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Leaders recommend Yeazell as interim law school dean

Oct 31, 2009 by Cynthia Lee

Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh have proposed for UC regents' approval the appointment of Stephen C. Yeazell as interim dean of the School of Law, effective Nov. 23. Yeazell, the David G. Price and Dallas P. Price Distinguished Professor of Law, has taught at UCLA since 1975, bringing to his new role many years of academic leadership, service, and an outstanding research and teaching career in the areas of civil procedure, civil litigation and the structure of the legal profession. He has earned UCLA's highest honors both for his teaching and research, receiving the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award in 1979 and the designation of Faculty Research Lecturer in 2007. He served as associate dean of the School of Law from 1995 to 1998 and as chair of the UCLA Academic Senate in 2000-01.

Glaucoma expert joins JSEI faculty

Oct 21, 2009 by Elaine Schmidt

Dr. Kouros Nouri-Mahdavi has been appointed as an assistant professor of ophthalmology in the glaucoma division of the Jules Stein Eye Institute. His clinical practice focuses on the medical and surgical management of adult and pediatric glaucoma, cataract surgery in glaucoma patients and complicated cataract surgeries. His research interests include new surgical approaches in glaucoma, optic nerve imaging, perimetry and epidemiology of glaucoma.

Nouri-Mahdavi received his medical training and completed his residency in ophthalmology in Iran. After fellowships at the Glaucoma Institute of Paris and Yale University, he served as director of the glaucoma section at Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. He first joined the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute in 2002 as a visiting assistant professor of ophthalmology. Nouri-Mahdavi returned to the Institute after completing his U.S. residency in ophthalmology at UC San Diego.

Guy Custis named UCLA Arts assistant dean

Oct 09, 2009 by Shilo Munk

Building on an 18-year career at UCLA, Guy Custis has been named assistant dean for administration for the School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLA Arts). Custis began his UCLA service in 1991 in the Office of the Assistant Vice Chancellor – Administration. In August 1994, Custis joined UCLA Arts as an administrative analyst and then a senior administrative analyst. During that time, he helped coordinate key capital projects such as the Broad Art Center, Glorya Kaufman Hall and the Kinross buildings and provided management services for the UCLA/James A. Doolittle Theater. Custis was named director of operations in March 2007, charged with major renovation and facilities projects and capital improvements. Prior to his time at UCLA, Custis worked for public radio stations KUSC and WNYC and with the New York Art Theater Institute. He graduated from UCLA in 1978 with a B.A. in theater arts.

Victoria Sork becomes dean of Division of Life Sciences

Sep 11, 2009 by Cynthia Lee

On Sept. 1, Victoria Sork took the helm of UCLA's Division of Life Sciences in the College of Letters and Science, becoming the first woman to head a UCLA science division. An environmental biologist, Sork is professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a professor at UCLA's Institute of the Environment. She is a pioneer in the field of landscape genetics, an area that integrates genomics, evolutionary biology and conservation. As dean, Sork is looking forward to the challenges of a division with such a broad array of scientific disciplines that address such "critically important, socially relevant topics," ranging from the developmental biology of stem cell research to the physiological mechanisms of human movementand the neurological and psychological bases of human behavior. "I want to create a long-term vision accompanied by a development plan that attracts resources to support faculty and students in integral areas of excellence," she said. "I am interested in enhancing and strengthening collaborations between the life sciences and the medical sciences, as well as other units across campus."

New director for CNSI named

Aug 12, 2009 by Cynthia Lee

Leading nanoscientist Paul S. Weiss has been named director of the California NanoSystems Institute, a UCLA, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and holder of the Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. Weiss comes to UCLA from Pennsylvania State University, where he was Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Physics. His multidisciplinary research group includes chemists, physicists, biologists, materials scientists, electrical and mechanical engineers, and computer scientists. "Paul Weiss is an internationally renowned scientist, and we are fortunate that he is bringing his extraordinary talent and expertise to UCLA," said Chancellor Gene Block. "His experience with such a wide array of disciplines makes him the right leader for CNSI, where research involves more than 25 academic departments." "Professor Weiss is a groundbreaking scientist, and we look forward to the key contributions that he and his wife, Professor Anne Andrews, will make to research and education here," said Joseph A. Rudnick, dean of the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences. "Our community will be significantly richer for having them join the UCLA faculty." Anne Andrews has been appointed professor of psychiatry at UCLA.

