You won’t hear the phrase “gut microbiome” in everyday conversation, but when you mention it to Dr. Fayez K. Ghishan, he leans forward, eager to discuss the millions of microbes that live in the human intestinal tract. His work on the role of a balanced microbiome as it relates to children’s well-being is a wealth of scientific discovery that continues to steer Arizona to prominence in pediatric healthcare.

As bad as COVID is in California, Arizona has actually topped it in cases per resident. "We are at about 118 cases per 100,000 per day right now, which is extremely alarming," said Kacey Ernst of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Arizona.

One of the scariest elements of COVID-19 is that even among those who survive the disease, damage to the lungs can linger afterward, and it's unclear whether that tissue will fully recover with time. "It is very concerning because we haven't seen this degree of fibrosis in any other disease in the past, even with the original SARS," said Sachin Chaudhary, MD, director of the Interstital Lung Disease Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

Continuing coverage: Glen Fogerty, associate dean of admissions and recruitment at the University of Arizona College of Medicine — Phoenix, talks to "The Show" co-host Mark Brodie about the rise in applications to medical school due to the so-called "Fauci Effect."

Pain is a subjective response with multiple features and components, said Frank Porreca, PhD, professor of pharmacology and anesthesiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

The pandemic has disrupted almost everything in our lives, including the quality of our sleep. Michael Grandner, PhD, the director of the Sleep & Health Research Program at the University of Arizona, talks about what his expertise can tell us about sleeping and dreaming during a global crisis, and tips for better "sleep hygiene."

The university will start the spring semester on Jan. 13 in stage one of its reentry plan.

UArizona Health Sciences immunobiologist Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, says the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, and he will take it when it becomes available.

Los Angeles County has been so overwhelmed it is running out of oxygen, with ambulance crews instructed to use oxygen only for their worst-case patients. Arizona, once heralded for turning the corner after a summer surge, now has 69 of every 100,000 residents hospitalized with the virus — the highest rate in the country. "The virus is just basically transmitting almost uninhibited through our population,” said Dr. Joe Gerald, who has been tracking the spread of the virus and was among those urging a shelter-in-place order.