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Health care at UC Irvine matters...read the stories

• Little girl, big heart
• Wonder of stem cells
• New vision of eye care
• New hope for cancer
• Nurses who care
• New era in OC hospital care

It began with a wood box. Four simple sides with a cover.

This wasn’t just any box. It was a Tzedakah box. And it belonged to 5-year-old philanthropist Zofia Kirshbaum.

Before the Jewish Sabbath, Zofia would pass the special box around for charitable donations. Zofia’s parents, in keeping with the Jewish imperative to heal the world through good deeds, would fill it with coins and bills.

Zofia’s Tzedakah box, in many ways, embodies the values her parents have tirelessly instilled in her: compassion, the importance of family and a responsibility to help the needy.

These are the very values practiced everyday at UC Irvine Health Affairs, the recipient of Zofia’s largesse and where she and her younger sister Temma were born by emergency C-section. At UC Irvine, physicians provide compassionate care, while nurses treat patients like loved ones, alleviating their suffering with hugs, smiles and extra pillows.

So committed is Zofia to UC Irvine and its vision of nursing the sick to health that she has asked her parents, friends and other loved ones to skip birthday toys and instead to make donations on her behalf to the university.

To date, one of UC Irvine’s youngest supporters has contributed $1,800 to a nurse’s fund to purchase clothes, toys and other items for abandoned and underprivileged babies.

“She’s a wonderful role model,” said Gail Devaney, director of women’s and children’s services for nursing administration.

Breaking into a smile, Zofia says: “When I grow up, I want to be a nurse at UC Irvine and help people.”

She will fit right in.

MISSION STATEMENT

Nationally recognized University of California, Irvine Health Affairs is improving healthcare treatment and research by offering excellent patient care and conducting lifesaving medical research. It’s training the doctors of today and tomorrow. Through an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to medicine, our physicians, researchers, nurses and other professionals work together to heal the sick, find cures for deadly and debilitating diseases and to advance the practice of medicine. A global leader in cancer, stem cell research and ophthalmology, among other specialties, UC Irvine’s Health Affairs enhances the health of the people of Orange County, the United States and the world. 

UC Irvine Health Affairs

• UC Irvine Health Affairs features Orange County’s only university medical center treating the most complex and serious cases. It’s a Top 50 School of Medicine that trains 400 medical students, 600 residents and fellows and has 26 departments, ranging from basic science research to clinical medical and surgical specialties. It also has an excellent Program in Nursing Science, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Programs in Public Health.

• Distinguished Researcher-in-Residence Irwin A. Rose received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

• The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the nation and the only one in Orange County.

• US News & World Report has ranked UC Irvine Medical Center as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” for eight consecutive years, placing it among the top 3 percent of all hospitals nationally.

• UC Irvine is the home site for the Pacific-Southwest Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research – one of only 10 federally funded regional centers dedicated to research for countering threats from bioterrorism agents and infectious diseases.

• UC Irvine researchers were the first to identify the protein that triggers Huntington’s disease, a rare and fatal neurological disorder affecting an estimated one in 10,000 Americans. Return to top of page>

It began with a young boy who had visions of healing the sick.

At age 11, Hans Keirstead dreamed of coming up with treatments that would allow those paralyzed from spinal cord injuries to walk again and those afflicted with Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders to regain mental clarity.

Nearly three decades later, the UC Irvine neurobiologist has made considerable progress in turning his childhood reveries into reality.

A renowned innovator in stem cell research, Keirstead’s work has the potential to dramatically improve the health of, if not cure, those suffering from major spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease. That’s because embryonic stem cells can, in theory, become any kind of cell in the body and replace and repair damaged cells and tissues.

“If paralyzed people are going to walk again, it might be because of the scientist in this story,” began a 2006 “60 Minutes” segment on Keirstead. Men’s Vogue called him an “audacious innovator” who has been “the first to make discoveries many thought impossible, and at a clip seldom seen in science.”

Keirstead made headlines when paralyzed lab rats he injected with human stem cells recovered the ability to walk. He also became the first researcher to transform stem cells into highly purified type of nervous system cells that allows spinal cords to function. Next year, Geron Corp., a biotechnology company, hopes to conduct the first ever embryonic stem cell clinical trials on humans based on Keirstead’s pioneering spinal cord work.

