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Education Community Cancer Student and Alumni

CU Medical Student Honors ‘1999’ Skier Robb Gaffney on Skis and in Medicine

In 1995, Robb Gaffney left behind the life of a full-time dirtbag skier to attend the University of Colorado School of Medicine — or that’s how his brother Scott Gaffney puts it in “1999,” a ski film turned cult classic that Scott recorded on 16mm film as a tribute to one of the best winters in ski history. 

Research    COVID-19    Vaccine

Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Change Parents’ Attitudes About Vaccines? 

COVID-19 vaccines for children received a good deal of scrutiny when they first became available in 2021. Chatter online and elsewhere indicated that parents were becoming less likely to vaccinate their children due to growing misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccines. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date December 06, 2023
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Patient Care    COVID-19    Clinical Research   

Paxlovid to the Rescue? What to Know About the COVID-19 Drug

As the holiday and peak respiratory seasons collide, and COVID-19 cases continue a steady, weeks-long climb, doctors want high-risk people to remember: Should COVID catch them in the coming days, one call to the doctor could save Christmas – or more.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date December 05, 2023
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Patient Care    Cardiology

Top 10 Ways to Keep High Blood Pressure at Bay

Like your home’s plumbing system, if a “pipe” clogs or corrodes and bursts within your vascular system, it can create a destructive mess, even leading to an all-systems failure if not addressed. Constant, high-pressure flow weakens arteries, and can knock corrosive plaque loose, creating a dangerous barrier. The best way to prevent a blowout? Take care of your house.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date December 04, 2023
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Research    Autoimmune disease   

Why Jack Frost May Spoil Winter Plans for Some With Autoimmune Diseases

Most Coloradans look at winter as a time of excitement when the high country turns into our own winter wonderland with the opportunity to create lifelong memories. But for many who live with autoimmune diseases, the colder months may mean more pain, fatigue and unexpected disease flares that hamper the excitement of the snow and the holiday season.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date December 04, 2023
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Patient Care    Brain and Spinal Cancer    Oncology    Radiation

Brain Cancer Patient Recruits the CU Cancer Center for the Fight of His Life

Alex Cooper relishes a challenge. Armed with a New Yorker’s moxie, an entrepreneur’s savvy, and an athlete’s determination, he has launched startups, has competed in Ironman triathlons, and offers motivational messages in blogs, videos, and social media posts as the “Iron CEO.”


Author Mark Harden | Publish Date December 04, 2023
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COVID-19    CCTSI

Lieutenant Governor Visit Puts Long COVID in the Spotlight

Everyone might be tired of hearing about COVID-19, but the fact is that Colorado’s long COVID clinics can’t meet the demand. Up to 500,000 Coloradans continue to experience long-term symptoms after COVID, or so-called long COVID. To address this issue, a group of health care providers, researchers and patient advocates came together for a roundtable discussion on long COVID care on Nov. 29 with Colorado’s Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera.


Author Wendy Meyer | Publish Date December 01, 2023
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Community

Embrace Giving This Holiday Season 

Between an uptick in social obligations, dealing with family tensions, and the pressure to have a Hallmark-worthy season of joy, the holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the year. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date December 01, 2023
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Education    Community    Cancer    Student and Alumni

CU Medical Student Honors ‘1999’ Skier Robb Gaffney on Skis and in Medicine

In 1995, Robb Gaffney left behind the life of a full-time dirtbag skier to attend the University of Colorado School of Medicine — or that’s how his brother Scott Gaffney puts it in “1999,” a ski film turned cult classic that Scott recorded on 16mm film as a tribute to one of the best winters in ski history. 


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date November 29, 2023
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Community    Awareness

How Much Caffeine is Too Much Caffeine?

A little boost from a morning cup of coffee may be a welcome stimulant on a busy day and even offer health benefits for some people, but how much caffeine is too much?


