News Archive: 2023
![[Division of Gastroenterology staff at holiday photo booth they're hosting Dec. 20-21, 2023, at University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/card_gastro_holiday_photobooth_12-20-23_img_3217.jpg?itok=1CZ3OAQ8×tamp=1703103294 "Division of Gastroenterology staff at holiday photo booth they're hosting Dec. 20-21, 2023, at University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson")
December 20, 2023
In the spirit of the season, the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology invites all comers to join them in the hallway outside their office (COM-T Room 6402) to shoot selfies of themselves and colleagues at their 2023 GI Holiday Photo Booth display Dec. 20 and Dec. 21, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
![[Portrait of Dr. Marvin J. Slepian wearing a white medical coat and tie.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/051923-marvin-slepian-nhg_3403-card1.jpg?itok=UhJPiDRi×tamp=1702683175 "Marvin J. Slepian, MD")
December 14, 2023
Dr. Slepian, Regents Professor in the Division of Cardiology and Sarver Heart Center member at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, will serve on the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office’s Patent Public Advisory Committee through 2026.
![[When Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD, threw a recent dinner party, she recreated a meal she’d made in Sicily, complete with homemade pasta.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/juanita_merchant_cooking_khp_1357-card.jpg?itok=4qFPcfrv×tamp=1702665552 "When Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD, threw a recent dinner party, she recreated a meal she’d made in Sicily, complete with homemade pasta.")
December 14, 2023
Everyone has to eat, but these UArizona Health Sciences faculty members – including Gastroenterology & Hepatology Division Chief Dr. Juanita Merchant and Dr. Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine – take their cooking to another level. This story comes with a latke recipe, too!
![[Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Tucson]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/banner_alzheimers_institute_tucson_card.jpg?itok=q3kyiabO×tamp=1702510818 "Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Tucson")
December 13, 2023
‘Tele-mentoring’ coaches Arizona health pros in top-quality Alzheimer’s treatment in free virtual course starting in January 2024.
![[Department of Medicine logo with block A for the University of Arizona]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/dom-block-a_900x600px_0.jpg?itok=hxU4KMHv×tamp=1701123377 "Department of Medicine logo with block A for the University of Arizona")
November 27, 2023
A shuffle of clinical associate directors reflects better management of divisions from Cardiology to Rheumatology, with a new associate director, Monica Rodriguez, joining the team in November.
![[People load bags of donations into a small airplane while the pilot sits in the front seat.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/navajo_airlift_liver_institute_dsc_1646-hero-card.jpg?itok=ZeXU_wdK×tamp=1700581784 "(From left) Liz Bonorand, executive assistant for the University of Arizona Thomas Boyer Liver Institute, and Carina Mendoza, outreach coordinator for the institute, hand donations to Geoffrey Block, MD, MSc, FACP, who delivered them to the Navajo Nation earlier this month.")
November 21, 2023
Dr. Geoffrey Block, a transplant hepatologist and Thomas D. Boyer Liver Institute director, and the College of Medicine – Tucson give a much-needed lift to the holiday season on the Navajo Nation.
![[Three women working in a University of Arizona Health Sciences research laboratory]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/madhavan_lab-cells_in_flask_khp_0820-card.jpg?itok=jsTikV5L×tamp=1700158123 "Dr. Lalitha Madhavan and her research team used induced pluripotent stem cell technology to reprogram adult skin cells into brain cells to study Parkinson’s disease. The Madhavan Lab hopes their discoveries lead to improved diagnostics and treatments for the disease. (Photo courtesy of Kris Hanning, University of Arizona Health Sciences)")
November 16, 2023
Dr. Lalitha Madhavan and her research team used induced pluripotent stem cell technology to reprogram adult skin cells into brain cells to study Parkinson’s disease in hopes of developing improved diagnostics and treatments for the neurological disorder.
![[Dr. Geoffrey Block will participate in the Navajo Christmas Airlift, flying donations collected in Tucson across the state in time for holiday celebrations.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/navajo_nation_klh8942-card_1.jpg?itok=K6nO5Pj2×tamp=1699586774 "Dr. Geoffrey Block will participate in the Navajo Christmas Airlift, flying donations collected in Tucson across the state in time for holiday celebrations.")
November 9, 2023
Dr. Geoffrey Block will participate in the Navajo Christmas Airlift, flying donations collected in Tucson across the state in time for holiday celebrations.
![[College of Medicine – Tucson Veterans Day flag-raising and blessing ceremony, Nov. 9, at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/vetsday_img_3922_card.jpg?itok=Hkyb554M×tamp=1699562234 "College of Medicine – Tucson Veterans Day flag-raising and blessing ceremony, Nov. 9, at Banner – University Medical Center Tucson.")
November 9, 2023
A group of people gathered at the Banner – University Medical Center Tucson’s main entrance Thursday, Nov. 9, for a flag-raising and blessing ceremony in recognition of Veterans Day. See mini-photo gallery of event and things to do this weekend.
