About

About Us

UCI Research Associates brings together community members who share a passion for health innovation to promote, celebrate and support health sciences research at UCI. As Orange County’s only academic health system, UCI is home to nationally renowned researchers who are working locally to develop tomorrow’s healthcare breakthroughs today. Research Associates brings this exciting work to the community, giving local residents an early look at the future of health.

Get the latest news on transformational studies that promise to advance the frontiers of health.

Our History

Research Associates was founded by Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke as a UCI School of Medicine support group in 1983.

Mrs. Clarke felt it was important to celebrate the significance of medical research by honoring the outstanding accomplishments of UCI investigators. The Athalie Clarke Achievement Award was named in her honor.

Mrs. Clarke’s vision was sustained for decades by the group’s long-serving president, Madeline Martin Swinden. In 2019, under Mrs. Swinden’s leadership, Research Associates expanded its mission to encompass support for all schools and programs in the UCI Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, which includes the School of Medicine. This transition united Research Associates with another group established by Mrs. Clarke — Associates for the Advancement of Nursing Science and Research, operating today as the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing Leadership Council.

As Research Associates evolves to serve a larger purpose, it remains true to the intent of Athalie Clarke and Madeline Swinden, shining a light on the visionary researchers in the College of Health Sciences for all the community to see the groundbreaking studies that are improving health and wellbeing.