Leonard H. Rome, who has served as the CNSI's interim director for the last two years, will resume his previous role as associate director. Rome is also senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of biological chemistry.

UCLA entertainment executives to head Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation Board

Jul 28, 2009 by Kim Irwin

Randall Katz and Jay Sures were named chair and vice chair of the board of directors for the Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation. Katz (shown here), on the board since 2007, supports research at the Jonsson Cancer Center through the Ron and Maddie Katz Family Foundation, where he is a director. President of Milestone Entertainment, Katz earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University. A board member since 2008, Sures is a partner at United Talent Agency. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from UCLA. Other officers include treasurer Jonathan Davidson, a partner at Westridge Capital LLC. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics at UCLA and a master's degree in business administration through the Anderson School. For more, see this.

Professor named chair of orthopaedic surgery

Jul 27, 2009 by Enrique Rivero

Dr. Robert Alan Pedowitz has been named the new chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He assumed the chairmanship July 1, replacing Dr. Gerald Finerman, who stepped down to focus on patient care, research and teaching. Pedowitz, a specialist in sports medicine and knee and shoulder injuries, comes to the David Geffen School of Medicine from the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he served as chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Prior to that he was at UC San Diego, where he held several positions, including chief of sports medicine. He earned his undergraduate degree in psychobiology at UCLA and completed his medical degree and residency in orthopaedic surgery at UC San Diego. He has edited three books and written more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He is on the Board of Trustees and Editorial Board of the journal Arthroscopy.

UCLA Extension names new associate dean

Jul 08, 2009 by Brian Bell

UCLA Extension has named Michelle Stiles associate dean for administration. Stiles was previously Extension's director of budget and financial services. Prior to joining UCLA Extension, Stiles was associate director of the Youth Service Center in Riverside, Calif., director of Library and Information Services at West Coast University in Los Angeles, and accounting manager for University of Phoenix in Fountain Valley, Calif. Stiles has master's degrees in Library Science from San Jose State University and Public Administration from CSU Fullerton, and she holds a doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California.

Leading costume designer named to chair

Jun 25, 2009 by Emilia Barrosse

Deborah Nadoolman Landis has been named to the David C. Copley Chair for the Study of Costume Design. The David C. Copley Center will further scholarship in the fields of film, theatre and television through research, coursework and a program to bring in leading professionals as visiting faculty; it is the only center of its kind in the world. Landis received an M.F.A. in costume design from UCLA in 1975 and a Ph.D. in the history of design from London's Royal College of Art in 2003. She designed the costumes in Michael Jackson's famous music video for "Thriller," and has recently completed her second term as president of the Costume Designers Guild, Local 892. She has had a distinguished career designing for major motion pictures directed by directors like John Landis and Steven Spielberg, and has been nominated for an Academy Award. Find more here.

New professor at Nursing School

Jun 22, 2009 by Emilia Barrosse

Sophie Sokolow, whose research primarily focuses on the study of Alzheimer’s disease, has joined the School of Nursing's faculty as an assistant professor. After receiving her degree in pharmacy from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, in 1994, Sokolow spent several years working as a community pharmacist and consultant for the Belgium Ministry of Public Health. She earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences in 2004 from the Free University of Brussels before coming to UCLA for postdoctoral training. She teaches advanced pharmacology and conducts research, in UCLA's Brain Research Institute, exploring the molecular mechanisms involved in cellular calcium homeostasis dysregulation occurring in neurodegeneration, with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease.