Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have spread beyond the Colleges of Medicine as the other Health Sciences colleges address racism in health care.

Researchers are exploring a potential link between COVID-19 vaccination and tinnitus. Shaowen Bao, PhD, an associate professor of neuroscience, physiological sciences, and physiology at the College of Medicine – Tucson, discusses his research on the association between tinnitus and SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination, and whether patients who develop tinnitus after vaccination should receive a booster dose.

Michael Grandner, PhD, director of the Sleep and Heath Research Program at the College of Medicine – Tucson, explains the history of weighted blankets, originally an occupational therapy tool designed to help children with developmental disabilities who often sleep restlessly and benefit from movement restriction therapies.

Researchers at the College of Medicine – Phoenix have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how medications used to treat hypertension may provide insight into novel treatments to produce long-lasting protection against heart disease. Taben Hale, PhD, associate professor and director of the Hale Laboratory, will lead the study.

U.S. Representatives Kevin MacCarthy (R-CA) and David Schweikert (R-AZ), co-chairs of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force, have previously called for research funding to combat the disease. Both congressmen were praised by the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona and Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical for their efforts.

Dr. Karen Lutrick of the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson was recognized for her work to further research on COVID-19 and vaccine effectiveness.

Health Sciences experts in a variety of fields are part of an international movement to encourage girls and women to enter STEM fields.

Chronic stress among the elderly can make the problem worse, says Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. She says that elderly stress caused by everything from loneliness to finances to poor health can make mental decline worse.

Infants and children with poor nutrition and growth are more likely to suffer from a serious respiratory condition that has been linked to comorbidities and early mortality as adults, according to researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences. The study, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, is the first to identify early-life risk factors for spirometric restriction in adult life.

The University of Arizona Health Sciences has provided medical care to hundreds of families in need during the pandemic. It’s through free student-run clinics at the College of Medicine – Tucson with a commitment to underserved people, also known as CUP clinics.