With mask mandates and occupancy restrictions largely lifted, recovery from the pandemic continues to hinge on the vaccine. "There's no question, there's not even a close second, we need to do everything possible to make sure as many Arizonans as possible are vaccinated," said Dr. Joe Gerald, an associate professor of public health policy at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

The three state universities are expected to receive more than $746 million in one-time and ongoing funding from the state's general fund, including $77 million for the University of Arizona Health Sciences.

The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) has granted accreditation to the University of Arizona Cancer Center. “Achieving NAPBC accreditation ensures that our patients at the UArizona Cancer Center have access to excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered, multidisciplinary care that includes patient advocacy and community outreach,” said Julie Bauman, MD, deputy director of the Cancer Center.

The pandemic caused a great amount of stress, if not trauma, to many students. Dr. Noshene Ranjbar, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the College of Medicine – Tucson, says a holistic approach to mental health “must be strength-based, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, meeting the student where they are at.”

Dora Valencia, a doctoral student at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, single-handedly helped hundreds of people get signed up for the COVID-19 vaccine and is being recognized as this week’s Heart & Sol recipient.

AzREADI, or the Arizona Rural EMS Advanced Telemedicine Demonstration Initiative, is bringing immediate lifesaving telemedicine access to remote areas of rural southern Arizona. The program is funded by a HRSA grant awarded to the UArizona Center for Rural Health at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

Arizona is the most successful state nationwide for immunizing adults against COVID-19 in its smaller rural counties, according to a CDC report. “If we go back to January and February and look at the progress we’ve made since then, it’s astounding and impressive how much our communities have come together to address this,” said Dr. Daniel Derksen, director of the Arizona Center for Rural Health.

Legislation signed earlier this month by Gov. Doug Ducey covers a wide swath of issues aimed at making telehealth in Arizona a viable option for care. The new legislation makes Arizona one of only a handful of states to tackle the interstate issue, according to Nancy Rowe, who retired this week from her role as associate director for public policy and outreach at the University of Arizona Telemedicine Program.

Water storage tanks are one one of the most vulnerable points in a public water supply. There are millions of cases of gastrointestinal or respiratory illness that no one suspected came from their drinking water. “It’s an endemic level of illness that we just sort of live with. We have to decide, is it an acceptable risk?," said Dr. Kelly Reynolds, a professor and chair of the community, environment and policy department at the Mel and Enid College of Public Health.