Dana Chase, MD, an assistant professor at the College of Medicine – Phoenix and gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology, discusses the importance of genetic testing to guide treatment decisions for patients with ovarian cancer.

The highest-rated television program in recent weeks has been the NBA Finals, featuring thousands of often mask-free fans crowding indoor arenas in Phoenix and Milwaukee to cheer on the teams — a visual that induced complicated emotions in at least one expert. “I cringe every time I see it,” said Shad Marvasti, MD, a family medicine physician at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, who added he’s rooting for Phoenix to win the NBA Finals — but wishes fans were required to wear masks. “You can’t leave this one to the honor system. It just doesn’t work that way.”

Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences found that Cannabis terpenes, when used alone, mimic the effects of cannabinoids, including a reduction in pain sensation. When terpenes were combined with a synthetic cannabinoid, the pain-relieving effects were amplified – an “entourage effect” – that reduced pain levels without an increase in euphoria and other side effects.

Uncertainty about how many vaccinated people previously were infected with COVID-19 makes it hard to gauge the population’s total immunity and predict the potential duration and severity of the recent “brisk acceleration” in new cases, said Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, an associate professor of public health policy at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Given that uncertainty, policymakers and individuals “should take immediate steps to adopt evidence-based mitigation practices to reduce transmission,” Gerald wrote Friday in an assessment of COVID-19 conditions in Arizona.

Arizona health officials say there is, "definitely an uptick" in COVID-19 cases across the state, likely due to the highly contagious delta variant. In a mid-summer update on COVID-19 across the state, Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, wrote that cases in Arizona as of the week ending July 4 had increased for four consecutive weeks.

Legislators in more than a dozen states passed laws in recent months dismantling the ability of city and county governments to mandate masks, shutter businesses, and require vaccines. "Our hands are tied and I think that's a mistake," said Shad Marvasti, MD, director of public health, prevention and health promotion at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

“We built the @PrimaryCareChat handle to create a sense of belonging, mutual support for growth and celebration of the work primary care physicians do to combat these negative work factors and help to build a stronger primary care workforce,” said Indu Partha, MD, an internist at the College of Medicine – Tucson. She co-founded Primary Care Chat and detailed how it has helped its physician participants during a session at the International Conference on Physician Health.

Continuing coverage: The Arizona Legislature approved the budget for next fiscal year on June 30. It bans public schools throughout the state from requiring masks or COVID-19 testing. "As a public health expert, I continue to recommend mask use in schools. Recent research shows COVID spreads less in schools where teachers and staff wear masks … It is no longer a matter of debate: Masks work," said Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD, a professor of epidemiology at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

The Mobile Health Program in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson, offers free family and prenatal health care to anyone.

New coronavirus infections have doubled in the U.S. as the pace of vaccinations gets cut in half. The Surgeon General warns misinformation may be playing a part. Interview with Shad Marvasti, MD, a family medicine physician and the director of public health, prevention and health promotion at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.