[4] Dean of Medicine Stanley van den Noort supported there being a teaching hospital on campus,[5] placing him in political opposition to Governor Jerry Brown.

Brown blocked the release of funds for the hospital's construction and diverted them to founding the UCSF's dental school.

He also vetoed a compromise for UCI to take care of Orange County Medical Center's patients in exchange for a 200-bed hospital.

In 2016, two UC Irvine Health specialties were included among the top 50 nationally: 40th for orthopedics[7] and 41st for ear, nose, and throat.

The UC Irvine Medical Center was in the news in October 2021 when former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized there with early-stage sepsis due to a non-COVID-related urinary tract infection; he was expected to fully recover, and his illness raised awareness of the center and of the serious condition.

[12] Although the misuse of eggs was not illegal at the time, the doctors involved were indicted for mail fraud and tax evasion, and the two fled the country.

[18] Carlin Motley, a fundraiser for the hospital, filed a lawsuit in 2018 claiming she was not protected from a university volunteer who stalked and sexually harassed her for more than one year prior.

The medical center offers a full scope of acute- and general-care services including cancer care, digestive diseases, heart health neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, primary care, surgery, and women's health.

The medical center has also been named one of the nation's top hospitals for quality and safety by the Leapfrog Group.