On May 16, 2025, Professors Hung V. Pham and Martin-Louis Riu participated in a lighthearted fundraiser for the Saving Hearts Foundation (SHF), where students could throw whipped cream pies at them for $4 per pie or two for $7.
Saving Hearts Foundation is a nonprofit, chapter-based organization that provides free preventative heart screenings for individuals between the ages of 12 and 35 to detect cardiac conditions that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Learn more about the UCLA chapter here.
SHF is funded solely through donations and grants, relying on community support – especially through fundraisers – to fulfill its mission. “Pie-your-Professor” was one such event, developed by SHF’s Finance Task Force. Internal Vice President Melissa Parra, upcoming Finance Director Cameron Rozell, and upcoming Publicity Director Shravya Girish were particularly involved in bringing this fun, creative, and collaborative event to life. Equally as passionate about the fundraising efforts were organic chemistry professors Hung V. Pham and Martin-Louis Riu, who took dozens of pies to the face with enthusiasm and encouraged students, Teaching Assistants (TAs), and passersby alike to “throw pies, save lives!”
SHF hopes to make “Pie-your-Professor” an annual tradition to bring faculty and students together in support of its critical mission: preventing SCA in youth – one pie at a time.
Dr. Hung V. Pham is an Associate Adjunct Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. He earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from UCLA in 2015 studying under Professor Ken Houk. Since joining UCLA’s instructional faculty in 2016, Pham has taught various organic chemistry courses, including Chemistry 14C/D and Chemistry 30A/B/C. In 2022, Pham received the department’s prestigious Hanson-Dow Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Martin-Louis Riu is an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. He serves as a Donald J. Cram Teacher-Scholar, a position that allows postdoctoral scholars to gain experience in both research and teaching. Riu, who joined the department’s instructional faculty in July 2024, conducts research in Professor Matthew Nava’s group and is currently teaching Chemistry 14C.
About the Saving Heart Foundation
The Saving Hearts Foundation is a non-profit organization at UCLA that aims to prevent sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) via awareness, education, and action. SCA is caused by an abnormality of the heart’s electrical system which suddenly causes the heart to stop beating, leading to immediate organ failure and death. Oftentimes, the first symptom of SCA is the life-threatening event itself, and the risk of death increases by 10% per minute if no medical intervention is taken; in fact, 90% of out-of-hospital SCA cases are fatal. SCA is the number 1 killer of student athletes and number 5 killer of people under 25, meaning it is independent of lifestyle factors and disproportionately affects youth.
SHF primarily fulfills its mission of preventing SCA in youth (particularly those in underserved communities) through free heart screenings at schools, community centers, and health fairs. Here, individuals aged 12-35 receive electrocardiograms (EKGs) that record the heart’s electrical activity, and on-site cardiologists evaluate these results to identify any abnormalities. Throughout its 10 years of service, SHF has hosted 42 heart screenings, screened over 5,000 individuals, identified 168 cases requiring a cardiologist follow-up, and confirmed 67 dangerous cardiac abnormalities that would have led to an SCA event. In their 10th year alone, they’ve hosted 6 screenings, screened over 400 individuals, identified 60 abnormal EKG results, and confirmed 5 dangerous cardiac abnormalities.
Photos courtesy of Shravya Girish and Melissa Parra (The Saving Hearts Foundation), Professor Martin-Louis Riu, Kelsea Valerio, and Marla Gonzales (UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry).
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
