Greetings, UCR Health Team,

April and May have given us several meaningful moments to celebrate the people who make UCR Health excellent — those who provide care, those who support care, and everyone who helps our patients experience the best of who we are. As we pause to reflect on these past weeks, I want to share what we accomplished together and highlight some exciting developments that speak to where we are headed.

Celebrating C.A.R.E. Award Honorees

On April 14, the UC Riverside School of Medicine recognized faculty and staff at its annual awards dinner. I want to congratulate our UCR Health award recipients. Their recognition reflects the professionalism, compassion, and teamwork we strive for every day: 

• Lynsey Lakin, NP — Outstanding Clerkship Instructor 
• Jean Russell, MD — Outstanding Clerkship Instructor 
• Kathy Calderon, MD — Award for Excellence in Patient Care 
• Michelle Bholat, MD — Research Achievement Award in Clinical Research 
• Peter Ureste, MD — Clinical Faculty of the Year Award 
• Paul Salama, MD, MPH — Community Educator of the Year Award 

I also want to recognize Sasha Whitaker and Zina Jubrael, who were honored with the Staff Mission Award – Clinical. Thank you both for the excellence you bring to your teams and the care experience you help create for our patients. 

Administrative Professionals Day

On April 22, we recognized Administrative Professionals Day. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the administrative professionals across UCR Health. Your work is essential - You keep clinics moving, help patients navigate their care, support our physicians and teams, and bring calm and clarity to busy days. You are often the first voice a patient hears and the steady force that keeps everything organized behind the scenes.

I also want to give special recognition to our Executive Admin Team — Alex White, Beverley Herbert, and Lisa Perkins. Thank you for everything you do to support our leaders and teams across the organization.

Partnership Update: Joint Operating Committee with UCSD Health 

On May 11, members of our leadership team traveled to San Diego to participate in a Joint Operating Committee meeting with UCSD Health. These collaborative sessions are a cornerstone of how we build and sustain the partnerships that strengthen our health system. 

At this meeting, our teams focused on expanding our managed care networks and our clinically integrated network infrastructure. This work is already yielding results — UCR Health welcomed its first Blue & Gold members into our network in April, a meaningful milestone in growing our managed care reach and ensuring more patients can access our services. By aligning our expansion strategies with UCSD Health, we are building pathways for stronger care coordination, broader access to specialty services, and a more connected regional health system across the Inland Empire and beyond. We look forward to sharing more details as these efforts continue to develop. 

Innovation Update: AI-Supported Clinical Technology

UCR Health is committed to putting technology to work in the service of our patients and our teams. I am pleased to share several updates on AI-driven initiatives that are already active across our organization.

Nabla Clinical Documentation Pilot

We have launched a pilot of Nabla, an AI-powered ambient clinical documentation platform. Nabla assists providers by generating draft clinical notes during patient encounters, significantly reducing documentation time and allowing clinicians to be more fully present with their patients. We are actively gathering feedback from participating providers as we evaluate the pilot for broader rollout.

AI Tools Now in Use Across UCR Health 

In addition to the Nabla pilot, we have deployed AI-supported capabilities in the following areas: 

• AI-Supported Dictation — Reducing transcription time and streamlining provider documentation workflows 
• Patient Portal Message Drafting — Helping care teams respond to patient inquiries more efficiently 
• Online Scheduling — Improving patient access and reducing friction in the scheduling process 
• Population Health Risk Prediction Models — Identifying high-risk patients earlier to enable proactive outreach and care management 

These tools represent the beginning of a broader commitment. We will continue to evaluate and roll out additional AI-driven technology designed to improve service, access, and efficiency — always in support of our teams and the patients we serve. 

Celebrating National Nurses Week

National Nurses Week, May 6 through May 12, gave us a dedicated moment to honor nurses across UCR Health—and we were proud to celebrate you. This week, and every week, we celebrate our NPs, LVNs, and care team members who support our patients, physicians, colleagues, and community with skill, heart, and professionalism. I also want to recognize several of our NPs and LVNs for the important role they play in delivering compassionate, high-quality care:

• Sabrina Beasley-Hall, LVN
• Liz Duran, LVN
• Monica Jenkins, NP
• Lynsey Lakin, NP
• Becky Ortega, LVN
• Nicole Sihotang, NP

If you haven’t already, we invite you to watch the full leadership message on our Instagram page — a heartfelt tribute to our NPs and LVNs who make UCR Health exceptional. View the post here.

Thank you for everything you do. Your work matters, and the impact reaches far beyond what any of us can see in a single moment. It is a privilege to serve alongside such a dedicated and caring team.

With gratitude,