Public Health

New Bobcat Looks to Expand Impressive Research Resume

August 29, 2025

This is the final entry of a series of profiles of new UC Merced Bobcats enrolled for the fall 2025 semester. Adriana Ponce Mata spent the last two summers working in one of the largest and oldest companies in the Bay Area. This fall, she joins UC Merced to begin her next chapter. Through...

Professor Colleen Naughton with the 2021 FACTS Summer Bridge Program students.

Students Conduct Ag Tech Research on Campus for USDA Internships

While many are preparing to head off to college after an unprecedented year, a handful of students are already on UC Merced’s campus and working away in research labs. They’re part of the...

A computer-generated image depicts the coronavirus.

UC Merced Professor Studies How Best to Speed COVID-19 Recovery at Home

A UC Merced professor is collaborating with faculty from UCLA and the University of Illinois in a study that aims to find how people might best deal with COVID-19 at home. Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, a...

Professor Erin Hestir (Photo by Veronica Adrover, UC Merced)

Professor Hestir Turns NASA Technology Toward Earth’s Biodiversity

Half a world away from California’s Central Valley is a place with similar climate but an unparalleled diversity of plants, marine animals and ecosystems. From deserts to shrubland to montane...

A lit cigarette is seen in an undated image.

Smokers Light Up More Cigarettes Following California COVID-19 Lockdown Order, Study Finds

The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has been felt around the world. COVID-19's grip has affected people's mental health and sense of what was once normal, prompting them to turn to new...

Report Examines Methods to Monitor PFAS in Environment to Protect Public Health

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals that for decades have been used in a variety of products, including food packaging materials, nonstick cookware,...

Merced County Public Health Officer Dr. Salvador Sandoval administers a COVID-19 vaccine.

Report Addresses Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination in California

As news headlines continue to focus on seeing the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. As of May 18, California has recorded more than 3.6...

University of California Health Leader to Give Commencement Keynote

In Dr. Carrie L. Byington, the novel coronavirus met a formidable foe. As an expert in infectious disease, Byington has been uniquely suited to use her role as executive vice president and head of...

Farmworkers receive facial coverings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysis Shows Pandemic's Toll on California Workers in High-Risk Industries

California is getting a closer look at exactly how workers in high-risk industries across the state have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time, UC Merced's Community and...

Bobcat Won’t be Stopped by Pandemic, Creates a Resource for Students  Worldwide

Like many students at UC Merced, pre-medical student Nina Bouzamondo-Bernstein faced uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world. She had applied for more than 40 clinical...