB) Insight newsletter here:

BSP alum and current medical student Juan Vasquez is one of about 100 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, or "Dreamers," who are enrolled in U.S. medical schools.