Health Sciences

FRESH (Food and Resources Expanded to Support Health) is an innovative project managed by the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness at the University of Arizona to provide medically tailored food boxes and educational support to food insecure individuals who have or are at risk of developing diet-related disease. The project partners with El Rio Health, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, and Pivot Produce to supply and distribute the boxes to qualified patients. Currently in its second iteration, FRESH2 involves a year-long study to quantify the effectiveness of the program on patients’ long term health and how that might positively impact provider costs.

Soon after the COVID lockdowns, news stories emerged about wild animals roaming city streets. This period came to be known as the “anthropause”. Five years later, this period of reduced human activity provides scientists with useful data about animal behavior, but it may have even more to say about how and why humans connect to nature.

The Campus Agricultural Center is a 160 acre farm right in the middle of Tucson that operates as a research and teaching facility for the University of Arizona’s College of Veterinary Medicine. It includes extensive pasture land for its horses, cows, and sheep, which are affectionately cared for by a team of veterinarians and staff. The animals, often referred to as “pasture professors,” are able to give veterinary students invaluable hands-on experience working with large agricultural animals, something not many other programs are able to offer.

The origin of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a heated and politicized public debate. Did the virus come from a Chinese lab leak, or did it jump from animals to humans in a Wuhan wet market? Enter Michael Worobey, Department Head of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona and one of the world’s leading scientists studying the genomic origins of pandemics. His research has produced strong evidence supporting a market origin for the virus, though public opinion on the topic has been slow to catch up.

Mark Witten is a retired Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona with a long research career looking at lung health and respiratory science, but his most important work might be yet to come. His research has led to the discovery of a type of biofilm derived from lung tissue that reacts to all kinds of tiny substances in the air and water. He's currently developing this biofilm into two key innovations: a biosensor that can detect pathogens in the air, and a revolutionary low-cost desalination method that could transform seawater from the ocean into freshwater that we can drink.

SEMA Lab at the University of Arizona’s Center for Consciousness Studies (SEMA stands for “Science Enhanced Mindful Awareness”) is a unique institution attempting to better understand mindfulness meditation. Co-founded by neuroscience researcher Jay Sanguinetti and meditation teacher Shinzen Young, the lab seeks to develop tools that can make mindfulness more accessible to beginners, and ultimately enhance any individual’s quest for personal happiness.

If you already think of your Fitbit or smartphone as an extension of your body, wait until these new devices hit the market. Philipp Gutruf, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona, is on the forefront of designing the next generation of biomedical devices for monitoring users’ health. His lab has developed 3-D printed, wearable devices that are powered wirelessly and which can seamlessly integrate with the shape of an individual’s body.

Architect Damon Leverett shares what makes the University of Arizona’s Health Sciences Innovation Building such an architectural wonder. This is part of a series called "Favorite Places" that feature architects explaining about buildings they love.

University of Arizona Professor Sadhana Ravishankar has spent her career keeping agricultural products in Arizona safe and was recently awarded Inventor of the Year by Tech Launch Arizona after her lab developed natural antimicrobial washes for produce. Her work has become especially important in an agricultural state like Arizona, where so many of our winter salad vegetables are grown.

Dr. Ski Chilton has dedicated his life to helping people around the world overcome health challenges to live more fulfilled and joyful lives, but he heralds his latest discovery as the most important thing he’s ever done. Chilton and his team at the University of Arizona believe they have discovered an enzyme that is at the very heart of COVID-19 mortality. His lab is now leading an international effort to develop an inhibitor to this enzyme that might drastically reduce the risk of severe disease. He hopes it could serve as a miracle medicine in places with low vaccination rates, like Africa.

Deepta Bhattacharya, Associate Professor at the University of Arizona’s Department of Immunobiology, is deeply involved in research related to COVID-19. His lab is a leader in researching how vaccines generate an adequate immune response to the virus including their safety, efficacy, and role in getting us past the pandemic.

AzREADI, or the Arizona Rural EMS Advanced Telemedicine Demonstration Initiative, is an innovative new program to bring immediate lifesaving telemedicine access to remote areas of rural southern Arizona, such as the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District. Spearheaded by University of Arizona’s Department of Emergency Medicine, the program makes use of a specialized wireless network dedicated to first responders that can connect doctors with paramedics even if they are hours apart and located in regions otherwise devoid of cell service.

As one of the world’s top research institutions, the University of Arizona is taking the lead on the development of widespread antibody testing for the novel coronavirus. The effort, spearheaded by Dr. Janko Nikolich-Žugich and Dr. Deepta Bhattacharya, began as part of the university’s plan to safely re-open the campus amid the pandemic, but has now expanded to the state level and has become a benchmark for testing performance across the country. The endeavor is a testament to the ingenuity of Arizona scientists, to the remarkable research capacity of the university, and to the resiliency of the healthcare professionals who work on the front lines to administer this test statewide.

With the reopening of the campus nearing, the University of Arizona’s plan to Test, Trace and Treat is critical to making it safe. Testing and treating are well underway, but, what about tracing? We approached those involved in the UA’s tracing program to find out.