A new omicron variant is being closely watched here and abroad after causing a spike in cases in several European countries including Germany, Switzerland and the UK. But the question is, how much worry should there be over the new variant. Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, associate professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is quoted.

Experts in sleep and comfort share helpful tips and tricks so you can rest easier every night. Michael Grandner, PhD, director of the Sleep and Heath Research Program at the College of Medicine – Tucson, is quoted.

The University of Arizona and UArizona Health Sciences has announced the completion of a $23 million fundraising effort to build a new home for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, part of the College of Medicine – Tucson. The 30,000-square-foot facility will be located on the UArizona Health Sciences campus at 1231 N. Cherry Ave. Construction is expected to begin mid-May and be completed in fall 2023.

A new paraprofessional program trains people to become family support specialists and help address the needs of loved ones with substance use disorders.

Paleontologists have discovered a fossil belonging to an ancient saber-toothed creature thought to be the first cat-like predator to exist in the U.S. Shawn Zack, PhD, assistant professor of basic medical sciences at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, is quoted.

Data from an ongoing study at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, in combination with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's PROTECT study,show the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been a moderately effective tool for preventing COVID-19 spread and reducing the severity of infection among children and adolescents.

A new CDC study of COVID-19 vaccination rates shows the nationwide gap between urban and rural areas more than doubled in the past year, with urban counties beating rural ones everywhere — except in Arizona. Daniel Derksen, MD, a public health professor and director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona, was not surprised Arizona's rural counties did well, despite the state's failure to curtail preventable deaths.

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.