UC Merced Health Sciences Research Institute

06/26/2026

Researchers in HSRI's Ni****ne and Cannabis Policy Center Use Sewage to Track Ni****ne Use in Central Valley.

UC Merced researchers successfully measured ni****ne use from products such as ci******es and va**ng pens in Central Valley communities, confirming that health education can be backed by hard data from an unusual source: human waste.

The research is led by Professor Colleen Naughton with support from UC Merced’s Ni****ne and Cannabis Policy Center (NCPC) and Health Sciences Research Institute.

https://hsri.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/uc-merced-scientists-use-sewage-track-ni****ne-use-central-valley

03/31/2026

HSRI’s Center for Health Equity Convenes Partners to Address Patient Trust Gap in San Joaquin Valley
https://hsri.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/uc-merced%E2%80%99s-center-health-equity-convenes-partners-address-patient-trust-gap-san-joaquin

02/06/2026

HSRI member, Biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang may have uncovered a universal mechanism that explains how bacteria, and potentially many other organisms, adapt to changes in temperature. This discovery could open up a whole new avenue of science.
https://hsri.ucmerced.edu/news/2026/unlocking-secrets-tiny-living-clocks-could-revolutionize-science

11/18/2025

11/05/2025

Bzzz-worthy news 🐝 UC Merced has officially been certified as a Bee Campus USA (Bee City USA) affiliate, joining campuses nationwide working to create healthier habitats for pollinators.

Led by Professor Marilia Palumbo Gaiarsa and a dedicated team, the effort supports native bees and pollinators through nature-based solutions across campus. 🔗 ucm.edu/zbj8li

11/04/2025

HSRI member, Prof. Néstor Oviedo is exploring how the brain may hold the key to controlling cancer.

Supported by a $2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH), his lab is studying how molecular signals influence the earliest stages of cancer development

https://hsri.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/unraveling-cancer%E2%80%99s-neural-connections-nih-funded-study-investigates-how-stem-cell

10/29/2025

The symbiotic relationship between the federal government and our universities — one that has delivered so much for America, its people and its economy — is now at risk.

10/01/2025

HSRI will host its first annual Distinguished Lecture on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 5:30pm at UC Merced on Main (1635 M St. Merced). Read more about the series and about our special guest speaker, Dr. David Kaplan: https://hsri.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc-merced-launches-distinguished-speaker-series-world-renowned-bioengineer-david-kaplan
UC Merced

09/10/2025

The Health Sciences Research Institute will host its first annual Distinguished Lecture on Monday October 6th at 5:30pm in downtown Merced (UC Merced on Main at 1635 M Street) with reception to follow. Admission is free of charge and all are invited.

Dr. David Kaplan, Professor at Tufts University will present research in the field of tissue engineering and how these new directions in research help to shape our future from a human and environmental health perspective.
https://hsri.ucmerced.edu/events/hsri-distinguished-lecture