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date November 27, 2023
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Patient Care    Diabetes    Clinical Research   

Call for Type 1 Diabetes Screening Gains Momentum

With the largest universal screening programs in the country, researchers at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes (BDC) have known for years that testing all children for type 1 diabetes (T1D) could prevent the heartbreak and life-threatening complications that late-stage diagnosis can cause. Yet, until recently, they have often felt alone in their educational efforts.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date November 22, 2023
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Education    Community    Students    Equity Diversity and Inclusion

CU Anschutz Learners Get Hands-On Training in Health Inequities 

Last Friday was a valuable learning opportunity for some students and residents in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and other schools on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 21, 2023
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Heart    alcohol    holidays    atrial fibrillation

To Help Keep Your Heart Healthy, Go Easy on the Holiday Cheer

Having one too many toasts at a holiday celebration can lead to something much more serious than a nasty hangover the next day.


Author Mark Harden | Publish Date November 20, 2023
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Research    Patient Care    Education    Community   

State of the Campus 2023: At the Forefront

Chancellor Don Elliman delivered his annual State of the Campus Address on Nov. 16 to nearly 750 community members online and in-person, highlighting the campus’s strong stance at the forefront of innovation in health and medicine.


Author Staff | Publish Date November 17, 2023
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Clinical Research    Autoimmune disease   

Study Finds Incidence of Celiac Disease Higher Than Experts Thought

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine when gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, is ingested. According to a recent study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, the worldwide incidence rate among children is “extremely high,” but varies by region.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date November 17, 2023
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Research    Plastic Surgery    Retina

What’s the Future of Eye Transplantation?

Doctors in New York this month announced the world’s first successful whole-eye and partial face transplant, a feat Kia Washington, MD, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, says sets the stage for further advancement in the field and shows promise that patients may one day regain vision after an eye transplant.


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date November 16, 2023
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Skin Cancer    Dermatology    skin damage

Have Fun in the Snow, But Remember: You’ve Got Skin in the Game

Colorado is a winter playground, whether your passion is skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, or just throwing snowballs. But the bright sun that helps make winter sports in the Rockies so delightful also poses a threat to your skin.


Author Mark Harden | Publish Date November 16, 2023
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Press Releases   

Adult and Child Center for Outcomes Research and Delivery Science Names New Director

Jerica Berge, PhD, MPH, has been named director of the Adult and Child Center for Outcomes Research and Delivery Science (ACCORDS) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, effective January 1, 2024. She will also hold a faculty appointment as professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the associate director of child outcomes research at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She will have secondary appointments in pediatrics and public health.


Author Mark Couch | Publish Date November 14, 2023
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Research   

Down Syndrome Associated With Serious Respiratory Complications

People with Down syndrome are more likely than the general population to develop serious respiratory infections. Often, symptoms are so severe that patients require hospitalization. As respiratory season moves in, researchers on campus are working to understand what unique genetic factors may contribute to this problem.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date November 09, 2023
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Research    Rheumatoid Arthritis   

Interdisciplinary Research Could Lead to New Targeted Treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis 

New research led by University of Colorado School of Medicine faculty members Fan Zhang, PhD, and Anna Helena Jonsson, MD, PhD, may lead to new targeted treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and destruction. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 08, 2023
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Research    Geriatrics

What is the Average Age and Disability Level of Older People Moving Into Long-Term Care? 

As a geriatrician, or physician specially trained to treat older adults, Kenneth Lam, MD, MAS, has many years of experience working with families to understand when their older relatives should move into a nursing home or assisted living facility, and what kind of services they might need.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 08, 2023
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Community    Vaccine

What to Know About the 2023 Flu Season 

Flu season has arrived, bringing with it questions about vaccines, symptoms, testing, and more. During the 2022–23 flu season, it’s estimated that there were as many as 670,000 hospitalizations and 58,000 deaths from the virus in the U.S. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 07, 2023
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Clearing the Minds of Champions: This Nuggets’ ‘Coach’ Keeps Team Focused

Supporting professional teams from the outside, fans fixate on the black-and-white peaks and valleys they watch from the sofa or the stands – the big wins and triumphant seasons along with the painful losses and agonizing rebuilds. Sometimes, as in the case of last year’s Denver Nuggets and the 2021-22 Colorado Avalanche, their team delivers pure ecstasy – a long-awaited championship.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date November 06, 2023
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Research    Community    Students

