Bruce Walker's Research Impact and UCLA's Commitment to Safety and Innovation

This article explores the multifaceted impact of research associated with Bruce Walker and UCLA's commitment to laboratory safety. It also highlights the university's sustainability research efforts and its engagement in HIV research and education through the Tim Gill Professorship.

UCLA's Enhanced Laboratory Safety Program

Following a tragic laboratory accident in December 2008, UCLA swiftly implemented comprehensive changes to its laboratory safety program. Driven by the Chancellor's challenge to become "Best in Class" in academic laboratory safety, the university undertook a significant overhaul. The Office of Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) played a crucial role in improving operations, enhancing inspection procedures, and mandating laboratory safety training for Principal Investigators (PIs) and researchers.

Key Improvements in Lab Safety

Several key initiatives contributed to the transformation of UCLA's lab safety program:

Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT): This tool was implemented to identify hazards, track laboratory space and personnel, and guide lab groups in complying with personal protective equipment (PPE) policies.
Increased Inspections: Laboratory inspections increased more than fourfold in 2012 compared to 2007. These inspections followed a comprehensive checklist to ensure reproducibility and thoroughness.
Expedited Reporting: To improve customer service and expedite corrective actions, laboratory inspection reports were required to be issued the next business day.
Unannounced PPE Inspections: Beginning in 2010, unannounced PPE inspections led to a significant decrease in non-compliance with the PPE policy within one year.
Mandatory PI Training: By the first half of 2013, all PIs of active laboratory research programs had completed initial, in-class PI-specific laboratory safety training.
Expanded Safety Classes: In 2012, more than 20,000 EH&S safety classes were completed by PIs, lab supervisors, research staff, students, and visitors, both in-class and online.

The outcomes of these changes indicate rapid improvements in compliance with lab safety regulations, such as increased PPE use. These improvements required commitment and cooperation at all levels, from executive leadership to researchers.

UCLA's Sustainability Research Faculty

UCLA boasts a diverse faculty engaged in sustainability research across various departments. These researchers contribute to a wide range of fields, addressing critical environmental and societal challenges.

Read also: NCAA Controversies: Bruce Pearl

Faculty and Departments Involved

The following list showcases a selection of UCLA faculty and their respective departments involved in sustainability research:

