Research News
Drs. Mindy Fain, Kathleen Insel and Janko Nikolich-Žugich, experts in health and wellness of the aging population, will deliver a combined keynote address at the University of Arizona Arthritis Center’s annual “Living Healthy With Arthritis” conference.
Rachna T. Shroff, MD, associate professor and associate dean of clinical and translational research at the College of Medicine – Tucson, chief of the UArizona Cancer Center GI Medical Oncology Section and leader of its GI Clinical Research Team, was one of three recipients of the 2022 Women in Oncology Awards.
The Arizona Board of Regents earmarked $3.3 million to support research into Valley fever detection technology, genomics and seasonal outbreak patterns – under the leadership of Dr. John Galgiani, Valley Fever Center for Excellence director and professor in the Department of Medicine's Infectious Diseases Division.
Rachna T. Shroff, MD, associate professor and associate dean of clinical and translational research at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, chief of the UArizona Cancer Center GI Medical Oncology Section, and leader of its GI Clinical Research Team, has been elected to the American Society of Clinical Oncology Nominating Committee.
Drs. Monica Kraft, Francisco Moreno, Andreas Theodorou and Eric Reiman encourage participation in national event to learn more about All of Us Researcher Workbench and how data is being used to help improve health care solutions and advance careers for students, staff and faculty.
The National Academy of Inventors named Steven Goldman, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, Division of Cardiology, and the C. Leonard Pfeiffer Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine at the Sarver Heart Center to its 2022 class of Senior Members.
Electrocardiologist Julia Indik, MD, PhD, director of the Sarver Heart Center’s Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program, was honored with the Laennec Master Clinician Award from the American Heart Association at the group’s virtual 2021 Scientific Sessions in November. The award offers recognizes an individual’s lifetime achievement in patient care and teaching.
![[A new study found that adult lung health can be influenced by nutritional problems during pregnancy, low birth weights for gestational age and being underweight in childhood. (Getty Images)]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/gettyimages-1176140066-card.jpg?itok=X5hIehsU×tamp=1721926164 "A new study found that adult lung health can be influenced by nutritional problems during pregnancy, low birth weights for gestational age and being underweight in childhood. (Getty Images)")
A UArizona Health Sciences-led study involving several researchers from the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, including Dr. Stefano Guerra, identified poor childhood nutrition and growth as risk factors for lung disease and weaker health as an adult.
![[Man in shorts outdoors on a road holding his knee as if in pain during a run.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/knee_pain_1309561958-card.jpg?itok=5OPryeZT×tamp=1694623407 "A $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow researchers to determine if changes in knee structure during aging can predict pain, functional limitations and the need for future knee replacements.")
University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers will study the links between knee structure changes and clinical outcomes in people with osteoarthritis.
![[Bhupinder Natt, MD, Medicine ICU medical director at Banner – University Medical Center South, was presented with a Clinical Excellence Award.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/card_natt-bhupinder_202100662_com_faculty_excellence-7558.jpg?itok=DQ3gxb0-×tamp=1708383206 "Bhupinder Natt, MD, Medicine ICU medical director at Banner – University Medical Center South, was presented with a Clinical Excellence Award.")
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson presented the winners of the 2021 Faculty Excellence Awards at the August 11 Faculty Excellence Reception. Among those earning recognition were Drs. Laura Meinke and Bhupinder Natt.
![[Valley fever is much better understood worldwide thanks to the UArizona Valley Fever Center for Excellence’s research, education and outreach efforts.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/2021-06-10_022321-valley-fever-center-nhg_3755-card.jpg?itok=oeFpuO2i×tamp=1692816503 "Valley fever is much better understood worldwide thanks to the UArizona Valley Fever Center for Excellence’s research, education and outreach efforts.")
The center, led by Dr. John Galgiani, a professor in the Department of Medicine's Division of Infectious Diseases at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson, focuses on research, outreach and education to fulfill its mission of protecting people against a deadly fungal disease native to the Southwest.
![[The UArizona Health Sciences Asthma & Airway Disease Research Center has spent decades researching the origins of adult respiratory diseases, including asthma and COPD, which often begin in the wheezing and lower respiratory infections of youth.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/asthma_airway_1310226962_card.jpg?itok=UEG9Wz63×tamp=1721928985 "The UArizona Health Sciences Asthma & Airway Disease Research Center has spent decades researching the origins of adult respiratory diseases, including asthma and COPD, which often begin in the wheezing and lower respiratory infections of youth.")
The Asthma & Airway Disease Research Center, with numerous faculty from the Department of Medicine’s pulmonary and other divisions throughout the years, has revolutionized our scientific understanding of asthma and other respiratory diseases.
![[Children on playground: The hygiene hypothesis, the idea that children exposed to more germs early on in life develop greater immunity and are less likely to get asthma and other diseases, will be explored in a UArizona-led cross-border study.]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/hispanic_kids_playing-149847186_card.jpg?itok=rPrfgUtQ×tamp=1721934792 "Children on playground: The hygiene hypothesis, the idea that children exposed to more germs early on in life develop greater immunity and are less likely to get asthma and other diseases, will be explored in a UArizona-led cross-border study.")
UArizona Health Sciences researchers – including the Pulmonary division’s Dr. Tara Carr – are taking a three-pronged approach to analyze asthma in children in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona – even before they’re born.
Kudos to Dr. Sairam Parthasarathy, who authored a paper named among the “Top Studies of 2020” published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Division of Infectious Diseases chief at UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson receives NIH-supported AIDS Clinical Trials Group award at virtual ceremony in November.
After months apart due to COVID-19, University of Arizona Health Sciences faculty, staff and students are returning to campus. Among changes we're becoming familiar with, all are required to wear face coverings, and team Health Sciences – including Drs. Kevin Moynahan and Indu Partha, for the Department of Medicine – is leading by example.
A $2.2 million federal grant will allow Dr. Eugene Chang, a sinus surgeon at the UArizona College of Medicine - Tucson, to investigate human genetic viral interactions in the development of sinus disease.
Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD, has received the 2020 Distinguished Mentor Award from the American Gastroenterological Association. A professor and chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dr. Merchant is a cancer biology program researcher at the UArizona Cancer Center, an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a renowned physician-scientist on gastric or colon cancer.
![[A technician peers into a microscope in a laboratory]](https://deptmedicine.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/styles/1x_widescreen/public/mjff_and_parkinsons_shutterstock_586637258_zpswz2hmtby_card.jpg?itok=QlOXFf9_×tamp=1700161861 "Research in the Madhavan Lab concentrates on stem cells and their applications to neurological diseases, particularly Parkinson’s disease. The ultimate goal of these studies is to use this research to devise brain repair strategies for neurological disorders, based on the manipulation of stem cells and also in combination with other alternates approaches.")
Dr. Lalitha Madhavan is among researchers receiving grants. She and her team are developing dopamine neurons and patient-derived skin cells – called fibroblasts – to evaluate potential Parkinson’s therapies and biomarkers for early identification of the disease.
Coccioidomycosis, or Valley fever, is a fungal infection that occurs when a person inhales spores that live in the soil. Hot and dry weather conditions allow those spores to become airborne, thus making Arizona a hotspot for Valley fever, especially in the summer. According to experts from the University of Arizona Health Sciences, Valley fever can easily be confused for COVID-19.