Health Sciences In The Media

When, in March 2020, a science story became the biggest news story in the world, scientists became household names overnight, even celebrities. But many also became the targets of new and extreme levels of harassment, intimidation, and threats. Saskia Popescu, PhD, infectious disease epidemiologist and infection prevention expert at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is quoted.

A $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense is supporting researchers in the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Innovation in Brain Science as they examine whether an investigational drug has the potential to reduce inflammation and increase the regeneration of nerve cells in people with Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS.

The Mobile Outreach Vaccination and Education for Underserved Populations (MOVE UP) program, a coordinated effort at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, responded to the specific needs and opportunities to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in border communities. Cecilia Rosales, MD, associate dean of community engagement and outreach at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and leader of the MOVE UP program, is quoted.

Terry Badger, PhD, RN, professor and Eleanor Bauwens Endowed Chair in the UArizona College of Nursing and UArizona Cancer Center member, was one of only four recipients of a $4 million American Cancer Society grant to develop a “Cancer Health Equity Research Center” with the goal of improving health equity for Hispanic cancer survivors and family care givers.

The UArizona Health Sciences Sensor Lab aims to bring students, faculty and the community together through the use of software sensor systems and human-centered hardware. The Health Sciences Office of Communications assisted with this story.

Researchers are worried that air quality studies may be harder to conduct in Tucson and other environments that are becoming hotter, drier, dustier and more extreme as a result of climate change. Paloma Beamer, PhD, a professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is quoted.

Researchers have found that guided, group exercise can significantly improve strength and mobility for seniors 65 years and older. Kathleen Insel, PhD, RN, a professor at the UArizona College of Nursing, is quoted.

Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, professor of immunobiology at the College of Medicine – Tucson, said there was evidence vaccine effectiveness is “slipping against omicron” in some age groups—notably older people and kids between 5 and 11—and that vulnerable people who were boosted months ago “may want to get another dose,” but for anyone else “it’s a choice” and probably not needed.

Kate Ellingson, PhD, an assistant professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, said BA.2’s impact on overall case numbers will depend on several other factors, including underlying immunity from previous infection and vaccination and how much people take precautions.

As the temperature throughout Arizona begins to tick upwards this time of year, so too comes the return of venomous snakes, spiders, and scorpions. Thankfully with modern medicine, fatalities from reptile bites are extremely rare. According to the UArizona Poison and Drug Information Center, the recent death rate has dropped to less than 1%.