Raman Aaswath (Engineering)
Mohamed Abdou (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Michael Alfaro (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Patrick Allard (Environmental Health Sciences; Institute for Society and Genetics; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Richard Ambrose (Environmental Health Sciences)
Jesus Araujo (Cardiology)
Jeanne Arnold (Anthropology)
Jonathan Aurnou (Earth Planetary and Space Sciences)
Eric Avila (Chicana/o Studies ; Urban Planning; History)
Susan Babey (Health Policy and School of Management)
Marion Taylor Baer (Community Health Sciences)
Kenneth Bailey (Sociology)
Luigi Ballerini (Italian)
Paul Barber (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Alan Barreca (H. Clark Barrett (Anthropology)
Mathieu Bauchy (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Angelo Bellomo (Environmental Health Sciences)
Corinne Bendersky (School of Management)
Aaron Blaisdell (Psychology)
Evelyn Blumenberg (Urban Planning)
Dan Blumstein (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Louis Bouchard (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
James Bowie (Life Sciences)
William Boyd (Law)
Barbara Boyle (Department of Film, Television and Digital Media)
Kenneth Bradley (Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics)
Scott Brandenberg (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Holger Brix (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
Jeff Bronstein (Molecular Toxicology, Neurology)
Wolfgang Buermann (Institute of Environment and Sustainability; Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
Jeff Burke (Theater, Film and Television)
Aaron Burke (Near Eastern Languages & Cultures)
Leonardo Bursztyn (School of Management)
Eisler Carissa (Engineering)
Morales-Guio Carlos (Engineering)
Ann Carlson (Law, Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Greg Carman (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Albert Carnesale (Public Policy; Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Judy Carney (Geography; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Felipe Caro (School of Management)
Allison Carruth (English; Institute of Environment and Sustainability; Institute for Society and Genetics)
Troy Carter (Physical Sciences)
Emily Carter (Engineering)
Jessica Cattelino (Anthropology; Women’s Studies)
Ivan Catton (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Kyle Cavanaugh
Marcelo Chamecki (Physical Sciences)
Joshi Chandrashekar (Electrical Engineering)
Jane P. Chang (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
Francis Chen (Electrical Engineering)
Angela Chen (Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Obstetrics and Gynecology)
Gang Chen (Physical Sciences)
Marie-Francoise Chesselet (Neurobiology)
Francesco Chiappelli (Oral Biology and Medicine)
Arthur Cho (Molecular & Medical Pharmacology; Environmental Health Sciences)
Yoram Choen (Engineering)
Bhagwan Chowdhry (School of Management)
Jon Christensen (Institute of Environment and Sustainability; History)
Wesley Chu (Computer Science)
Peter Chu (Smart Grid Energy Research Center)
Paul Chung (Pediatrics; General Pediatrics)
Pablo Cicero-Fernandez (Environmental Health Sciences)
William A.V. Clark (Geography)
Martin Cody (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Yoram Cohen (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
Brian Cole (Environmental Health Sciences)
Michael Collins (Environmental Health Sciences)
Jason Cong (Engineering)
Sam Coogan (Electrical Engineering)
Robert Cooper (Education)
Charles Corbett (School of Management; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Randall Crane (Urban Planning; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Jonathan Crisman (Architecture & Urban Design)
Dana Cuff (Architecture & Urban Design; Urban Planning)
Scott L. Cummings (Law)
Daniela Cusack (Geography)
Kevin Daly (Architecture & Urban Design)
Paul Davis (Earth Planetary and Space Sciences)
Jan de Leeuw (Statistics)
Magali Delmas (School of Management; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Elizabeth DeLoughrey (English; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Timothy Deming (Engineering)
Neil Denari (Architecture & Urban Design)
Robin Derby (History)
J.R. Deshazo (Public Policy; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Curtis Deutsch (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
Vijay Dhir (Materials Science and Engineering)
Allison Diamant (General Internal Medicine)
Jared Diamond (Geography)
Florian Dorfler (Electrical Engineering)
Xiangfeng Duan (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Bruce Dunn (Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering)
Helen DuPlessis (Community Health Sciences)
Rob Eagle Tripati (Physical Sciences)
Curtis Eckhert (Environmental Health Sciences)
Susan Edelstein (Pediatrics)
David Eisenberg (Physical Sciences)
David Eisenman (General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research; Community Health Sciences)
Jeff Eldredge (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Ethan Elkind (Law)
J. Nicholas Entrikin (Geography; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Christopher Erickson (School of Management)
Leobardo Estrada (Urban Planning)
Lieba Faier (Geography)
Cindy Fan (Geography)
Diane Favro (Architecture & Urban Design)
Tim Fisher (Engineering)
Taylor Fitz-Gibbon (Theater, Film, and Television)
Peggy Fong (Life Sciences)
Caroline Ford (History)
Robert Fovell (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
Lorrie Frausre-Yokley (Political Science)
Anthony Friscia (Integrative Biology and Physiology)
John Froines (Environmental Health Sciences; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Jon Fukuto (Molecular and Medical Pharmacology)
Rajit Gadh (Engineering)
Timu Gallien (Engineering)
Patricia Gandara (Education)
Miguel Garcia-Garibay (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Mekonnen Gebremichael (Engineering)
Michael Ghil (Physical Sciences)
Nasr Ghoniem (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Arthur Gibson (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Organismic Biology, Ecology & Evolution)
Thomas Gillespie (Geography; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Anne Gilliland (Information Studies)
Madelyn Glickfeld (Institute of the Environment and Sustainability)
Carole Goldberg (Law)
Robert Goldberg (Life Sciences)
Miriam Golden (Political Science; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Carol Goldstein (Urban Planning)
Michael Goldstein (Community Health Sciences; Sociology)
Kim Gomez (Education)
Jamie Goodwin-White (Geography)
Mark S. Goorsky (Materials Science and Engineering)
