University of Arizona Health Sciences Unveils Consortium to Create Pandemic-free Future March 1, 2022 It’s called the Aegis Consortium and the goal is to partner with experts across disciplines to create a pandemic-free future. One area of research will look at how where we live can be adapted or modified with technology. Mindy Fain, MD, co-director of the UArizona Center on Aging and professor of medicine in the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson, is quoted. The Health Sciences Office of Communications assisted with this story. KJZZ-Fronteras
Pima County Schools Weigh Whether to Lift Mask Mandates March 1, 2022 The district will still apply certain masking and quarantine mandates for those who test positive for COVID-19 or for those who come in direct contact with an infected person. Other county school districts are still deciding what to do. Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, associate professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is quoted. Arizona Daily Star
Student Views of Racism in Medicine a Catalyst for Change Feb. 28, 2022 Echoes of frustration with racism in medicine rebound among students, staff and faculty, as students work for positive change in medical school and health care overall. Read more Image
Colleges of Medicine Students Help Inspire Shift to Unbiased Kidney Function Tests Feb. 28, 2022 Read more
UArizona Launches New Valley Fever Initiative Feb. 28, 2022 A new program unites Arizona’s three universities in the fight against Valley fever. “Two-thirds of all Valley fever infections in the United States occur in Arizona,” said John Galgiani, MD, director of the College of Medicine – Tucson’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence. KOLD-TV (Tucson, AZ)
Why is Arizona's COVID-19 Death Rate So High? Here Are the Theories Feb. 28, 2022 Arizona has one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Certainly we can look to Texas and Florida and go, gosh, how did we beat them?" said Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, associate professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The Arizona Republic
Arizona Health Department Seeks Info, Cost Estimates for Marijuana Clinical Trials Feb. 28, 2022 The Arizona Department of Health Services wants to know who has the desire and credentials to do human studies on whether marijuana can treat health conditions such as autism. Tally Largent-Milnes, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology in the College of Medicine – Tucson, wants to someday learn if cannabis can treat migraines. “Until we are able to run these clinical trials in a well-thought out manner, we’re never going to know the answer,” she said. KJZZ-FM (Phoenix, AZ)
Pfizer Shot Is Far Less Effective in 5- to 11-Year-Olds Than in Older Kids, New Data Show Feb. 28, 2022 The coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech is much less effective in preventing infection in children ages 5 to 11 years than in older adolescents or adults, according to a large new set of data collected by health officials in New York. Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson, is quoted. The New York Times
For Many Immunosuppressed, Churches Stopped Being a Safe Place Feb. 27, 2022 As states across the country are lifting COVID-19 precautions such as mask mandates and some churches have dropped online services, the immunocompromised are weighing their risk of possible exposure in worship services. And some are finding their fellow parishioners and church leaders aren't taking measures to protect them. Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson, is quoted. The Washington Post