Health Sciences In The Media

Gabe Martinez, a program aide at the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities at the College of Medicine – Tucson, will advise President Joe Biden as a member of the Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the White House announced Friday.

Dongkyun Kang, PhD, assistant professor of optical sciences and biomedical engineering, received a $1 million National Eye Institute grant to support his work to develop a portable device that could be used to detect corneal ulcers. Dr. Kang, a research member at the UArizona Cancer Center, previously worked on a smartphone confocal microscope to diagnose cancer in rural settings.

A new study in the journal Nature found that even mild cases of COVID-19 can cause shrinkage in certain regions of the brain. Kathleen Rodgers, PhD, professor of pharmacology and associate director of translational neuroscience at the UArizona Health Sciences Center for Innovations in Brain Science, says this study was impressive because researchers were able to look at MRI scans from before the pandemic. The Health Sciences Office of Communications assisted with this story.

The Arizona Board of Regents will vote on proposed tuition increases next month at its meeting in Tucson. The College of Medicine – Tucson and College of Medicine – Phoenix resident tuition would increase 4.3% and nonresident tuition would increase 1% for first- through fourth-year students.

The Graham County Health Department is asking community members to take part in a survey to understand the health issues people in Graham County face. The survey is part of an assessment in collaboration with the Southeast Arizona Health Education Center (SEAHEC) and the UArizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

Occupational and environmental health and safety experts offer key considerations related to existing PPE, new respirators and exposure times for crews on the front lines of wildland fires. The story references a $1.5 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant funding a study at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health to evaluate cancer risks among wildland firefighters to find ways to reduce those risks.

Jordan Karp, MD, the department chair and a professor of psychiatry at the College of Medicine – Tucson, previews "Psychiatry for Non-Psychiatrists: The University of Arizona Update in Behavioral Medicine for Primary Care," a virtual conference, March 12. The second of the four-part series features the 30-minute lecture “Diagnosis & Treatment of ADHD Across the Lifespan: A Primer for Primary Care Physicians.”

In response to the alarming rise in mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, addiction, and suicide, the department of psychiatry at the College of Medicine – Tucson has created a conference to train primary care physicians to more confidently care for patients with these conditions. Jordan Karp, MD, the department chair and a professor of psychiatry at the College of Medicine – Tucson, previews the fully virtual conference to be held on Saturday, March 12.

University of Arizona's Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Integrative Medicine clinic research was included in a new white paper published by the Family Medicine Education Consortium and Samueli Foundation. According to the paper, U.S. health care systems and clinics report reducing costs, improving patient experience and health, while enhancing clinician wellbeing by delivering integrative care.

First lady Jill Biden touted her husband’s push to eradicate cancer and the Biden administration’s efforts to improve health care for Native Americans during a stop Tuesday at the Tohono O’odham Nation outside Tucson. Biden met with tribal health officials and University of Arizona Cancer Center leaders.