News
UA Scientists Discover Diabetes Drug Could be Used to Treat Common Heart Failure Syndrome
A cardiovascular research team at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center investigated in a lab model whether metformin, a common diabetes drug, could be an effective treatment for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The researchers found that the drug reduced left ventricular stiffness, thereby improving capacity for exercise. Metformin relaxes the left ventricle by making a heart muscle protein called titin more compliant.
Voting for 2019-20 ‘Best Doctors’ Poll Ends on Christmas Eve – Get Your Picks in Now!
A final reminder was sent Dec. 18 via email to current physicians voted as Best Doctors in America© with instructions for them to access their online ballots at their convenience. Get your vote in before 5 a.m. EST (3 a.m. AZ), Monday, Dec. 24. More than 140 Banner – University Medical Group physicians made the “Best Doctors” list last year, about 40 with the University of Arizona Department of Medicine in Tucson and its 12 clinical subspecialties in internal medicine…
Register Now for UA College of Medicine – Tucson Research Retreat, Feb. 13
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson will host a day-long event in the new Health Sciences Innovation Building (HSIB) for basic scientists and clinicians. The intent of the event is to spur interdisciplinary collaboration between departments, divisions, centers and institutes. Register now to attend and participate in data blitzes, a shark tank-style competition and more…
UA Gastroenterology Chief Dr. Juanita Merchant Elected to National Academy of Medicine Governing Council
Dr. Juanita L. Merchant, a University of Arizona professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology since July, has been chosen by her colleagues at the National Academy of Medicine, for which she was elected in 2008, for a three-year term on the governing NAM Council. Separately, she’ll serve as chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a unit of the NIH, starting in June.
Fourth UA Cardiology Research Fair Offers a Dating Perspective for Investigators, Mentors, Trainees
The UA BIO5 Institute’s Room 103, in the Thomas W. Keating Building, plays host to the next Cardiology Research Fair on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 4-5:30 p.m. Come learn about the innovative, cutting-edge investigations occurring at the University of Arizona to combat cardiovascular disease. Get a chance to talk one-on-one with the researchers and prospective mentors/mentees via a speed-dating format…
Former Gastroenterology Chief, Medicine Chair and College of Medicine Dean, Dr. Steve Goldschmid Retires
Congratulations to Dr. Steve Goldschmid, professor of medicine in the University of Arizona Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and director of the Endoscopy Lab at Banner – University Medicine Tucson, on his retirement after more than 30 years practicing medicine—the last 18 of them in Tucson. He previously served chair, UA Department of Medicine (2006-08), dean of the UA College of Medicine – Tucson (2008-14), and chief of the division (2015-18)…
Sleep Medicine Foundation Puts Spotlight on UA Research Award Recipients
University of Arizona sleep medicine researcher Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy was among three strategic research grant recipients for the AASM Foundation, the foundation of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, featured in a recent FOCUS Newsletter article that the foundation posted to its website…
UA Researchers Contribute to Peanut Allergy Study that Shows Oral Immunotherapy Can Reduce Reactions
A member of the PALISADE Group of Clinical Investigators, Dr. Tara Carr is co-author of a paper recently appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine that found in a clinical trial that oral immunotherapy in children and adolescents could be effective in reducing allergic reactions to peanuts by desensitizing them...
Dalmendray among Two Added as GME Administrator Liaisons for College of Medicine – Tucson
The Tucson campus internal medicine residency’s Michele Dalmendray and the orthopedic surgery residency’s Barbra Solares have been picked by their peers to serve as Graduate Medical Education (GME) Administrators Group liaisons to the Institutional GME Committee, which isprimarily made up of residency and fellowship program directors at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson…
UA Cancer Center Issues Request for Proposals for Clinical Research Oversight Council Funding
The Clinical Research Oversight Council has oversight of clinical research activities at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. Investigator-initiated trial (IIT) concepts that request UACC funding support must be presented to the CROC for determination of funding. The deadline for new proposals is Jan. 10, 2019, with review to begin Jan. 18…
College of Medicine to Require Encryption for University-owned Laptops, Service Starts Dec. 11
To preserve the confidentiality and integrity of university data and follow the University of Arizona’s security standards, the UA College of Medicine – Tucson is requiring the encryption of all university-owned laptops. Service for this 30-minute process begins Dec. 11 with ITS Helpdesk available 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Bring in your laptop at your convenience during those times…
Banner – UMC Tucson Included in Expansion of Early Access Program for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Genomic Classifier
Banner – University Medical Center Tucson is among 20 U.S. medical centers now offering a new test from Veracyte Inc. to improve diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis via RNA sequencing of a transbronchial lung biopsy to determine if a genomic pattern is present that indicates the respiratory disease…
KOLD 13/FOX11 with Dr. Sasha Taleban: ‘Ins and Outs of Stomach Ailments Can Be Controlled for More Holiday Cheer’
A broadcast aired earlier this week of Dr. Sasha Taleban, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at the UA Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, talking with KOLD News 13/FOX11’s Craig Thomas on the ins and outs of stomach disorders during the holidays. The interview, which highlights Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week, Dec. 1-7, was recorded at Banner – University Medicine North...