![[C. Kent Kwoh, MD, professor of medicine, chief, Division of Rheumatology, and director, UArizona Arthritis Center]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/kwoh-kent-6370-card_201504500.jpg?itok=RGI7dO5Q×tamp=1709415980 "C. Kent Kwoh, MD, professor of medicine, chief, Division of Rheumatology, and director, UArizona Arthritis Center")
November 7, 2023
The Master designation is the highest honor offered by the ACR. Dr. Kwoh, who also is chief of the Division of Rheumatology, joined the UArizona a decade ago. He has published nearly 300 papers and earned over $75 million in NIH grants in his career.
![[Portrait of Marvin Slepian, an older white man in a white lab coat in a lab setting.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/2023-11-06_051923-marvin-slepian-nhg_3403-card1.jpg?itok=y0FdhDGM×tamp=1699309098 "Marvin Slepian, MD, JD")
November 6, 2023
Dr. Marvin Slepian, cardiologist, Sarver Heart Center member and Regents' Professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, has been named a 2023 Biomedical Engineering Society Fellow.
![[Janko Ž. Nikolich, MD, PhD, professor and head of the Department of Immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/2023.11.01_janko-lab-blood_klh6254-card-hero-2120107634.jpg?itok=1KNKuE_x×tamp=1706638343 "Janko Ž. Nikolich, MD, PhD, professor and head of the Department of Immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson")
November 1, 2023
As part of a long-running research program to develop strategies for “rejuvenating” the aging immune system, the National Institute on Aging has awarded a $13.1 million grant to a team of investigators across the country led by Dr. Janko Ž. Nikolich, a professor of medicine, Center on Aging co-director and head of the Department of Immunobiology.
![[Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Tucson]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/banner-alzheimers-institute-tucson_card.jpg?itok=DVdWrVi2×tamp=1698700448 "Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Tucson")
October 30, 2023
Banner Alzheimer’s Institute will hold a free, bilingual “Brain Health Expo” from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Nov. 11, at the facility located at 2626 E. River Road.
![[Composite image of photo headshots of University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson students accepted into the UArizona Health Sciences Primary Care Scholarship Program]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/20223-10-30_pcp_scholarship_recipients-card_0.jpg?itok=LVg-wquT×tamp=1702998955 "Composite image of photo headshots of University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson students accepted into the UArizona Health Sciences Primary Care Scholarship Program")
October 30, 2023
Twenty-five aspiring physicians—14 students in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and 11 in the College of Medicine – Phoenix—are the latest to benefit from the UArizona Health Sciences Primary Care Physician Scholarship Program.
October 23, 2023
Six women from the University of Arizona Health Sciences, including GI Division Chief Dr. Juanita Merchant, received UArizona Women of Impact Awards from the office of Research, Innovation and Impact on Oct. 20. Thirty female faculty and staff members from across campus were honored.
![[Older woman with gray hair is hugged by younger woman while they're outside along walking pathway (Getty Images)]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/2023-10-23_healthy_dose_blog_on_falling_gettyimages-1271174669-inline1_0.jpg?itok=QymYIxPA×tamp=1703001671 "Older woman with gray hair is hugged by younger woman while they're outside along walking pathway (Getty Images)")
October 23, 2023
Chris Childers, PT, PhD, founding director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the College of Medicine – Tucson, shares insights on the fear of falling among older adults, including the importance of physical activity and support from loved ones in overcoming it.
October 19, 2023
Specialized cells take out the trash in the brain, finds UArizona researcher Dr. Fei Yin, of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science. When they break down, waste builds up, possibly setting the stage for Alzheimer’s disease.
![[Dark, curly haired woman wearing maroon blouse stands in front of desert scene with hand on hip]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/shroff-rachna_021623-comt_nhg_4456-card.jpg?itok=JOy9iin-×tamp=1697568798 "Rachna T. Shroff, MD, MS, FASCO")
October 17, 2023
Having served as interim chief of the division at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and UArizona Cancer Center since early 2022, the specialist in pancreatic and hepatobiliary cancers hits ground running to realize the division’s full potential.
![[Nanotech medic programming microscopic healers in lab full of swirling molecules.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/ai-in-medicine_card.jpg?itok=P9lZ09Pp×tamp=1696553424 "In a study led by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers, about half of the participants said they would rather have a human – not artificial intelligence – oversee their diagnosis and treatment. (Image courtesy CreativeCommons.org)")
October 5, 2023
Artificial intelligence platforms can help medical professionals diagnose and treat diseases – but are patients ready to trust them? Learn more in this interview with cardiologist and Sarver Heart Center stalwart Dr. Marvin Slepian...
October 4, 2023
Members of DanceSequences, an organization that promotes inclusion through movement and group dance, perform in the Health Sciences Innovation Building Forum during the second annual Feast for Your Brain community event whose sponsors included MindCrowd, the Precision Aging Network and UArizona.