UCLA In the News August 28, 2020

UCLA In the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription to view. See more UCLA In the News.

UCLA professor’s books used to be “radical,” but everything’s changed | Los Angeles magazine

For much of her career, UCLA professor and historian Kelly Lytle Hernández has taken on some of this country’s most powerful and storied institutions. In her 2010 book, “Migra! A History of the U.S. Border Patrol,” she laid out, in exacting detail, the racist roots of that agency, from its targeting of Mexican migrant laborers in its earliest days, to later programs like “Operation Wetback.”

California’s climate tinderbox | Bloomberg News

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, has emerged as one of the foremost voices explaining how California became a climate tinderbox. Forests dried out over years of rising temperatures, then the ecosystem suffered through the most intense heat wave in decades (and millions of people suffered through the first rolling blackouts in 20 years).

Where does Trump stand with voters of color? | KPCC-FM’s “AirTalk”

“Over the course of the RNC convention, the Republican party and Donald Trump have been trying to create this narrative of inclusion and care for people and communities of color. This is also clear for the Latino vote. We saw Donald Trump proceed over a naturalization ceremony of immigrants last night, despite the last four years of an administration that saw kids in cages, families separated at the border, a Muslim ban, public charge rules and I could keep going on,” said UCLA’s Sonja Diaz (approx. 15:00 mark).

The movement against psychiatry | Vice News

Regarding its chapter on antipsychotics, for example, Joseph Pierre, a clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said that Whitaker uses certain studies to suggest that people with schizophrenia who stay on antipsychotic medications do worse in the end than those who discontinue them because of the medications themselves — a misinterpretation, according to Pierre.

COVID-19 deaths among working-age Latinos skyrocket | City News Service

Deaths from coronavirus among working-age Latinos in California have increased nearly five-fold in the past three months, according to research released today by professors at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Research by Professors David Hayes-Bautista and Paul Hsu showed the increase in death rates in all Latino age groups: young adult, early middle age and late middle age.

Doctors plan to include more people of color in vaccine trial | Kaiser Health News

Dr. Raphael Landovitz, a doctor and research scientist at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, which is also participating in the trial, agreed. “We’re hoping that people understand this is a chance — if we succeed — to take back some power and control in this situation that has made so many of us feel so powerless,” he said.

Legislature needs an emergency hearing on vaccines | CalMatters opinion

(Commentary co-written by UCLA’s Dr. Jeffrey Klausner) As we attempt to mitigate the widespread effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, our legislators must address several urgent issues. It’s critical that we encourage the early adoption of any successfully developed COVID-19 vaccine. We must promote the widespread use of the vaccines we already have – in particular, the flu vaccine, before this year’s flu season begins.

City cuts power to a home for violating public health orders | NPR’s “All Things Considered”

“But at the same time, the Constitution limits that kind of thing, even though that means limiting the effectiveness of government,” said UCLA’s Eugene Volokh.

The latest on the pandemic | Fox Business

“So, here’s the thing. We’ve learned a lot about this virus right now. We know now how it’s transmitted, which means we know how to stop it. Which goes back to the things we always talk about: the social distancing, the hand hygiene and the masks. We have made some movement in terms of having some therapies that are making some difference, it seems,” said UCLA’s Anne Rimoin (approx. 0:55 mark). Rimoin was also interviewed on CNN.

COVID-19 cases are dropping, but risk is high for fall surge | Xinhua

Zhang Zuofeng, professor of epidemiology and associate dean for research with the school of public health at University of California, Los Angeles, told Xinhua currently southern states such as Florida and Texas, which saw summer surge in cases, have shown a clear downward trend, while the situation in California has also stabilized. “The main reasons include mask mandate implemented by many states, large-scale contact tracing, increasing testing, strict social distancing and personal hygiene. All those efforts have significantly helped reduce the COVID-19 spread,” Zhang said.

Hollywood execs grapple with accelerating change | Variety

Jay Tucker, executive director, Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, sees a shift in digital “moving away from an age of ‘convenience’ to an age of ‘personalization.’”… UCLA’s Tucker says marketing communications speaking to demographic groups should come across “in a way that makes them feel like you understand them and that your brand serves them. If you do it well, people welcome you into their community and you can have a dialogue.”

What to know about getting a flu shot during the pandemic | Self

The ideal time to get the vaccine is, of course, before the flu season hits, James D. Cherry, M.D., MSc, distinguished research professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, tells SELF. But keep in mind that it takes about two weeks for your body to build up its full immune response. So, the CDC suggests getting your flu shot in early fall, around September or early October. You can still get a flu shot if you miss that window, but it’s best to just get it done early so you can be sure you’re vaccinated before the flu season hits.

A guide to school reopenings | Bloomberg’s CityLab

“The educational gaps are accumulative, and growing,” says Christina Ramirez, a professor of biostatistics at UCLA’s School of Public Health. “We’re going to create thousands of economic disparities between kids whose parents can afford to hire tutors that allow them to get ahead, and kids from lower income families.” Her review of Covid-19 data as it relates to students suggests that sustained school closures could, for example, lead to higher drop-out rates.

How did we end up with the COBRA health insurance law? | Mel magazine

“Before the ACA, depending on which state you lived in, the individual market could ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your health history; they could deny coverage based on preexisting conditions; or they could deny coverage of a preexisting condition,” explains [UCLA’s Gerald] Kominski. “And they could charge you higher premiums based on your health history.”