His voice rising in excitement, Keirstead can barely contain his enthusiasm about stem cells.

“This is one of, if not the, greatest medical revolution that humankind has ever seen, with the potential to treat every single human disease,” he said. “It’s not a question of if; it’s a question of when. And we’re trying to make it happen now.”

UC Irvine Stem Cell Research

• UC Irvine broke ground Oct. 24, 2008 on a new stem cell research building that will strengthen and unify this fast-growing field on campus and throughout Southern California.

• In May 2008, UC Irvine received a $27.2-million award from the state to build a new stem cell research building that will serve as a hub for research in Southern California. When completed, the three-story building will house the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center; up to 26 laboratory-based and clinical researchers; and a master’s program in biotechnology, with an emphasis in stem cell research.

• UC Irvine neurobiologist Hans Keirstead and his UC Irvine colleagues are attempting to create patient-specific stem cells made from an individual’s DNA. The human body appears less likely to reject such “designer” stem cells. 

• Biotechnology firm Geron Corp. hopes to conduct the first ever embryonic stem cell clinical trials on humans based on UC Irvine neurobiologist Hans Keirstead’s pioneering spinal cord work.

• UC Irvine developmental biologist Peter J. Donovan – the former co-director of the Stem Cell Biology Program in the Institute for Cell Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University – studies how to genetically transform embryonic stem cells into specific cells in the body. Such biologic programming could hasten breakthroughs in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

• The state has awarded UC Irvine’s stem cell initiatives nearly $50 million, placing the university among the top 3 of 23 institutions receiving state stem cell funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state body that awards stem cell research money.  Return to top of page>

It began in the early 1980s with exotic lasers from France and Switzerland.

With their ability to cut and reshape eye tissue, the new lasers promised to improve eye surgery. But nobody had systematically explored how to use them safely or develop their potential.

Dr. Roger Steinert, then a junior faculty member at Harvard Medical School and fresh out of training, made it his passion to unlock the power of those lasers. The future UC Irvine professor of ophthalmology began investigating their uses and has spent much of the past three decades pioneering new laser-surgery techniques to stave off blindness and strengthen eyesight.

One of the world’s foremost experts in the fields of cataract surgery, corneal transplantation and refractive surgery, Steinert’s early work with lasers helped lay the foundation for Lasik surgery. More recently, Steinert and a UC Irvine team invented a groundbreaking laser-based approach to corneal transplant surgery that is more precise and leads to better outcomes and faster recoveries than traditional handheld surgical blades.

“What could be better in life than helping to preserve and restore vision?” asked Steinert, who for 14 consecutive years has appeared on the prestigious “Best Doctors in America” list.

The 57-year-old Massachusetts native came to UC Irvine in 2004 after 23 years on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. He relocated to Orange County partly because of the strong ties between UC Irvine scientists and the area’s booming eye-care industry. Such cooperation helps translate discoveries made in the lab into sight-saving medical devices and other products. The excellence of the university’s Department of Ophthalmology also attracted him.

Looking forward, Steinert is thrilled to have been selected as the founding director of The Eye Institute, which awaits final approval from the UC Regents.

When completed, The Eye Institute will be the only university research eye specialty care center between San Diego and Los Angeles. Dedicated to developing educational programs, technologies and fostering medical breakthroughs that will enhance the visual performance of people in Orange County and beyond, the proposed Eye Institute will make a vital contribution.

“We’re committed to meeting the community’s need and elevating the level of eye care in Orange County to the best found anywhere nationally or internationally,” Steinert said.

UC Irvine Department of Ophthalmology and The Eye Institute

• UC Irvine plays an integral role in the success of the vibrant eye-care industry in Orange County, which is believed to have more medical device and pharmaceutical eye care companies than anywhere else in the world.

• At UC Irvine, Professor Lbachir BenMohamed, Ph.D., a National Institutes of Health-funded researcher, is working on a vaccine against eye and genital herpes infections.

• As a reflection of its excellence, UC Irvine is in the top 10 percent of institutions receiving National Institutes of Health grants for vision research.

