Health Sciences In The Media

A cross-border investigation of children's susceptibility to asthma and other childhood illnesses in the United States and Mexico is the focus of a new study led by researchers in the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center at the University of Arizona Health Sciences. The study is funded by a $15.3 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences are trying to find out if vaccinated people can spread the coronavirus. The study, called PreventCOVIDU, is enlisting 12,000 students from more than 20 universities across the country to determine if fully vaccinated people need to continue wearing masks or social distancing. Dr. Elizabeth Connick, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson, is leading the research site.

Dr. Elizabeth Connick, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson, is leading a team of researchers to begin a separate study of the Moderna vaccine. The goal of PreventCOVID is to recruit 12,000 students, at 20 universities nationwide, including UArizona. They are trying to determine if masking and social distancing are still needed for those who have been vaccinated.

Dr. Joe Gerald, associate professor and director of the public health policy and management program at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, discusses the state of COVID-19 in Arizona.

According to the AZDHS dashboard, only 10.9% of the Hispanic population in Arizona has been vaccinated when they make up 30% of all COVID cases. "Just look at all the ZIP codes that have had the most devastating, highest percentage of hospitalizations, cases and deaths from COVID, and then make those neighborhoods a priority,” said Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Diseases linked to cigarette smoke and pollution may be increasing amid the pandemic. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), mainly caused by smoking, cigarette smoke and pollution, is the third leading cause of death in the world. Dr. Francesca Polverino, a professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, is trying to find a way of treating it by looking specifically at emphysema.

Jun Wang, an associate professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, discusses a new treatment developed by Merck that has shown "good efficacy in inhibiting Sars-Cov-2."

Researchers hope to recruit students from the University of Arizona to participate in a clinical trial testing whether fully vaccinated people are able to contract and spread COVID-19. The study, called PreventCOVIDU, is enlisting 12,000 students from more than 20 universities across the country for the next four to five months. Dr. Elizabeth Connick, chief of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson’s Division of Infectious Diseases, is leading the UArizona research site.

The University of Arizona Health Sciences Primary Care Physician Scholarship Program expanded its eligibility to students specializing in general surgery. Abigail Solorio and Annapurna Chitnavis, College of Medicine – Phoenix students and scholarship recipients, and Glen Fogarty, PhD, Dean of Admissions for the college, are interviewed.

For the first time this year in Arizona and Pima County, COVID-19 cases recently increased from one week to the next. "It's too early to say the sky is falling," said Joe Gerald, an associate professor with the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "But we're definitely seeing a different trend. Things are getting a little bit worse. Our improvements are gone."