CU Boulder Audiology Student Works With Otolaryngology Faculty Member to Create Multilingual Guidance on Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids 

Funding from the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine is helping Jasmine Ramirez, a third-year doctorate of audiology student at CU Boulder, pursue her passion for helping medically underserved communities. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 06, 2023
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Community    Mental Health

Daylight & Depression: A Look at Seasonal Affective Disorder

With daylight waning, temperatures dropping, and snow starting to fall, winter is just around the corner. Each winter, approximately 5% of the U.S. adult population experiences a sharp downturn of mood known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or seasonal depression.


Author Mara Kalinoski | Publish Date November 03, 2023
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Research    Patient Care    Community    Lung Cancer    Clinical Trials

After Lung Cancer Clinical Trial, Betty and Bill Moren Give Back as Patient Advocates for Thoracic Oncology Research Group

A clinical trial for lung cancer at the University of Colorado Cancer Center saved Betty Moren’s life. Now Betty and her husband, Bill, are giving back, sharing their cancer journey and clinical trial experiences as patient advocates at the cancer center’s Thoracic Oncology Research Initiative (TORI), which brings together investigators from multiple departments and centers across the CU Anschutz Medical Campus to advance lung cancer research. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 02, 2023
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Education    Community    Leadership    Conferences    Mentoring

Climbing the Mentorship Mountain: Daylong Workshop Examines the State of the Mentoring Art

More than 240 people representing 20 institutions nationwide joined together last week on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to address the value of mentorship and career guidance for health care professionals. 


Author Mark Harden | Publish Date October 31, 2023
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Community    Transplant Surgery

Surgery Fellow’s Book Series Helps Children Understand Their Care 

Maria Baimas-George, MD, MPH, first noticed it early in her residency — doctors, and surgeons in particular, aren’t always the best at explaining complex medical issues to young patients. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date October 30, 2023
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Research    Clinical Trials    Obesity   

CU Gastroenterology Professor Overseeing Trial of Swallowable Gastric Balloon For Weight Loss 

A new device for weight loss — a swallowable gastric balloon that requires no invasive procedures — may soon be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after a nationwide clinical trial that is being overseen by Shelby Sullivan, MD, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and director of the Metabolic and Bariatric Program.   


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date October 27, 2023
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Education    Community    CU Medicine Today   

How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Health Care

In nearly every corner of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus – in clinics, in classrooms, in offices, and in laboratories – faculty members and students are thinking about the power artificial intelligence, or AI, holds in health care, from finding treatments for rare diseases to developing machine learning standards to helping ophthalmologists assess patients.


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date October 25, 2023
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Heading to the High Country This Winter? Take a Breather and Read This First

Altitude sickness can quickly turn adventures in Colorado’s high country into misadventures, especially for out-of-staters who flock to the state each year to ski. Last year, Colorado Ski Country reported a record number of 14.8 million visits to the state’s 27 lift-served ski areas, and that doesn’t include the backcountry. Those numbers are expected to grow even more this season.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date October 23, 2023
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Neuroscience

Research Shows New Documentation Tool Could Help Optimize Seizure Treatments in Patients with Epilepsy

New research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus studies a new tool that will help medical providers identify patients who are failing epilepsy treatments earlier in order to change treatment to rapidly optimize positive outcomes.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date October 20, 2023
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Community    Cardiology

Scared to Death: How Haunted Houses Can Affect the Heart

There’s a lot to fear at haunted house attractions — wandering zombies, real life jump scares, demons lurking through the dark — but should adrenaline junkies add heart attack to that list?


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date October 13, 2023
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Community    Diversity    Health equity    Equity Diversity and Inclusion

White Coats for Black Lives: Annual CU Anschutz Campus ‘Die-In’ Is a Condemnation of Racism and a Call for Action

A light rain began to patter on the yellowing fall leaves as, one by one, dozens of people – many in white lab coats and green scrubs – lay down on concrete benches or the grass. Others sat with their heads bowed, as if to meditate, or pray, or ponder the pain and injustice that had brought them there.


