Murtaza Akhter, MD, an emergency room physician and clinical assistant professor at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, discusses the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and the news that the FDA backed Moderna booster shots.

A first-year medical student at the College of Medicine – Phoenix wants to inspire moms it is not too late in life to start a career path. Amy Arias, a mother of three, said after medical scares between her and her husband she decided she wanted to get into the medical field.

An FDA advisory panel unanimously voted to recommend Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine booster six months after initial vaccination for vulnerable Americans. Those included in the recommendation are people ages 65 and older, adults with underlying health conditions and those with an increased risk of contracting the virus due to their job. Shad Marvasti, MD, director of the public health, prevention and health promotion curriculum and associate professor at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, is interviewed.

University of Arizona medical students will soon deliver healthy meals to the homes of cancer patients in Phoenix as part of a partnership with a Valley-based nonprofit organization. The Joy Bus collects and cooks donated food for volunteers to deliver to cancer patients around the Valley, with first- and second-year medical students enrolled in the Culinary Medicine Capstone Course at the UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. The nonprofit and medical students will not only deliver chef-inspired meals but also have impactful conversations with cancer patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an especially stressful time for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, which attacks not only the cancer, but also the immune cells needed to defend the body from infections. “We wanted to make sure we understand the level of protection the COVID-19 vaccines are offering our cancer patients, especially as restrictions were being eased and more contagious variants were starting to spread,” says Rachna Shroff, MD, chief of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and director of the Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office.

Researchers have identified specific micronutrients and other substances in food that show promise for the tired and weary among us. "The more interesting studies are in people who have some kind of sleep complaint, but not an actual disorder," says Michael Grandner, PhD, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the College of Medicine – Tucson, who studies nutrition's influence on sleep. "They show that you can somewhat normalize or at least make sleep better. It's hard to draw firm conclusions, but they are proof of concept."

The summit focuses on developing a public health approach for programs and policies that benefit the people of both countries and the border region.

One Health starts with the knowledge that human health is interconnected with environmental and animal health.

New Canadian data suggests those who received AstraZeneca and then an mRNA vaccine are well-protected. Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, an immunologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson, who was not involved in the study, was initially skeptical about mixing vaccine brands, a view that was far from unusual. But Dr. Bhattacharya said the results are "very encouraging" and provide evidence of "improved real-world protection" from delaying second doses.