Take a look back at some of the milestones that defined 2020 at the University of Arizona Health Sciences.

Health care experts criticized U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs for claiming that masks are not effective in slowing the spread of the coronavirus. "Masks absolutely work. Masks save lives and have benefits not only for the people around you but also for the wearer of the mask," said Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

The University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine has established a new scholarship funded by a generous gift from Paul Stamets, an internationally known mycologist and advocate of the medical benefits of mushrooms.

The more social determinants of health a person has, the higher their risk of dying from coronary heart disease over the next decade, observational data on more than 22,000 people confirm. "This is yet another study to show that social determinants of health matter maybe even more so than traditional risk factors when we’re talking about risk of fatal cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Khadijah Breathett, an assistant professor of cardiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

University of Arizona immunobiologist Deepta Bhattacharya in the College of Medicine – Tucson, says the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, and he will take it when it becomes available.

Loneliness, particularly among folks under shelter-in-place orders, is a growing issue for Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, new research finds. "Our society is becoming lonelier the longer the pandemic continues, which will likely lead to increased mental health issues in the near future," said the letter's author, William Killgore, a professor of psychiatry in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and director of the Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab.

Kelly A. Reynolds, PhD, MSPH, a professor and environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, writes about the effectiveness of sanitary survey scores to predict water quality at the point of use.

Valleywise Health said Tuesday that all of its ICU beds are being used and the ICU is at 100% capacity. "It's hard to know how bad it's going to get," said Joe Gerald, an associate professor in the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "But we do know we're currently seeing record levels of hospitalization and ICU admissions."

A new report by University of Arizona researchers finds that 20% of Arizona grocery store workers surveyed have experienced severe levels of mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customer behavior is one of the major sources of that stress. Mona Arora, a research specialist in the UArizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health is co-authors of the study.

A new report by University of Arizona researchers finds that 20% of Arizona grocery store workers surveyed have experienced severe levels of mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customer behavior is one of the major sources of that stress. Mona Arora, a research specialist in the UArizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health is one of the co-authors of the study.