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A monthly newsletter from UC San Diego Health Sciences | July 2026 Issue

Turning Information Into Innovation

This month, UC San Diego officially launched the Institute for Applied Health Intelligence, marking an exciting milestone in our pursuit of the next frontier in medicine.

The institute advances our leadership in health intelligence, an emerging field that translates complex health data into practical solutions that enhance patient care, accelerate innovation and improve health outcomes.

Led by inaugural director Amy Sitapati, Lawrence S. Friedman Professor of Population Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine, the institute will combine intellectual resources from UC San Diego Health and all three UC San Diego Health Sciences professional schools — the School of Medicine, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences — with Jacobs School of Engineering, Halıcıoğlu School of Computing, Information and Data Science, and Rady School of Management.

By erasing the traditional boundaries between engineering, medicine, business and data science, we are creating a collaborative ecosystem where the most complex health challenges are met with a unified, university-wide response. This approach will leverage the power of specialized centers, including the San Diego Supercomputer Center, the only center of its kind within the UC system.

The Institute for Applied Health Intelligence is built on three pillars:

This convergence of computational power and biological insight will ensure innovation transcends silos and ultimately reaches patients. As Dr. Sitapati has eloquently noted, the institute is poised to serve as a spinal cord, “connecting our schools and care delivery into one responsive, intelligent organism.”

I am proud to work with a community that is helping shape this new era of medicine, and I look forward to the lasting impact this bold step will have for UC San Diego and the communities we serve.

John M. Carethers, MD
Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences
Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Adjunct Professor of Public Health

Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science researchers develop a new way to measure public attitudes about smoking restrictions. Read Story»

Stein Institute for Research on Aging and UC San Diego School of Medicine study shows semaglutide calmed inflammation and reduced excess fats. Read Story»

$5 million gift for the Center for the Future of Surgery and School of Medicine will accelerate training in next-generation technologies in health. Read Story»

Scientists and clinicians complete inaugural Moores Cancer Center 10-week program on commercialization strategies, industry partnerships and innovation. Read Story»

Use of large language models can help physicians develop more timely and efficient assessments of care for severe sepsis in the emergency department. Read Story»

Multiple 2026 Practice Greenhealth Awards recognize the health system's leadership in environmental sustainability. Read Story»

Friday, August 14 to Saturday, August 15

All faculty, staff and students are invited to the annual Legends of Science and Surfing weekend, where innovators from academia, biotechnology, philanthropy and the surfing community converge in support of lifesaving research at  Moores Cancer Center. On Friday, experience the Legends of Science Symposium, featuring keynote presenter Kevan M. Shokat, PhD. On Saturday, watch surfing legends take to the waves during the Legends of Surfing Invitational.

Saturday, August 1

Ride, run, walk, spin — or cheer from the sidelines — for the annual community event hosted by UC San Diego. The Curebound Cancer Challenge is designed for all ages and fitness levels with a goal of raising critical funds for cancer research. Virtual participation and volunteer opportunities are also available.

Learn more about Curebound Cancer Challenge.

The Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion Center for Compassionate Communication marked a major milestone this year: 100 fellows have completed the UC San Diego Health Sanford Compassionate Communication Academy Fellowship. This program applies arts and humanities lessons to medical communication training, improving communication between physicians and patients, and among health care teams. To celebrate the achievement, the center welcomed fellows to a May retreat that combined reflection, collaboration and community-building. Read more»

“The Last Gift: Jim’s Courage, Our Hope” documentary received the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 2026 Pacific Southwest Emmy Award in the Health/Medical category. The film shares a brief portion of Jim Dunn and Susan Dickerson’s journey with the Last Gift Study at UC San Diego, an end-of-life HIV research program that enables altruistic people with HIV to donate tissues as their final gift to science. The recognition honors the remarkable generosity of Last Gift participants and their families, whose selfless contributions continue to advance HIV cure research while inspiring scientists, clinicians and communities around the world. Read more»

"There's still a real need for new cholesterol-lowering options, since some people can't get to safe levels even with the drugs we have now. This new pathway we discovered is completely separate from anything that existing drugs target, so it gives us a new opportunity to fill that gap."

— Alan Saltiel, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and Maryam Ahmadian Endowed Chair in Metabolic Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine, on a potential alternative to statins for managing dangerously high cholesterol levels