Medical students from the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson will shadow UArizona Cancer Center members to explore oncology career opportunities.

Researchers at the University of Arizona are looking at the effects of taking the full course of one COVID-19 vaccine and then taking the full course of another one. Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunobiologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, said there is no immunological reason why a person couldn't get two different shots.

More than half of all adult Americans have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The younger you are, experts say, the more likely it is that you will experience a side effect. "It's actually expected to see more side effects the younger you are because our immune system has a more robust response to the vaccines," said Dr. Farshad Fani Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Gov. Doug Ducey removed the statewide order that directed K-12 schools to require masks Monday afternoon, putting responsibility on local school leaders to decide whether masks will be required for the final weeks of the school year. The biggest problem with rescinding mask requirements in schools is that children under the age of 16 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, said Dr. Farshad Fani Marvasti, a physician and associate professor at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Around 40% of people who have a heart attack also suffer from depression, and women have twice the risk of experiencing the combination of major depression and cardiovascular disease. The College of Medicine – Phoenix received an $8 million grant to investigate the sex disparities in these debilitating conditions.

If you’re feeling more symptoms with the COVID-19 vaccine than with the flu shot, you’re not alone. Health experts say there’s a reason for that. Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunobiologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson, says the reason why more people are having more reactions to COVID-19 vaccines compared to flu vaccines is because they're made differently. “Vaccines are really engineered and designed to trigger some of that inflammation.” Bhattacharya says the flu vaccine does not trigger the same reaction.

Dr. Francisco Moreno, associate vice president of diversity and inclusion, and Dr. Elizabeth Connick, chief of infectious diseases at the College of Medicine – Tucson, discuss vaccine hesitancy in Pima County.

Immunobiology student Dakota Reinartz and his faculty mentors have their sights set on better understanding the link between inflammation and cancer.

If you got the Pfizer vaccine, will you really need to get a third shot within a year? Thursday, the CEO of Pfizer said that’s likely the case. However, a local expert says not so fast. “I think it was some speculation more than anything,” said Deepta Bhattacharya, associate professor of immunobiology at the College of Medicine – Tucson.

With robust diversity and inclusion efforts, UArizona Health Sciences is establishing avenues to create equity in medicine.