Health Sciences In The Media

President-elect Joe Biden's pandemic-response strategy took clearer shape this week with the rollout of several surprising appointments – a list that underscores that his COVID-19 response will be led far more by career government scientists and lower-level health agency deputies than has been the case during the Trump administration. "I don't think we should automatically assume things about a selection's lack of health-specific experience without also considering a few things: The Biden-Harris administration has been exceedingly science-focused, and often we have leaders with more policy experience to help navigate the field and allow them to listen more closely to the scientists," said Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist and adjunct professor at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

The new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna seem to be remarkably good at preventing serious illness. But it's unclear how well they will curb the spread of the coronavirus. "Preventing severe disease is easiest, preventing mild disease is harder, and preventing all infections is the hardest," said Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson. "If it's 95% effective at preventing symptomatic disease, it's going to be something less than that in preventing all infections, for sure."

New COVID-19 restrictions in California have caused the San Francisco 49ers to play two home games at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale instead. "We're not only going to be a playground, but we're going to be a breeding ground for COVID-19. It's definitely a recipe for disaster. Now's not the time to be promoting tourism or having sports teams come to our home turf," said Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Continuing coverage: Women who use tanning beds or who sunbathe are at increased risk for endometriosis, according to new research. Leslie V. Farland, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is the lead author of the study.

Umbilical cord blood is full of stem cells, so it can be transplanted into patients to treat certain types of cancers, diseases and blood disorders. Umbilical cord blood works as an alternative for many patients who can’t find bone marrow transplants. But the odds that someone will develop a disease like cancer that would require an umbilical cord blood transplant are slim, about one in 1,000 or one in 2,000, according to University of Arizona umbilical cord blood stem cell researcher David Harris in the Department of Immunobiology at the College of Medicine - Tucson.

According to Arizona's COVID-19 vaccination plan, teachers in Arizona, along with health care workers, will be among the first group of people to get the vaccine. "Schools should be the last thing to close, and they should be the first to reopen, and that should be the priority. I think we should be offering teachers the vaccine and including them as part of the first-line health care workers. Education and mental health are very important to children, and it is just as important as the physical health of our population," said Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Ricardo Correa, MD, program director of the Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Fellowship and director of diversity and inclusion for graduate medical education at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, is included in Medscape's list of 25 young physicians who are rising stars in medicine, poised to become future leaders of their fields.

Joe Gerald, an associate professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and a member of the University of Arizona's COVID-19 modeling team, is interviewed about what current trends indicate about the severity of the coronavirus crisis.

Dr. Shad Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion with the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, said that news of a vaccine is cause for optimism – but he cautions that much of 2021 will still require social distancing and mask wearing. "Hopefully if we do that, if we can be strong in this resolve, then we can get back to some kind of normal life post-vaccination, later I would say in 2021," Marvasti said. "Realistically, the majority of people aren't going to have access to this vaccine until late spring or early summer."

Dr. Farshad Fani Marvasti, a public health expert, physician and associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix, said sporting events need to be banned statewide until the spread of COVID-19 is under control. "At this point, it's way too widespread not only in Arizona but also in neighboring states and nationwide."