Five UCSF faculty members have been named for top honors for distinguished research and teaching.

The UCSF Medal -- the University's highest honor -- will be awarded to four distinguished individuals at the annual Founders Day banquet on Tuesday, April 27.

Four faculty scientists at UCSF have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, considered one of the highest honors for an American scientist. The new elections bring to 34 the number of UCSF faculty who are members of the Academy.

A dramatic reading of letters between critically ill adults and healthy teenagers will be performed on Wednesday, May 19, in San Rafael.

The UCSF School of Nursing has received a $2.1 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, to establish the Betty Irene Moore Accelerated Doctoral Program in Nursing.

Abus Abbas, MD, professor and chair of pathology at UCSF, speaks on "Allergy, Autoimmune Disease and Vaccines: Harnessing the Immune System" at the fifth lecture of the UCSF Mini Medical School, a six-week series for the public continuing through April 21.

The UCSF Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) is offering new classes in health and healing during May and June. All classes are open to the public.

Kathleen Rydar has been named president of That Man May See, the eye research foundation that supports the UCSF School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology as well as patient care at UCSF Medical Center. Her appointment took effect on April 1.

Cholesterol-busting statins, the largest-selling prescription drugs in the U.S., may protect older people from blindness, a new study shows. Aspirin also appears to provide significant protection, according to the research.

Regis "Reg" B. Kelly, PhD, a distinguished neuroscientist and former executive vice chancellor of UCSF, has been appointed executive director of QB3, the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research.