Malcolm Gordon (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Patricia Gowaty (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Rick Greenwood (Epidemiology; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Gregory Grether (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Nicolas Gruber (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
George Gruner (Physics and Astronomy)
Yu Gu (Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science & Engineering, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
Alma Guerrero (Pediatrics)
Robert Gunsalus (Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics)
Vijay Gupta (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Akhil Gupta (Anthropology)
H. Thomas Hahn (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Materials Science & Engineering)
Neal Halfon (Pediatrics; Community Health Sciences)
Alex Hall (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
William Hamner (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Meredith Hankins (Law)
Oliver Hankinson (Environmental Health Sciences; Pathology & Laboratory Medicine)
Mark Hansen (Statistics)
Philip Harber (Family Medicine)
Larry Harding (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Ryan Harrigan (Institute of the Environment and Sustainability)
Gail Harrison (Community Health Sciences)
Mark Harrison (Earth Planetary and Space Sciences)
Nicky Hart (Sociology)
Mary Hart (Sociology)
Thomas Hatfield (Environmental Health Sciences)
David Heber (Community Health Sciences)
Susanne Hecht (Urban Planning; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Sean Hecht (Law; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Julia E. Heck (Epidemiology)
Ursula Heise (English; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Dena Herman (Community Health Sciences)
Juan Herrera (Geography)
Megan M. Herzog (Law)
Henry Hespenheide (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Robert Hicks (Electrical Engineering)
Williams Hinds (Environmental Health Sciences)
Emma Hipolito (Education)
Ann Hirsch (Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology)
Dean Ho (Oral Biology and Medicine; Advanced Prosthodontics)
Chih-Ming Ho (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Bioengineering)
Eric Hoek (Civil and Environmental Engineering; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Terri Hogue (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Jeff Holmquist (Institute of the Environment and Sustainability)
Cara Horowitz (Law, Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Tyrone Howard (Education)
Tzung Hsiai (Medicine and Bioengineering)
Yongjie Hu (Engineering)
Yu Huang (Engineering)
Steve Hubbell (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Diana Huffaker (Electrical Engineering; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Tatsuo Itoh (Electrical Engineering)
Richard Jackson (Environmental Health Sciences; Urban Planning; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
David Jackson (Earth Planetary and Space Sciences; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
David Jacobs (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Sanford Jacoby (School of Management; Public Policy; History)
Bahram Jalali (Electrical Engineering; Bioengineering; Surgery)
David Jassby (Engineering)
Jenny Jay (Civil and Environmental Engineering; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Michael Jerrett (Environmental Health Sciences)
Lynn John (Education)
Jiann-Wen Woody Ju (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Yongho Sungtaek Ju (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Jack Judy (Electrical Engineering)
Chen Jun (Engineering)
Park Junyoung (Engineering)
Matthew Kahn (Economics, School of Management)
William Kaiser (Electrical Engineering)
Richard Kaner (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Mo K. Kang (Endodontics)
Ann Karagozian (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Peter Kareiva (Institute of the Environment and Sustainability)
Jason Karpman (Urban and Regional Planning)
Harjot Kaur (Law)
Pirouz Kavehpour (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Abby Kavner (Physical Sciences)
Kelly Kay (Geography)
Nola Kennedy (Environmental Health Sciences)
Kim Kessler (Law)
Leeka Kheifets (Epidemiology)
Yong Kim (Oral Biology and Medicine)
Chang Jin Kim (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
John Kim (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Bill Klug (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Monica Kohler (Earth Planetary and Space Sciences)
Jasper Kok (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
Liz Koslov (Urban Planning; Institute of the Environment and Sustainability)
Niklas Krause (Environmental Health Sciences)
Miwon Kwon (Art History)
Les Lackman (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Adrienne Lavine (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Jacqueline Leavitt (Urban Planning)
He Lei (Engineering)
Helga Leitner (Geography; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Robert Lempert (Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Dennis Lettenmaier (Geography; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Yuzhang Li (Engineering)
Qibin Li (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
Xiachun Li (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
James Liao (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
Robin Liggett (Urban Planning; Architecture and Urban Design)
Shuo Lin (Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology)
Kuo Nan Liou (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
Qinbin Liou (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
James Lloyd-Smith (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Nat Logar (Law)
Elisa Long (School of Management)
Travis Longcore (Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris (Urban Planning)
Yunfeng Lu (Engineering)
Jesse L. Lueders (Law)
Jessica Lynch Alfaro (Institute for Socity and Genetics; Anthropology)
Larry Lyons (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
Glen MacDonald (Geography)
John D. Mackenzie (Materials Science and Engineering)
Shaily Mahendra (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Carl Maida (Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Ajit K. Mal (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Timothy Malloy (Law, Environmental Health Sciences; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Srivastava Mani (Engineering)
Craig Manning (Earth Planetary and Space Sciences; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Vasilios Manousiouthakis (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
Steven Margulis (Civil and Environmental Engineering; Institute of Environment and Sustainability)
Alessandro Marianantoni (En…

