A 14-year-old boy’s turnaround and quick recovery after mysteriously being stricken by brain-inflaming encephalitis shows that the newest generation of DNA analysis tools can be harnessed to reveal the cause of a life-threatening infection even when physicians have no suspects.

UCSF won gold and silver medals in an international contest from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), which announced its Circle of Excellence awards Wednesday morning.

The New York Times Health for Tomorrow conference, held at UCSF, featured experts from the University of California and across the country, addressing the changing landscape of health care.