• UC Irvine scientists at the Retinal Regeneration Laboratory are using stem cells to discover ways to regenerate the retina, the part of the eye that sees. Retinal problems are the nation’s leading cause of blindness.

• The planned Eye Institute will be the only university research eye specialty care center between San Diego and Los Angeles. Return to top of page>

 It began with a doctor who cared.

For 30 years, Dr. Philip J. Di Saia, the Dorothy Marsh Chair in Reproductive Biology, has dedicated himself to saving women’s lives.

The author of the celebrated 1975 work “Clinical Gynecologic Oncology,” the first textbook for practicing gynecologists on how to diagnose and treat women’s cancers, never gives up on a patient, no matter how hopeless the prognosis might seem.

Such was the case with Vickie Thornell. Although the Apple Valley resident lived a healthy life, never smoked and exercised three times a week, she developed cancer of the endometrium, the mucus membrane lining her uterus. A physician at her local hospital recommended that Thornell go to UC Irvine Medical Center because of its highly specialized care and reputation of its cancer program.

By the time she saw Di Saia, Thornell had stage 4 cancer that had metastasized extensively to her lungs. The outlook seemed grim.

Di Saia wasted no time. He oversaw Thornell’s chemotherapy – which included a cutting-edge drug he helped test in a clinical trial – and performed a hysterectomy. By October 2005, her cancer had gone into remission. When it reappeared two years later – a common occurrence among stage 4 cancer survivors – Di Saia removed her diseased cervix.

Today, Thornell is cancer free and enjoying life as never before.

“Dr. Di Saia saved my life,” she said. “Every time I see him, I give him a big hug.”

Dr. Di Saia’s work has made a difference in other women’s lives. In the 1990s, the director of UC Irvine’s Gynecologic Oncology Division found that estrogen replacement therapy could treat menopausal symptoms in women who have had ovarian or breast cancer without reactivating the disease.

A decade earlier, he discovered that modified surgery on women with early invasive vulva cancer could excise the cancer without having to remove the clitoris and other sexually sensitive areas.

“Dr. Di Saia helped put UC Irvine on the map for women’s cancer and women’s care,” said Dr. Gautam Chaudhuri, executive chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Now, UC Irvine is among the best.”

UC Irvine Cancer

• The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and one of only 41 nationally.

• UC Irvine is one of only six institutions nationwide selected by the National Cancer Institute to conduct studies on promising new cancer prevention drugs.

• UC Irvine is responsible for handling information on all cancer cases diagnosed or treated in Orange, San Diego and Imperial Counties.

• UC Irvine is one of only eight institutions nationwide to be named part of the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Genetics Network to examine the complex interactions between genes and cancer.

• At the new Beckman Breast Clinic and Research Center, physicians use the Laser Breast Scanner (LBS) - developed at the Beckman Laser Institute in a National Cancer Institute-sponsored multi-center clinical study - to detect hidden tumors and lesions and to assess response to chemotherapy. Return to top of page>

It began with a warm embrace, a sympathetic ear and a kind smile.

UC Irvine veteran oncology nurse Julie Boyle offers all that and more to her patients as she calms frayed nerves, buoys spirits and just lets them know that someone cares.

Boyle, who from 1992 to 2007 directed patient care at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center – Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, embodies the compassionate nursing care found at UC Irvine Medical Center. She routinely gives out her cell phone number and fields calls round the clock. She is there to give patients hugs, to hold their hands and to shed tears with them.

“Julie is an intensely compassionate nurse who feels pain when her patients feel pain,” said Dr. Frank Meyskens, director of UC Irvine’s cancer center. “She is fearless in the delivery of care for our cancer patients. No one will intimidate or sway her from doing the right thing.”

Boyle began her UC Irvine nursing career in 1981 at age 25. All the while, she has made compassionate care her No. 1 priority. In the process, she won the respect of patients, physicians and her colleagues, becoming a symbol for all that’s good about nursing at UC Irvine.

Boyle’s dedication has not gone unnoticed. In 1999, she became one of only 15 people nationwide to receive the prestigious Lane W. Adams Excellence in Caring Award from the American Cancer Society. In 2006, she became the first UC Irvine staff member to receive the Medal, the university’s highest honor.