Author Mark Harden | Publish Date October 12, 2023
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Research    Patient Care   

Bioengineer Advances Lab-Grown Tissue as Way to Repair Heart

While the incubator was silent on Oct. 8 – no thin layer of cardiomyocytes contracted in a steady beat – national journalists still got a feel for the innovative pulse running through Jeffrey Jacot’s bioengineering lab.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date October 12, 2023
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Patient Care    Education   

‘Can We Call a Real Doctor?’ Tour Gets Intense for Science Writers

Science Writers 2023 attendees were treated to a hands-on experience during a tour of the Center for Advancing Professional Excellence (CAPE) at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.


Author Kristen O'Neill | Publish Date October 12, 2023
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Research    Community    Cancer    Firearm Injury Prevention   

Science Writers Treated to a Smorgasbord of Inventive Research

The menu featured innovation and knowledge on Sunday as about 200 Science Writers 2023 participants attended a variety of talks during Lunch With a Scientist sessions. In small breakout groups, CU Anschutz researchers shared their expertise on a host of subjects, from psychedelics in medicine to AI in healthcare.


Author Staff | Publish Date October 10, 2023
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Firearm Injury Prevention

Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, Elected as New Member of the National Academy of Medicine

Emmy Betz, MD, MPH, has been elected as a new member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Betz, director of the University of Colorado Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and professor of emergency medicine in the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is the sixth faculty member from the CU School of Medicine to receive the honor from NAM. Becoming a NAM member is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.


Author Colleen Miracle | Publish Date October 09, 2023
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Research    Press Releases   

Tânia Reis, PhD, Wins Prestigious NIH Director's Pioneer Award for Brain Metabolism Research

Tânia Reis, PhD, an associate professor of endocrinology, metabolism, and diabetes at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is one of eight recipients of the National Institutes of Health’s prestigious Director’s Pioneer Award for 2023


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date October 06, 2023
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Community    Neuroscience    Climate Science    Alzheimer's

How Air Pollution May Influence Brain Health

The effects of climate change continue to rise across the globe, with increased occurrences of extreme and intense weather. The consequences not only impact the environment, but the changes pose a significant threat to our health.


Author Mara Kalinoski | Publish Date October 04, 2023
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Education    Anesthesiology   

Horse or Human? Course Gives Medical Residents View of Another Kind

As a cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellow, Rizwan Nazarali, MD, keeps people safely asleep through major, open-chest surgeries. He monitors cardiopulmonary bypass when surgery patients’ hearts or lungs are outside of their bodies, and he manages patients on ECMO, a machine that keeps them alive while they wait for heart or lung transplants.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date October 02, 2023
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Research   

CU Researchers Identify Potential Target for Treating Obesity and Metabolic Disease

A research team led by Emma Robinson, PhD, and Timothy McKinsey, PhD, at the University of Colorado School of Medicine has identified a potential target for treating obesity and metabolic disease that could enhance the effectiveness of existing anti-obesity drugs.


Author Mark Couch | Publish Date October 02, 2023
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Community   

Speaker Recounts Fight to Keep Migrant Families Together

It all started with the asylum-seeking mother who escaped violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018, arriving barefoot and hungry at the border. By the time Lee Gelernt, JD, arrived in San Diego to represent the woman placed in a makeshift detention center, her 6-year-old daughter had been taken from her, shipped off to Chicago four months earlier.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date September 29, 2023
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Press Releases    Education

Aimee Gardner, PhD, Named Associate Dean of Faculty Development

Aimee Gardner, PhD, has been named associate dean of faculty development at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, effective October 1.


Author Mark Couch | Publish Date September 29, 2023
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Community    COVID-19    Vaccine

The New COVID-19 Booster is Rolling Out, Here’s What You Should Know

As new COVID-19 booster shots hit pharmacies and doctor offices this month, health care professionals say it’s as important as ever to keep up with the vaccine that can prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death from the coronavirus.


