Time for Doctors to Take Center Stage in COVID-19 Vaccine Push May 21, 2021 Dr. Ricardo Correa, program director, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, and volunteers with the Phoenix Allies for Community Health Clinic take vaccines door to door in search of people to immunize. They have vaccinated nearly 500 people so far, but are disappointed by the hit-and-miss process. “The reception has been like 50% or 60%,” Dr. Correa said. American Medical Association (AMA)
Telehealth Boom Spawns Changes to Arizona Law May 21, 2021 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. Arizona Capitol Times
Pandemic Boosts Increase in Students Seeking Public Health Degrees May 20, 2021 The University of Arizona has seen a 26% increase overall for all its epidemiology applications compared to this time last year and it's still accepting new applicants. Interest in the MPH Applied Epidemiology program has nearly tripled. "I think it would be right to say that COVID-19 has really brought public health to the forefront of our lives," said Dr. John Ehiri, a professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. This story was picked up by 26 Fox affiliate television stations across the U.S., including Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. Fox News
Covid-19 Disrupts Years of Health Progress in U.S. May 20, 2021 Population health researchers say that they still expect the national death rate to return to more normal-looking levels as Covid-19 deaths recede. But that doesn’t mean the pandemic’s impact will disappear. “What the challenge will be is being able to quantify those lingering effects. They won’t be as dramatic, but that doesn’t make them any less real,” said Dr. Heidi Brown, an associate professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The Wall Street Journal
UArizona Medical Staff Member Wins Pay It Forward Award for Testing Site May 20, 2021 Jeffery Hanna, a clinical research coordinator at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, is a recipient of the Arizona Family’s Pay It Forward award. Hanna has spent the last year doing nasal swab and saliva testing, and helped organize many pop-up vaccine clinics. Arizona's Family (3TV/CBS 5) Phoenix, AZ
Southern Arizona COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics Go Mobile May 19, 2021 Mobile health unit vaccination efforts are expanding through the Mobile Outreach Vaccination and Education for Underserved Populations (MOVE UP) program. Read more Image
COVID-19 Vaccine Mobile Outreach Expands in Rural Arizona May 19, 2021 A new mobile health unit initiative is getting more vaccines in the arms of rural, Hispanic and other hard-to-reach populations in southern Arizona. Read more Image
Dual Pharmacy-Nursing Degree Targets Gaps in Care May 18, 2021 Next-generation education at the Colleges of Nursing and Pharmacy aims to fill care gaps as the U.S. physician shortage worsens. Read more Image
Estrogen-Modulating Therapy May Reduce Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease May 18, 2021 Tamoxifen and steroidal aromatase inhibitor use among women with breast cancer was associated with a significantly lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease, a retrospective cohort study showed. “Our lab has helped to develop a link between the decrease in estrogen status seen in women during menopause to the increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease in women overall in this age group,” said Gregory L. Branigan, an MD‐PhD at the UArizona Center for Innovation in Brain Science. Healio