“I get a nice warm feeling inside when I know I have made somebody’s experience less frightening,” said Boyle, who recently became director of community, clinical-translational programs at the Chao center.  “I care. I really do.”

UC Irvine Nursing

• In 2003, UC Irvine Medical Center was awarded Magnet Designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.  This designation recognizes an organization for excellence in nursing services.  UC Irvine was the first hospital in Orange County to receive such a designation. Only 2 percent of U.S. hospitals are Magnet approved.

• In 2007, UC Irvine Medical Center was selected as a “Top Hospital” by Advance for Nurses magazine, based on a survey of registered nurses. UC Irvine was one of only five Southern California hospitals that received the highest scores in all five categories: quality of care, organizational structure, professional development, communications and retention efforts.

• UC Irvine’s Program in Nursing Science was Orange County’s first four-year baccalaureate program in 40 years.

• UC Irvine Medical Center nurses helped design parts of the new university hospital to improve patient care. Thanks to their input, meeting areas for doctors and nurses have been moved away from rooms to reduce noise and make it easier for patients to sleep. Nurses also insisted that hospital rooms have built-in overnight beds, where loved ones can spend the night.

• UC Irvine Medical Center Chief Executive Maureen Zehntner recently cofounded the first scholarship fund for UC Irvine’s Program in Nursing Science. Zehntner, a registered nurse, has made compassionate patient care her No. 1 priority. Return to top of page>

It began with joy.

After learning she had conceived, Stephanie Shaffer felt elated. That her pregnancy went so smoothly only added to her happiness.

The good times soon ended.  While giving birth at a south Orange County hospital in April 2007, Shaffer’s newborn son inhaled amniotic fluid. Within hours, doctors had placed him on a respirator.

The worried mother had health problems of her own. Shaffer, who suffers from a rare circulatory disorder called Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome that affects blood vessels and lymph vessels, experienced major internal bleeding. After 50 blood transfusions failed to stabilize her, doctors transferred her to UC Irvine Medical Center, one of the only regional hospitals that specialize in the treatment of rare and complicated conditions.

Two days later, Dr. Matthew Dolich was fighting to save Shaffer’s life – literally.

Hemorrhaging and without a pulse, the end seemed near for the young mother. But Dolich refused to give up. Glancing at a recent photo of a smiling Shaffer with her husband and newborn son, the UC Irvine trauma and acute care oversaw a massive resuscitation effort, including blood transfusions and CPR.  After 45 minutes, Dolich miraculously got a pulse and rushed Shaffer to the operating room for emergency surgery. Over the next weeks, Dolich performed several more operations. All the while, he buoyed Shaffer’s spirits with words of encouragement.

In early June 2007, Shaffer finally returned home and reunited with her husband and now healthy baby. She often thinks of the special doctor who cared for her.

 “I am so grateful to Dr. Dolich and UC Irvine for saving my life,” Shaffer said.

Dolich performed his heroics in a nearly 50-year-old hospital that will soon be replaced by a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a model for healthcare delivery in the 21st century.

The new university hospital’s minimally invasive surgical technology will result in smaller incisions, shorter hospitalizations and faster recoveries. The hospital will also house Orange County’s only intra-operative MRI, which greatly improves outcomes for patients undergoing brain surgery. Spacious private rooms will include built-in overnight beds for loved ones—all in the interest of comfort and healing.

Should the need ever arise, rest assured that the new university’s powerful combination of topflight physicians and sophisticated equipment will exceed your expectations.

UC Irvine New University Hospital

• While many community and other hospitals provide excellent patient care, UC Irvine and other university medical centers also treat the most complex and serious conditions.  This commitment to high-quality patient care, lifesaving research and topflight medical training make UC Irvine Medical Center and other university medical centers the gold standard of American hospitals.

• U.S. News & World Report has recognized UC Irvine Medical Center as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” for eight consecutive years, placing it in the top 3 percent of all hospitals nationally. US News also ranked the urology, gynecology and geriatric departments ranked in the top 50.

• Leapfrog Group safest hospital award

• Orange County’s only Level I trauma center

• The new university hospital is designed for trauma care, open heart surgery, brain surgery and minimally invasive surgery. It also features a dedicated cardiac catheterization laboratory

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