UArizona Develops App to Assist Stress, Anxiety From Social Isolation Sept. 15, 2020 University of Arizona researchers have developed an app to assist in reducing stress and anxiety related to social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. KVOA-TV
The Coronavirus Vaccine Race – and Its Hidden Hurdles Sept. 15, 2020 Labs and factories around the globe are racing to test and produce more than a billion doses of coronavirus vaccine. To shrink a 10-year marathon into a 10-month sprint, they are merging institutional knowledge with novel bioscience methods. "This first round of vaccines is certainly using more of what we would call experimental platforms – things that don't have a lot of track record yet," said Deepta Bhattacharya, a cell biologist and immunologist at the University of Arizona. "Now, that's not to say that it won't work. And to be honest, all of the early data that I'm seeing so far, it looks really quite promising." KJZZ-Radio
Chemotherapy Stewardship Offers Opportunities to Reduce Costs to Health Systems, Patients Sept. 15, 2020 As cancer care costs continue to increase in the United States, a focus on chemotherapy stewardship may result in cost savings for health systems and patients. During a session of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association Practice Management 2020 Virtual Learning Event, presenter Ali McBride, clinical coordinator of hematology/oncology for the University of Arizona Cancer Center, said a 2011 projection by the National Cancer Institute estimated there would be 18.1 million cancer survivors in the United States in 2020, which represents a 30% increase in the number of cancer survivors since 2010. Pharmacy Times
Promising Results From Initial Use of the COVID-19 Antigens Tests Central to Pac-12 Football's Return Sept. 15, 2020 By the end of the month, tens of thousands of rapid-response antigen tests will be delivered to athletic departments across the Pac-12. One school – the University of Arizona – began using the tests months ago. The university has run 25,000 Quidel tests on students, athletes, staff members and ICU patients since the spring. David Harris, who oversees the program, said the results have been impressive. "It only seems to get better the more you do it," he said. Arizona Daily Star
State Pushes Flu Vaccinations to Avert Flu-and-COVID-19 'Perfect Storm' Sept. 15, 2020 Just over two in five Arizona adults got a flu shot last year, a number state officials are desperate to improve on before the onset of both influenza and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic this fall. "It's difficult to tell what the response will be each year" to the call for people to get vaccinated, said Dr. Daniel Derksen, director of the University of Arizona Center for Rural Health. "You want to protect those vulnerable populations." Cronkite News
UArizona Cancer Center Honored with 2020 Innovator Award Sept. 14, 2020 Efforts to keep patients safe in the time of COVID-19 led to significant savings and innovation in chemotherapy delivery and earned University of Arizona Health Sciences center national recognition. Read more Image
Internationally Recognized Radiologist Named UArizona Chair of Medical Imaging Sept. 14, 2020 Joining the University of Arizona Health Sciences in October, Dr. Geoffrey Rubin holds six U.S. patents for medical image analysis and is past chairman of radiology at Duke University School of Medicine. Read more Image
'Bear Down, Mask up' and Shelter in Place: UA Announces Recommendations to Curb COVID-19 Surge Sept. 14, 2020 University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins said the university expected to see an increase in COVID-19 cases, but it has become too much, necessitating a shelter-in-place recommendation similar to what the state faced in the spring. The Arizona Republic
UArizona Researchers Find Minimal Difference in Hand-Drying Methods Sept. 14, 2020 A University of Arizona Health Sciences research team reviewed nearly 300 published studies on the hygienic benefits of hand-drying methods, comparing paper towels to electric hand dryers. "Neither one's better. The most important thing is that you just dry your hands," said Kelly Reynolds, director of the Environment, Exposure Science and Risk Assessment Center at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. KTAR-FM Phoenix
Coronavirus Cases on College Campuses 'Could Be the Starting Point of a Second Wave' Sept. 12, 2020 Colleges across the U.S. are reporting outbreaks of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, leaving experts and residents concerned about the pandemic worsening in certain areas. Dr. Farshad Marvasti, director of public health and prevention curriculum at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, said that "as we get into flu season, where health care resources will be strained further and people with other acute exacerbations of chronic diseases like heart attacks or strokes or other emergencies will not be able to get the care we need," surges of transmissions on college campuses are "a telltale sign that could be the starting point of a second wave." Yahoo! Finance