As Black History Month draws to a close, we celebrate and reflect on the many outstanding achievements and contributions Black Americans have made to our state, our nation and to the world at large.

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Professor Ching-Hsien Chen and Professor Carrie Finno are among 12 faculty named. “These 12 newest fellows represent our university at its very best,” Chancellor Gary S. May said. “They are now part of a proud 22-year history for the Chancellor’s Fellows program. These fellows are making advances that help solve complex and critical issues, while also helping our students become critical thinkers and problem-solvers.”

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MCIP is proud to announce the election of faculty member Dr. Karen Zito as a AAAS fellow. This distinction is one of the highest honors given to a scientist. We are so proud and honored to have such a distinguished investigator within our ranks. Congratulations Dr. Zito! She was selected "for contributions to understanding excitatory synapse formation and the dynamics of postsynaptic density proteins." She is one of nine UC Davis faculty elected to AAAS this year.

MCIP faculty researchers Crystal Ripplinger, Andy Edwards, Ele Grandi, Donald Bers, Stefano Morotti have developed a new predictive model that translates cardiac research findings across different animal species into human-specific insights. This model could help accelerate the drug development process, leading to new therapies for heart diseases, such as irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).

Keith Baar, a professor in the Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology Graduate Group and the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, was interviewed for a cover story about preserving and, in some cases, regenerating cartilage.

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The lab of Aldrin Gomes, a professor in the Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology Graduate Group and the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, has been recognized for a commitment to safety. The Gomes Lab studies how commonly used drugs affect cells.

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We are proud to announce that MCIP faculty and M&M Lab Investigators Dr. Manuel F. Navedo and Dr. Madeline Nieves-Cintron were awarded the UC Davis School of Medicine Safety Award. For the team, this Lab Safety Award recognizes the years-long safety efforts put forth by current and past members.

A team of UC Davis Health scientists and physicians has identified a cellular connection between diabetes and one of its major complications — blood vessel narrowing that increases risks of several serious health conditions, including heart disease and stroke. For the new study, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Navedo lab team conducted a series of experiments on the effects of high glucose on cerebral blood vessels and arteri

To function daily, your body gleans energy from three food-derived macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats and proteins. How you divvy up those macronutrients in your diet is a matter of personal preference. But what if you could train your brain to prefer one macronutrient over the other? In a study appearing in Endocrinology, Ryan and her colleagues, including Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology Ph.D.

In debilitating neuromuscular disorders, like muscular dystrophies and cerebral palsy, the body’s muscles scar, turning fibrotic and stiff. “What’s not really understood is how the scar tissue ends up making such a stiff muscle,” said Assistant Professor Lucas Smith, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. “For us, it might take intense exercise or resistance training to cause a bit of damage, which elicits a regenerative response. In dystrophic conditions, just typical muscle contractions can damage the muscle and that chronic injury leads to fibrosis.”