Department of Medicine News and Stories

Chagas disease – a parasitic infection that affects an estimated 8 million people worldwide, mostly in Latin America – is drawing concern in the United States as well. The infection can lead to serious heart problems. And yet, the disease remains “highly overlooked” in the U.S., and “urgent action is required to implement national and local programs, bolstering health care responses and advancing research efforts,” a University of Colorado Department of Medicine faculty member says.

Mark Harden | June 04, 2024

When a person is diagnosed with HIV, they are placed on a lifelong HIV treatment regimen, called antiretroviral therapy, to keep the virus under control. But for many people, having to take medicine every day can be a struggle for a variety of reasons, resulting in missed doses that could potentially lead to a decline in their health.

Tayler Shaw | May 14, 2024

When Alyssa Castillo, MD, a University of Colorado School of Medicine alumna, stepped back on the CU Anschutz campus in September of 2022, it felt both familiar and different.  

Tayler Shaw | May 08, 2024

Andrés Henao-Martínez, MD, an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado Department of Medicine, was among a small number of experts invited to La Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana in Iquitos, Peru — a city in the Amazon jungle that can only be accessed by boat or plane. These experts gave lectures as part of a course called “LAPAHS,” which is a tropical medicine course from the Loreto Regional Hospital’s Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases. 

Tayler Shaw | May 06, 2024

Among the challenges of living with HIV is a higher risk of fatty liver, a condition that can lead to chronic disease, a liver transplant or even death. Kristine Erlandson, MD, a University of Colorado Department of Medicine faculty member, has found that a medication used to treat diabetes and obesity – and touted on social media for weight loss – can be a powerful weapon against a type of fatty liver disease in people with HIV. Erlandson is an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Her research is focused on helping people with the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, live longer lives despite the health challenges they often face.

Mark Harden | April 30, 2024

A pair of University of Colorado Department of Medicine faculty members, seeking to enhance patient safety, led an effort to improve the accuracy of hospital discharge orders for patients who need intravenous antibiotics.

Mark Harden | April 09, 2024

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in 2020 and left millions of people with unanswered questions, a panel of experts from across the country assembled to try to find answers, including the University of Colorado Department of Medicine’s own Steven Johnson, MD. 

Tayler Shaw | March 19, 2024

A University of Colorado Department of Medicine faculty member has been appointed to a national science committee advising the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on infectious-disease issues.

Mark Harden | March 12, 2024

With the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly in the rear-view mirror, most of us have thrown away our paper masks, or stuffed them in our back pocket. These days, it’s common to see only one or two people wearing a mask at the supermarket or riding the light rail.

But just as we’ve gotten used to going unmasked in public, storm clouds have been gathering to give us second thoughts.

Mark Harden | December 21, 2023