The Tim Gill Professorship in Infectious Diseases

The Tim Gill Professorship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado supports HIV research and education. This professorship was established in 1998, thanks to an endowment by Tim Gill, an entrepreneur and activist for equal rights. Dr. Eric Poeschla currently holds the Tim Gill Endowed Chair in HIV Research.

Tim Gill Distinguished Lecturers

Each year, a Tim Gill Distinguished Lecturer is selected based on their expertise in HIV research and care, their teaching skills, and their humanism. Past lecturers include:

Paul Sax, MD: (November 6, 2024) Harvard Medical School.
Dan Barouch, MD, PhD: (November 8, 2023) Harvard Medical School.
Jonathan Li, MD, MMSc: (October 27, 2022) Harvard Medical School & Ragon Institute.
Paul Farmer, MD, PhD: (December 8, 2021) Harvard Medical School.
Jeremy Luban, MD: (October 21, 2020) University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Julie Overbaugh, Ph.D.: (November 6, 2019) Fred Hutchinson Cancer institute.
David Cohn, MD: (September 26, 2018) University of Colorado -Denver, School of Medicine.
Steven Deeks, MD: (November 15, 2017) University of California - San Francisco.
Robert Grant, MD MPH: (September 14, 2016) University of California San Francisco.
Paula Cannon, Ph.D.: (August 26, 2015) University of Southern California.
Warner C. Greene, MD PhD: (May 14, 2014) University of California -San Francisco.
David Margolis, MD: (April 10, 2013) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kenneth E. Sherman, MD PhD: (April 9, 2012) University of Cincinnatti College of Medicine.
Paul A. Volberding, MD: (March 8, 2011) University of California - San Francisco.
Carlos del Rio, MD: (March 31, 2010) Emory Center for AIDS Research.
Gerald Friedland, M.D.: (May 27, 2009) Yale University.
Kenneth Mayer, M.D.: (March 26, 2008) Brown University.
Judith S. Currier, M.D.: (May 16, 2007) UCLA Center for AIDS Research and Education.
Wafaa El-Sadr, M.D.: (May 3, 2006) Columbia University, Harlem Hospital Center.
Roberto Badaro, MD: (March 4, 2002) Salvador, Bahia Brazil.
Samuel A. Bozzette, MD, PhD: (MAY 17, 2000) University of California, San Diego, RAND.
Bruce D: (March 31, 1999)

Chiropractic Interventions for Low-Back Pain

Low-back pain is a prevalent and costly musculoskeletal problem. Chiropractic interventions are commonly sought by individuals with low-back pain. A review of combined chiropractic interventions for low-back pain examined trials where chiropractors carried out a combination of therapies and sought to synthesize pragmatic trials that compared chiropractic interventions to other types of interventions or to no intervention. Chiropractic was defined as encompassing a combination of therapies such as spinal manipulation, massage, heat and cold therapies, electrotherapies, the use of mechanical devices, exercise programs, nutritional advice, orthotics, lifestyle modification and patient education.

Findings of the Review

The review included 12 studies involving 2887 participants with LBP. Three studies had low risk of bias. The review showed that while combined chiropractic interventions slightly improved pain and disability in the short term and pain in the medium term for acute and subacute low‐back pain, there is currently no evidence to support or refute that combined chiropractic interventions provide a clinically meaningful advantage over other treatments for pain or disability in people with low‐back pain. Any demonstrated differences were small and were only seen in studies with a high risk of bias. Future research is very likely to change the results and our confidence in them.

Prevalence and Economic Burden of Low-Back Pain

Low‐back pain is a very common complaint, with the lifetime prevalence reported to range from 11% to 84%. The economic burden of low‐back pain is significant. In the United Kingdom (UK), five million individuals consult their general practitioner for back pain per year, at a cost of £140.6 million. In the United States (US), investigators found that US$26 billion per year in healthcare expenses were directly attributable to treating back pain.

Chiropractic Definition and Mechanisms

Chiropractic is defined as a health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health. The proposed mechanisms by which chiropractic interventions may work is a complex one with Meeker and Haldeman identifying five possible mechanisms for manipulation alone.

Chiropractic Utilization

Chiropractic interventions are commonly sought in high income countries by people with low‐back pain. In Australia, consultation with a chiropractor ranks as second behind medical practitioners when people with low‐back pain seek care, with 19% seeking chiropractic care. This has been a consistent finding in other high income countries.

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