UA Announces Spring 2019 Workshop Schedule for Responsible Conduct of Research Program
The University of Arizona Office of Research, Discovery, and Innovation (RDI) is pleased to announce the Spring 2019 schedule of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Workshops. The workshops—14 in all—begin on Jan. 17 with “Building Productive and Ethical Mentoring Relationships” and end on April 18 with “Ethical Issues in Biomedical Research.” See the full schedule here…
Dr. Victoria Murrain Named Permanent Deputy Dean for Diversity and Inclusion
Victoria Murrain, DO, has been promoted from interim to permanent deputy dean for diversity and inclusion at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.
New Director of Scientific Programs Named for All of Us Research Program at UA-Banner
Pharmacogenetics expert, Jason Hansen Karnes, PharmD, PhD, BCPS, FAHA, has been named director of scientific programs for the All of Us Research Program team at the University of Arizona and Banner Health.
First-Ever Clinical Trial to Treat Liver Cancer Through Immunotherapy is Accepting Patients
UA Cancer Center opens clinical trial in Greater Phoenix for novel liver cancer treatment.
New Website for UA Sleep Center a Great Place to Catch Some Zzzzs
The new website for the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Sleep & Circadian Sciences is a real snoozer. In this case, though, that’s a good thing. Ensuring patients sleep well, after all, is the focus of the center’s research. That research is led by Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy and includes an interdisciplinary team of investigators from across the UAHS campus and beyond…
Global Respiratory Alliance Names UA Interstitial Lung Disease Program among Designated 'WASOG Sarcoidosis Clinics’
The University of Arizona Interstitial Lung Disease Program at Banner – UMC Tucson and South clinical facilities is now a WASOG Sarcoidosis Clinic with its recent recognition by the World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders. Such disorders are characterized by progressive scarring from inflammatory cell clumps, largely in the lungs, but not limited to that organ. Drs.
Pulmonary Chief Dr. Parthasarathy to Help NIH Prioritize Research on Science of Sleep
Interim Chief of the University of Arizona Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy has been hired by the National Institutes of Health as an expert advisor to help coalesce a collaborative effort on a five-year, strategic plan to lay out research goals for sleep medicine and circadian science...
UA Scientist Identifies Cellular Gene Signatures for Heart Muscle Regeneration
A research team led by Jared Churko, PhD, director of the University of Arizona iPSC Core in the UA Sarver Heart Center, used a transcriptomic approach — studying what genes are expressed — to identify gene signatures of cell subpopulations identified as atrial-like or ventricular-like. This understanding could lead to regenerative therapy discoveries for the millions of people living with damaged heart muscle caused by heart attacks or other chronic heart conditions.
UA Team Uncovers Promising Lead in Genetic Approach to Treating Glioblastoma
University of Arizona scientists hope they have made progress toward a next-generation drug that may slow tumor growth and boost radiation’s effectiveness in patients with the deadly brain cancer.
UA Researchers Help Discover Genetic Factor That Can Help or Hurt Risk for Heart Disease
Individuals with a particular genetic factor may be more resistant to plaque build-up and have a reduced risk for coronary artery disease.
UA Researchers Study How to Regrow Long Bone Segments Using 3D Printing
A $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense will support research on 3D-printed scaffolds that support the repair of devastating bone injuries.
Dr. Deb Meyers Named to Collegium Internationale Allergologicum Council
Dr. Deborah A. Meyers, a University of Arizona professor of medicine, co-chief of the UA Division of Genetics, Genomics and Precision Medicine, and co-director of the Division of Pharmacogenomics at the UA Health Sciences Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine was chosen to be a council member for the Collegium Internationale Allergologicum…