ON CAMPUS AT UCI:Working to stem disease in Central America

John Rose Jr.’s intense brown eyes miss nothing — neither the signs of disease in the poorest of patients nor the social forces causing their misery.

At 27, the UC Irvine medical student has already seen too much suffering, and he’s doing something about it. He recently spent four months in Central America, improving health care for “neglected populations” through UCI’s Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC), which trains future physicians to care for the underserved. The program has given him a firsthand look at poverty’s effect on health.

There’s Felipe, left by his family in Chiapas, Mexico, to die of tuberculosis, too poor to afford lifesaving treatment, Rose said. There’s Alejandro, who barely survived a battle with typhoid, a disease that most citizens of affluent countries don’t worry about because of vaccines.

“What aspects of our global society guard me from risk, while leaving him not only vulnerable to exposure but also bereft of treatment?” Rose asked.

For him, it’s not enough to treat such cases; he hopes to improve social conditions that make Alejandro, Felipe and others like them vulnerable to disease.

A lofty ambition?

“There are already people working on this. I just want to help advance the ideology,” he says. “It’s the social structure that puts some people at risk while shielding others. If five people live in a one-room house and someone has a contagious cough, all are at risk. There are large forces working against them.”

Rose’s concern for the poor grew at age 19, when, on a mission for the Mormon Church, he spent two years in destitute villages near Veracruz. He’s returned to Central America many times.

This summer, he and other PRIME-LC students spent a week in Nicaragua scouting sites for a cervical cancer program and seven weeks in Chiapas working with volunteers from a local public health organization. PRIME-LC is raising funds to send five students back to Chiapas to continue the projects next summer.Since returning to campus, Rose and fellow students have continued helping the needy through Latino Health Access in Santa Ana, and they’ve shared what they’ve learned with faculty and other students at health conferences.

“We’re trying to awaken in medical professionals an understanding of how social structure affects health,” Rose says. “There are some things you just can’t cure with a pill.”

For more information, visit www.today.uci.edu/Features/ travelogues.

Organization salutes UCI science scholars

The Orange County Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation will hold its seventh annual Scholars’ Dinner to honor 17 recipients of this year’s scholarship on Friday, Jan. 26, at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering, 100 Academy Drive, Irvine.

The national nonprofit organization provides $10,000 scholarships to outstanding U.S. graduate and undergraduate students in natural sciences, medicine, engineering and computer science. The Orange County Chapter was founded in 1999.The dinner will include brief remarks by Chancellor Michael Drake and a presentation by Carl Cotman, professor of neurobiology and behavior, and co-director of the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia. Tickets are $115 per person. To attend or make a donation, call (949) 636-7207. For more information, visit www.ARCSfoundation.org/ Orangecounty.

Alzheimer’s update

Frank LaFerla, professor of neurobiology and behavior, and co-director of the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, who has made key breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research, will speak on “Winning the Battle Against Alzheimer’s Disease” at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the Barclay Theater.

Organized by the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, the free public talk is the first in the 2007 IHF Distinguished Lecture Series on Brain, Learning and Memory. No tickets or reservations required. For more information, call (949) 854-4646.

Back Pain Seminar

“Back Pain: Is There Hope?” is the subject of a free talk by UCI orthopedic surgeon Dr. Nitin Bhatia at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the Tustin Area Senior Center, 200 South C St.

Bhatia, a spinal disorders specialist at UC Irvine Medical Center, will discuss causes of back pain and treatments that can provide relief. For more information, call (877) 824-3627.

Martin Luther King Symposium

Harvard Law School Professor Charles Ogletree presents the keynote address “Dr. King’s Dream: Are We Fulfilling It?” at UCI’s 23rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium at 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 18, in Crystal Cove Auditorium.

Ogletree, founding executive director of Harvard’s new Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice, is a prominent legal theorist who has made an international reputation by taking a hard look at complex issues of law.

Sponsored by UCI’s Cross-Cultural Center, the two-day symposium includes a march and rally Wednesday, Jan. 17. For more information, visit www.ccc.uci.edu.

‘The Tempest’

Drama Stage 2 presents William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” directed by Brian Sivesind, Jan. 25-27 at Winifred Smith Hall. Thought to be Shakespeare’s farewell to the stage, the magical play depicts a deposed duke and his daughter shipwrecked on a mysterious island. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8-$10. For more information, call (949) 824-2787.

Book Illustration Exhibit

UCI Libraries’ exhibit “Picture This: Five Centuries of Book Illustration” examines the history of book illustration through a colorful overview of printing processes from the 15th century to the present.

Works from the UCI Special Collections and Archives reflect traditional printing methods as well as experimental approaches by contemporary illustrators and book artists.

The conventional processes of relief, intaglio (engraving and etching) and lithograph are featured, as well as modern techniques such as stencil, silk-screen and digital.

The exhibit continues through May at Langson Library. For more information, call (949) 824-5300.

Lennon Documentary Kicks-Off Film Series

UCI’s Film and Video Center launches its winter film series at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 11, with the recently released documentary “The U.S. vs. John Lennon.”

The screening will feature a question-and-answer session with directors David Leaf and John Scheinfeld, and an introduction by Jon Wiener, UCI history professor and consultant for the film, which depicts Lennon’s transition from musician to activist.

The film series takes place in the center’s theater, Humanities Instructional Building, 100. Tickets are $3-$5. For more information, visit www.filmandvideocenter.com.

is assistant vice chancellor of communications at UC Irvine. She can be reached at https://[email protected].