As coronavirus cases once again rise in the U.S., experts say breakthrough cases will also go up, but that doesn't mean the vaccines aren't working. "It may be that for the vast majority of vaccinated people who get infected, they just don't make enough virus to infect another person," said Janko Nikolich-Žugich, MD, PhD, an immunologist and professor of medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson.

Interview with Lisa Shubitz, DVM, a veterinarian and research scientist at the University of Arizona Valley Fever Center for Excellence.

A research study that started by analyzing COVID-19 immunity and vaccine effectiveness in frontline workers is broadening to include children.

Presentations of artwork spoke to the challenges faced by young physicians while serving as frontline healthcare providers during the pandemic.

The Oak Creek School Mountain Bike Skills Park is set to break ground in the spring and will include both a bike track and an integrated fitness track with stations for activities such as pull-ups, sit-ups and other fitness challenges. The skills park will be built “by students for students” — by kids enrolled in the Verde Academy for Career Technical Education. The project will cost just over $100,000 to complete at no cost to the school district, thanks to grants and donations from the UArizona Center for Rural Health and other non-profit and private donors.

Continuing coverage: Women on hormone replacement therapy for menopause go on to have a 58% lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, a new study finds. "This is not the first study on the impact of hormone therapies on neurodegenerative disease reduction," said study senior author Roberta Diaz Brinton, director of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science. "But what is important about this study is that it advances the use of precision hormone therapies in the prevention of neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer's."

Ahead of this school year, the American Academy of Pediatrics published new guidance recommending students of all ages continue to use masks this fall, regardless of vaccination status. Ricardo Correa, MD, an endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, was frustrated by the Arizona legislature's move to ban masks and COVID-19 testing in public schools. "That was not an evidence-based policy," he said. "If you don't know who is vaccinated and not vaccinated, then you cannot ban the mandate of having a mask in schools."

Health experts agree more needs to be done to combat misinformation online. Ricardo Correa, MD, associate professor at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, who helps lead a Spanish-language vaccine campaign called “¡Vacúnate ya!” responds to the biggest myths about the COVID-19 vaccine circulating on social media and why they’re false.

Medical students, 120 each in the Class of 2025 and Class of 2024, will receive the frocks of their future profession at Centennial Hall events.