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date September 28, 2023
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Women's Health    COMBAT   

Military Standout Brings Strength to Women in Medicine

She was only 22 when Kathleen Flarity began attracting attention. As one of nine women in a U.S. Army airborne class of 500 men, Flarity and her fellow female service members were being pushed hard in an environment not yet welcoming of their gender.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date September 25, 2023
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Patient Care    Community    Leukemia   

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Climber Tristan Chen Treated for Leukemia at CU Cancer Center

When your life is about being outdoors — about making your way up and around complex rock formations, looking for that flow you get into as every foothold and ledge reveals itself — the last place you want to be is stuck in a hospital bed, enduring the side effects of chemotherapy.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date September 22, 2023
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Patient Care    Magazine    Ovarian Cancer

CU Cancer Center Care Team Provides a Foundation for Healing for BRCA1-positive Patient

Amy Bibbey has two distinct lives. There’s the life she led before ovarian cancer, and there’s everything after diagnosis.


Author Carie Behounek | Publish Date September 21, 2023
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Patient Care    Community   

Football Season Means It’s ‘Prime Time’ for Ear Plugs

Fresh off CU’s victory in the Rocky Mountain Showdown this weekend, both college and NFL fans are ready to gear up and head to the stadium for more action-packed games this season.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date September 19, 2023
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Research    Press Releases    Funding    CCTSI

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Receives $54 Million From NIH

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $54 million over a seven-year period to the CCTSI at CU Anschutz. The grant from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) will fuel biomedical research and training across the state. This is the fourth consecutive time the NIH has funded the CCTSI since 2008 through its Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) program.


Author Wendy Meyer | Publish Date September 18, 2023
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Research    Patient Care    Cardiology

When the Beat Goes Wrong: Cardiologist Explains Arrhythmias

Lohit Garg, MBBS, grew curious about the workings of the heart from a young age. His interest was tinged with personal heartache as he watched several family members battle cardiac disease, especially his grandfather.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date September 14, 2023
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Research    Public Health    Climate Science    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

A Warming Climate Heightens Focus on Kidney Disease

Prolonged heat waves and the sweltering summer days that accompany climate change can be hazardous for human health, leading to conditions such as heat stroke and even causing permanent organ damage or death if not treated quickly.


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date September 13, 2023
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Research    Cancer   

From Childhood Fascination With Red Blood Cells to Life-Changing Research

When he was 4 years old, Angelo D’Alessandro clearly recalls a cartoon book about the peripatetic nature of red blood cells. Their adventures traveling through the body, visiting the brain, kidneys, lungs, liver, et al., mesmerized D’Alessandro in his native Italy.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date September 11, 2023
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Community    Awareness    Mental Health

National Suicide Prevention Week Helps to Break the Stigma Around Mental Health

As one of the leading causes of death in the United States, suicide has likely touched the lives of many people in some way. For nearly 50 years, National Suicide Prevention Week has served to raise awareness of this critical issue, increase empathy and knowledge, and break the stigma around mental health.


Author Mara Kalinoski | Publish Date September 11, 2023
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How Reliable Is Technology at Tracking Health and Fitness?

Trekking up the final leg of Fern Canyon Trail to Bear Peak, my quads were on fire, my heart was pounding, and oxygen was at a premium. Climbing to one of Boulder’s highest peaks has always tested my mental and physical stamina. But this time, I came armed with a new tool that would tell me more about the 1,700-foot vertical ascent and my health. 


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date September 11, 2023
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Skin Cancer    Dermatology

What to Know About Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Jimmy Buffett’s Rare Skin Cancer

After battling skin cancer for four years before his death, "Margaritaville" singer Jimmy Buffett died on September 1, 2023, at age 76, from Merkel cell carcinoma, according to his website.


Author Jessica Cordova | Publish Date September 07, 2023
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Addiction    Community and Practice    CCTSI

'BEAT Meth' Provides Hope for Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder

Scott Simpson, MD, MPH, is an emergency psychiatrist at Denver Health Medical Center and an associate professor of psychiatry in the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Several years ago, he and his colleagues were working with the Denver Police Department to expand the use of suboxone treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder. 


