Health & Science

H&S

U.Va. receives NSF grant expansion to increase computing capabilities for sensitive COVID-19 health data research

By Brightney Varghese | September 17, 2020

Last year, University personnel established the high-performance computing system Virginia Assuring Controls Compliance of Research Data to aid institutions across the Commonwealth with their research efforts. The grant, funded by the National Science Foundation, was recently expanded to ACCORD-COVID, which serves institutions around the nation.

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H&S

U.Va. Health tests wastewater from residence halls to detect early coronavirus cases

By Kate Still | September 17, 2020

The goal of the wastewater program is to detect early and asymptomatic coronavirus cases, as research has shown that the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 is shed in the stool of infected individuals and can be detected prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms.

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H&S

U.Va. clinical trials precede FDA emergency use authorization of convalescent plasma as COVID-19 treatment

By Amanda Talalaj | September 10, 2020

U.S. Food and Drug Administration  announced convalescent plasma as an emergency-use authorization treatment for COVID-19, but since May 5 of this year, trials on this method of treatment have already been conducted at the University.

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H&S

Generous donation from local Panera Bread locations enables U.Va. Children’s Hospital transplant program to reach new heights

By Anika Iyer | September 9, 2020

The consolidated funds of $178,000 have been donated to the U.Va. Children’s Hospital transplant program, serving to facilitate a multidisciplinary care approach in addition to mitigating costs of heart, kidney and liver transplants for pediatric patients’ families.

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H&S

U. Va. researchers champion new advancement in fight against glioblastoma

By Parker Driscoll | September 4, 2020

In early July, a team of U. Va. researchers published their findings regarding the discovery of a gene that promotes cancer growth. Their discovery of this gene, advillin (AVIL), is a promising breakthrough in the fight against glioblastoma, one of the most malicious types of cancer.

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H&S

Study finds significant barrier to HIV treatment and prevention in southern states

By Sydney Wayand | September 4, 2020

Researchers at U.Va. Health have recently uncovered a systemic barrier in the South impacting the access to a critical HIV treatment and prevention drug called PrEP. A frustrating insurance requirement known as prior authorization has been largely deemed the culprit, researchers reveal. 

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H&S

University researchers find connection between exercise and vision loss

By Brightney Varghese | August 26, 2020

University researchers discovered that exercise prior to the development of macular degeneration caused a decrease in blood vessel overgrowth in laboratory mice. This correlates to macular degeneration in humans, meaning exercise could help prevent future vision loss.

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H&S

COVID-19 pandemic alters graduate, undergraduate plans for environmental science research

By Alexa Clark | August 24, 2020

With a limited number of people allowed in a laboratory at any given time, the Department of Environmental Sciences looks to alternatives, like outdoor field trips near Clark Hall or virtual bench labs.

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H&S

U.Va. scientists create biomedical database analyzing the structure of COVID-19 proteins

By Somes Huwiler | August 20, 2020

The team hopes this website will help scientists, as well as the broader research community, find and use accurate information about the virus.

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H&S

COVID-19 is transforming doctorate timelines, curriculum for University biomedical graduate students

By Kate Still | August 6, 2020

Since early June, biomedical graduate students have been allowed back to labs in shifts. Yet many labs are only working at partial capacity as access is determined by the square footage of their lab spaces in an effort to follow social-distancing rules.

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H&S

University students provide digital devices to senior citizens through telemedicine nonprofit

By Cecily Wolfe | July 25, 2020

Volunteers with TeleHealth Access for Seniors gather devices family, friends, businesses and schools no longer use and donate them to local hospitals and clinics for distribution to senior citizens.  

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H&S

Annual emergency preparedness report ranks Virginia at second place amongst all states across the nation

By Lucie Rutherford | July 17, 2020

Virginia ranked second throughout the U.S. for emergency public health preparedness.

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H&S

University professor develops decontamination robot amid COVID-19 pandemic

By Kate Still | June 30, 2020

Furukawa’s robot is equipped with UV lamps to sweep all surfaces of the room and camera with the necessary software to build a 3D map of the room. 

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H&S

Students develop new contact tracing app to reduce the spread of COVID-19

By Brightney Varghese | June 24, 2020

TraceX will alert users if they were in contact with an individual who was symptomatic. 

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H&S

University physicians pioneer new stroke and medical emergency guidelines for COVID-19 pandemic

By Kate Still | June 18, 2020

COVID-19 has added a layer of complexity to forming an immediate healthcare response when treating strokes as research has identified a link between COVID-19 infection and strokes. 

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H&S

Community officials address challenges in social distancing for Charlottesville’s homeless population

By Mahima Reddy | June 11, 2020

Anthony Haro, executive director of TJACH, stated that at its peak activity, COVID-19 was estimated to infect nearly 40 percent of the homeless — currently 160 in number in Charlottesville.  

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H&S

University research sparks clinical trial to test antidepressant that could treat COVID-19

By Somes Huwiler | June 5, 2020

The trial is expected to test whether or not fluvoxamine can prevent cytokine storms in patients with COVID-19, which could help keep the immune system in check and help fight the virus without destroying organs.

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H&S

University doctors use previous research to spearhead coronavirus vaccination

By Lucie Rutherford | May 31, 2020

No matter the timelines or outcomes of COVID-19 research, scientists say the important thing to take home is that this is not going to be the last pandemic, and we will need to apply current research to other ones in the future.  

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H&S

Telehealth grows during pandemic, but remains out of reach for underserved communities

By Zoe Ziff | May 29, 2020

Although the post-COVID-19 future is still nebulous, more physicians and patients are becoming comfortable with digital interactions, especially if it saves on travel time and expenses.  

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H&S

Virginia Department of Health warns that the commonwealth’s remdesivir supply is ‘extremely scarce’

By Callie Freeman | May 21, 2020

With the lottery system in place and more shipments from the federal government to come, around 650 Virginians hospitalized with COVID-19 will be able to take remdesivir.