Interview with Dr. Murtaza Akhter, an emergency physician at Valleywise Health Medical Center and assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix.

Most public health experts agree that herd immunity is not really a wise approach to defeat COVID-19. “We don't have anywhere near the percentage of the population exposed, infected and recovered or somehow immunized to COVID-19 yet. We're not going to get to herd immunity until much more people are exposed to the virus or if we have a vaccine which will enable people to get immunity,” said Dr. Shad Marvasti, a public health expert with the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix.

Ben Conner, a third-year MD/PhD student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, is studying a robotic walking therapy for children with cerebral palsy.

A focus on computing technology is positioning the University of Arizona Health Sciences to take advantage of the ever-increasing research opportunities afforded by big data.

A $2.2 million federal grant will allow Dr. Eugene Chang, a sinus surgeon at the UArizona College of Medicine - Tucson, to investigate human genetic viral interactions in the development of sinus disease.

In an article published in Nature Genetics, researchers confirm that about 14% of all cases of cerebral palsy may be linked to a patient’s genes and suggest that many of those genes control how brain circuits become wired during early development. This conclusion is based on the largest genetic study of cerebral palsy ever conducted. Michael Kruer, M.D., a neurogeneticist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Phoenix is a senior author of the article.

Black in Microbiology Week is the latest in a series of virtual events highlighting Black scientists in a variety of disciplines. “This is really a chance to welcome new voices and amplify those that have not been heard,” said Michael D. L. Johnson, a microbiologist and immunologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, who will take part in Friday’s Black in Bacteriology panel.

Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz’s research team found proteins called immune checkpoint inhibitors in the cervicovaginal environment that may help predict if a woman suffers from abnormal cell growth or cancer.

University of Arizona Health Sciences passes $200 million milestone in research funding in fiscal year 2020, addressing some of the world’s most challenging health conditions, including COVID-19.

Sixteen first-year students are among 32 new PCP Scholarship recipients this academic year at the UArizona Colleges of Medicine in Tucson and Phoenix – both schools still have scholarships available.