Health Sciences In The Media

Dr. Rachna Shroff, section chief of GI Medical Oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, discusses the progress for cancer treatment, options and outcomes. “I think about where we’ve come from and how much incredible progress we’ve made, and it gives me so much hope. It’s a new era in cancer therapy. We have cracked the code on so many different cancers and we’re making progress in every single one,” Dr. Shroff said.

The Arizona Department of Health Services warns people not to use antibody testing to assess immunity and not to use it to get another dose of the vaccine if your antibody level is low or negative. ”I think one of the things we don't fully understand is exactly how many or how much antibody you need to confer protection and so I think that's sort of the next frontier of things we've got to figure out," said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunobiologist at the College of Medicine – Tucson.

Sana Khan, a doctoral student at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and a vaccination site volunteer, was interviewed in March about what things look like on the ground at the university's high-capacity state vaccination site and what the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic means to her.

The Master of Science in Nursing program at the UArizona College of Nursing has three pathways for students—clinical systems leadership, nursing education, and global nursing leadership.

Dr. Cecilia Rosales, 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 working to distribute unused doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. “We have lots of the Janssen vaccine that is pretty close to expiring, and if we don’t get this vaccination out, we have to dispose of it, and I hate to do that,” she said.

Dr. Ricardo Correa, an endocrinologist at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, addressed rumors about people with O negative blood type having immunity to COVID-19. “There is no way that they [people with O negative blood] could be immune to COVID because blood type is not related with how the virus affects the system,” Correa said.

Dr. May Khanna, an assistant professor of pharmacology at the College of Medicine – Tucson, led a group of College of Pharmacy graduates that created a small company called Cliacept. The company's mission is to develop the building blocks of a drug that can one day cure Alzheimer's.

College of Medicine – Phoenix Drs. Shad Marvasti, a clinical associate professor and director of Public Health, Prevention and Population Health curriculum, and Ricardo Correa, program director of the Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship program, visited Phoenix communities to speak directly with people to share information and address concerns about Covid-19 vaccines.

Dr. Shad Marvasti, an associate professor and director of Public Health, Prevention and Population Health Theme at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, discusses the latest on the coronavirus pandemic.

Melatonin may help with insomnia. "Many people know that ‘sleeping pills’ come with many negative effects so they want to avoid those. Melatonin seems to offer the convenience and simplicity of a pill, but the perceived lack of risk that comes with a supplement," said Dr. Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program and associate professor at the College of Medicine – Tucson.