A nonprofit founded by a UCLA student was nominated as a finalist for the 2024 Westly Prize for Young Social Innovators. The Brain Exercise Initiative, founded by UCLA medical and Harvard law student Esin Gumustekin, focuses on helping older people avoid memory loss by using brain exercises, according to its website. Read more...

Photo: A volunteer from the Brain Exercise Initiative leads a group of older adults through an activity. The initiative, founded by a UCLA student, was nominated for the 2024 Westly Prize for Young Social Innovators. (Courtesy of Brain Exercise Initiative, Purdue Chapter)

Two UCLA ophthalmologists are bridging gaps in health care through a combination of Western and Eastern medicine. In 2020, Drs. Tara and Colin McCannel founded Seyhart, a wellness center in Santa Monica that seeks to incorporate complementary medicine – a combination of alternative and traditional medical practices – into American health care. Read more...

Photo: Colin McCannel (left) and Tara McCannel (right), founders of Santa Monica wellness center Seyhart, are pictured. The two UCLA ophthalmologists employ a combination of Eastern and Western medical treatments in their work. (Courtesy of Maria Valenzuela)