Health Sciences In The Media

Gila Valley residents could soon see expanded cardiology, wound care and inpatient dialysis services if things go as planned for Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center. The hospital is taking the final steps necessary to be designated a critical access hospital, which would allow it to be reimbursed differently by Medicare and Medicaid. Jill Bullock from the University of Arizona Center for Rural Health, which is helping the hospital during the process, spoke to people at a public meeting on Thursday night.

Kobalt Bar in Phoenix will soon host karaoke nights with new safety protocols in place. "We know that singing, you know, amplifies the spread because it really gets a lot of those viral particles out there into the air and spreads it out," said Dr. Sahd Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. "If there's a way they can do it outdoors, that would be even better for public health and safety."

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can relieve pain, according to a new study by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers. The finding may explain why nearly half of all people who get COVID-19 experience few or no symptoms, even though they are able to spread the disease, according to the study's corresponding author Rajesh Khanna, a professor in the College of Medicine – Tucson's Department of Pharmacology.

In October 2019, the FDA approved emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (FTC/TAF) as a second option for HIV PrEP in at-risk adults and adolescents but excluded cisgender women from the approval because of a lack of efficacy data. The FTC/TAF decision underscored existing concerns over leaving women out of clinical research. “There are sex differences in immune responses, drug metabolism and disease states. Some differences are mediated by hormonal differences and others by other biological factors,” said Infectious Disease News Editorial Board Member Elizabeth Connick, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Experts say access to affordable and reliable health care is one of the hot topics of this election. "I believe everyone in Arizona and across the United States should have access to care," said Dr. Daniel Derksen, associate vice president for health sciences at the University of Arizona and director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health. "We are certainly spending enough as a nation and spending enough as a state to cover every single person with the care that they need, so that they get it when they need it, such as during a COVID-19 pandemic."

Dr. Cheryl O'Malley, associate dean of graduate medical education at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, is interviewed about the biggest changes to the residency application process due to COVID-19, including the virtual interview.

Live interview with Dr. Murtaza Akhter, an emergency physician at the Valleywise Health Medical Health Center and Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix.

Ginny L. Clements, a breast cancer survivor and longtime supporter of the University of Arizona has given $8.5 million to the University of Arizona Cancer Center to strengthen the center's breast cancer patient care and research programs.

The Tohono O'odham Nation has committed $1 million to the University of Arizona to help researchers fight COVID-19. UA researchers have been involved in understanding the coronavirus and testing people across the state since the pandemic’s arrival in the United States in the spring. An antibody test developed by immunologists in the College of Medicine-Tucson has been deployed throughout Arizona in partnership with Gov. Doug Ducey, according to the UA.

Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said Arizona is at a "pivotal" moment for COVID-19. Daily case reports are about the same as seen in late May and early June, four weeks before the peak of the outbreak. Given that Arizona is at that level now, it's possible rapid infection could take off, said Joe Gerald, an associate professor at University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "It's almost as if we have a loaded gun in our hand and if we're not careful, it can go off and hurt someone," he said of the case trends.