Semel In the News: March 2026

The Guardian Surging prediction markets face legal backlash in US: ‘Lines have been blurred’ — Expert commentary from Dr. Timothy Fong, co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship and professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

Oprah Daily The Future of Menopause Care— Coverage of study co-led by Dr. Susan Bookheimer, clinical neuropsychologist at UCLA Health.

PBS NewsHour How sports betting is changing our brains and behavior— Expert commentary from Dr. Timothy Fong, co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Fellowshipand professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

LAist California invests $2.2M to support the mental health of kids coping with last year’s firestorms— Expert commentary from Dr. Matt Flesock, executive director of the UCLA Health Sound Body Sound Mind program, and Dr. Catherine Mogil, an associate clinical professor at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in the David Geffen School of Medicine.

Sleep Review Inflammation Triples Depression Risk for Older Adults with Insomnia— Expert commentary from Dr. Michael R. Irwin, Norman Cousins professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral science and director of the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.

Elle Magazine The Money Was Gone’: The Husband Who Gambled Away $1 Million on Sports— Expert commentary from Dr. Timothy Fong, co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship and professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

Nautilus How Gambling Addiction Is Changing in a Polymarket World— Interview with Dr. Timothy Fong, codirector of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship and professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

MedPage Today Autism Trial Supporting FDA-Touted Drug Is Retracted— Expert commentary from Dr. Shafali Jeste, chair of Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and executive director of the Children’sDiscovery and Innovation Institute.Additional coverage: MSN

The Transmitter Organoid study reveals shared brain pathways across autism-linked variants– Coverage of study led by and with commentary from Dr. Daniel Geschwind, professor of human genetics, neurology and psychiatry at UCLA.

KFI Dr. Tim Fong on Gambling Addiction— Expert commentary from Dr. Timothy Fong, co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship and professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Additional coverage: iHeart

Tallahassee Democrat High anxiety? Try mindfulness as practical approach to diminish stress— Expert commentary from Diana Winston, director of mindfulness education for the Mindful Awareness Research Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.

HealthCentral Can GLP-1s Help Treat Bipolar Disorder?— Expert commentary from Dr. Jennifer Kruse, associate professor of Psychiatry and physician-scientist at UCLA Health.

Herb Cannabis vs. Alcohol: Challenging Social Stigmas and Perceptions— Highlights UCLA Health study led by with commentary from Dr. Michael Hsu, health sciences clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences.

Daily Bruin UCLA researchers look into cannabis health effects with California state grant— Coverage of research led by Dr. Ziva Cooper, director of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids and associate professor at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Dr. Holly Middlekauff, cardiologist at UCLA Health.

New York Times A New Concern About Weight Loss Drugs: What if They Work Too Well?—Coverage of study led by Dr. Sahib S. Khalsa, director of Anxiety Disorders Research at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

Doctor Radio Brain health— Expert commentary from Dr. Helen Lavretsky, Semel Scholar in Integrative Mental Health at UCLA.

The New York Times Will ‘Psychiatry’s Bible’ Add a Postpartum Psychosis Diagnosis?— Expert commentary from Dr. Carrie E. Bearden, Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA.

The New York Times ‘The Pitt’ Is Showing Us the Complicated Reality of Psychosis— Expert commentary from Dr. Carrie E. Bearden, Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA.

UCLA Health Rare mutation in autism risk gene connects family with researcher—Expert commentary from Dr. Daniel Geschwind, professor of human genetics, neurology and psychiatry at UCLA.