UCLA Epidemiologist Alex Ortega

Goodbye, Trans Fats. RIP, Kung Pao Chicken.

Epidemiologist Alex Ortega is professor of public health and psychiatry & bio-behavioral sciences at UCLA, where he is also director and principal investigator of the Center for Population Health and Health Disparities. Before participating in a panel on how Angelenos eat now, he taught us the word “tittup,” explained why karaoke makes him sweat, and contemplated a world without kung pao chicken in the Zócalo green room.

January 29, 2014

UCLA Public Affairs Dean Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.

He Dreams of Meeting Prince … and Eating Risotto for Breakfast

January 14, 2014

Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. is dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs; his research focuses on strategic communications, public policy, electoral politics, and racial and ethnic politics. Before …

Humiliating Fat People Is Hazardous to Our Health

The War on Obesity Is Counterproductive. Why Not Focus On Better Eating and Living for Everyone?

by Abigail C. Saguy | December 17, 2013

Why is First Lady Michelle Obama supporting the humiliation of fat people? Ms. Obama, who has made fighting childhood obesity her signature issue, recently appeared for the second time on …

Can a Sculpture Help Solve an Epidemic?

World AIDS Day Is a Reminder of Art’s Power to Save Lives

by David Gere | December 1, 2013

Twenty-five years ago, I was foraging through a museum bookstore and came upon an eye-catching title: AIDS: Cultural Analysis/Cultural Activism. The word “AIDS,” rendered on the cover in large font, …

The Diminished USC-UCLA Rivalry

In a Global City, a Local Football Fight, Too Often Lopsided, No Longer Packs the Same Punch

by Keith Thorell | November 27, 2013

I confess: I’m a diehard USC football fan. I braved 29-degree temperatures in Boulder last Saturday night to witness my Trojans conquer Colorado. This week we—I’m class of 1995 and …

Announcing Thinking L.A.—a New Partnership of UCLA and Zócalo Public Square

October 15, 2013

UCLA and Zócalo Public Square, the Los Angeles-based Ideas Exchange that blends live events and humanities journalism, have launched a two-year partnership that will create a new destination—both on-the-ground and …

How Being in Good Health Can Save Californians Money

An Economist Explains How Every Dollar Invested in California Public Health Is Worth $67

How a Royal Illness Spurred a Public Health Revolution

For Decades, the British Ignored One of the Greatest Health Calamities of Their Age. Then the Prince of Wales Contracted Typhoid Fever

A Letter From Sweden, Which Deems Flax Seeds More Dangerous Than the Pandemic

An Immigrant From America Fell for the ‘Sensible, Progressive Attitude’ and Caution of Her Adopted Country. Then COVID Hit

This Place Is Sick

How Can We Make the Central Valley Healthier Without Increasing Government Spending?

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