While the UA POD may be decommissioning at the end of June, the pandemic is not over. As health departments battle vaccine hesitancy, the College of Public Health’s Mobile Health Unit is working to increase access to the vaccine for communities of color, building on their work in providing preventative care for these communities. Dr. Cecilia Rosales, associate dean of community engagement and outreach, discusses the MOVE UP initiative.

A new study found that COVID-19 survivors have a higher risk of death and health problems. Researchers also found that doctors are using prescription opioids to manage symptoms experienced by those long haul survivors. "So, the COVID-19 virus itself is very insidious. It has an umbrella of effects, including respiration, nervous system, mental health effects, metabolic disorders. So some of them also result in excessive pain and headache and myalgia among these patients," said Dr. Rajesh Khanna, a professor and co-director at the Center for Chronic Pain and Addiction at the College of Medicine – Tucson.

While you may not think of sweat as a form of testing for health conditions, some researchers believe it could be as beneficial as routine bloodwork. One research team from the University of Arizona Health Sciences is working to find more evidence that molecules in sweat can provide information on your stress response levels, circulatory system, immune system, and nervous system.

Thousands of New Mexico residents still haven’t registered to obtain coronavirus shots, though the state is among the leaders in the country in the percentage of those who have acquired them. Dr. Daniel Derksen, director of the University of Arizona's Center for Rural Health, said the vaccines are effective and carry little risk.

White people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 at a higher rate than other racial or ethnic groups in Arizona, even though they have had the lowest overall rate of COVID-19 cases per capita during the pandemic. The misalignment is not caused by race alone, said Joe Gerald, an associate professor with the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "It's not race, per se, but rather the conditions and structural inequities that these groups face. Some of it may be, they may be more likely to live in an area where there's a health care provider shortage. That kind of thing. So, it may be unrealistic to expect them to ever catch up fully."

Infection and Inflammation as Drivers of Aging enables students to gain specialized training in age-related diseases and processes.

Data blitzes, spotlight talks and special session on diversity, equity and inclusion highlight the second annual event that is free and open to the public.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new guidance making it easier for more medical professionals to prescribe a common medication to treat opioid abuse. "It seems like less than a fifth of people with opioid use disorder are on methadone or buprenorphine or have access to it," said Dr. Melody Glenn, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine – Tucson's Department of Emergency Medicine. According to Benjamin Robert Brady, a researcher with the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, a little more than 2,300 providers had received their waivers to administer buprenorphine in Arizona.

You might not think about it as much as you do eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep, but maintaining good circulation is one of the most important building blocks to keeping your health on the rails. “When you exercise, your muscles need greater blood flow, which supplies oxygen and other nutrients,” says Nachiket Patel, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and clinical assistant professor of medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

UArizona employees are playing an instrumental role in distributing the COVID-19 vaccine to Arizonans.