Author Wendy Meyer | Publish Date September 01, 2023
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Community    Transplant Surgery    Liver Transplant

CU Surgeons Perform Department’s First Robotic Living Liver Donation

Aiming to increase the number of living liver donors by making liver donation surgery easier and quicker to recover from, the University of Colorado Department of Surgery recently performed its first robotic hepatectomy (surgery to remove a portion of the liver) from a living donor. Using a surgical robot to perform the procedure results in a smaller incision, less scarring, less pain, and a faster recovery for the donor. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date August 30, 2023
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Research    Education    Community    Blood Cancer

Elijah Johnson Came to the CU Cancer Center to Research the Mutation That Makes Him More Likely to Develop Cancer 

Growing up in Windsor, Colorado, Elijah Johnson thought he would grow up to be a professional musician. He never considered a career as a biomedical researcher. But that all changed when his mother was diagnosed with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS), a rare genetic mutation that increases the risk of cancer.  


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date August 30, 2023
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Patient Care   

CPAP: A First-Line Sleep Apnea Therapy Fit for a President

President Joe Biden recently joined the likes of basketball great Shaquille O’Neal, “Saturday Night Live” star Amy Poehler and Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia – he went public with his sleep apnea disorder.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 28, 2023
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Patient Care    Clinical surgery   

What Is Inspire for Sleep Apnea and Will It Work for Me?

So far, nothing rivals the CPAP machine for treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder that causes lapses in breathing throughout the night and robs people of oxygen and sleep. But for some of the estimated 30 million sufferers, the apparatus required – which includes headgear, face mask and a protruding tube anchored to a bedside machine – can be intolerable.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 28, 2023
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Patient Care    COVID-19   

New Variants? New Shots? What’s in the Forecast for COVID-19?

COVID-19 cases have continued a steady uptick that began over the summer in Colorado and across the nation, already contributing to school closures in some harder-hit Southern states. Meanwhile, with respiratory season fast approaching and a brand-new, highly mutated variant raising eyebrows, doctors are fielding questions about a yet-to-be released booster shot.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 25, 2023
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Research    Data analysis

CU Data Researchers Connect Diet to Changes in the Microbiome

“Should I be taking a probiotic?” is a question that Maggie Stanislawski, PhD, assistant professor in the University of Colorado Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI), gets asked often.  


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date August 17, 2023
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Research    Patient Care   

Groundbreaking Stroke Study Seeks Ways to Keep Brain Cells Alive

In partnership with the UCHealth Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit, University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers are measuring blood samples of patients within minutes of stroke onset and discovering data that could change the way many stroke patients are treated.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date August 16, 2023
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Mental Health    Climate Science   

Aftermath of Maui Wildfires May Have a Heavy Mental Health Toll

As first responders across the nation headed to the fire-ravaged small Hawaiian island of Maui focused on halting the devastation, psychological experts were bracing for an aftermath of another kind.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date August 10, 2023
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Neuroscience   

What Is Prosopagnosia? An Odd Condition That Can Steal Your Face

In “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,” the “man,” identified as Mr. P., visits neurologist and author of the book, Oliver Sacks, MD, for a vision problem that has been perplexing his other doctors. On his way out, Mr. P. grabs his wife’s head, thinking it’s his hat, ultimately and unknowingly introducing the lay world to face blindness.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 07, 2023
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Patient Care    Awareness    Pediatric Cancer    Retina

From Beating Retinoblastoma to Batting with Big Leaguers

This summer, six-year-old Coleman Tawresey will go more than 12 consecutive weeks without a doctor’s appointment – something he hasn’t been able to do since being diagnosed with retinoblastoma when he was two.


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date August 07, 2023
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Innovation    Patient Care   

Ready to Roll: Team Effort Bucks Sedation Trend

With her favorite Taylor Swift songs playing in the background and her team of healthcare providers cheering her on, Chenille James stood up from her hospital bed. Her destination was just outside the door, her task a short walk down the hallway. But the feat would be celebrated for months to come.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date July 31, 2023
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Research    Ovarian Cancer    Multiple Myeloma

Guidelines for Preventing Blood Clots in People With Cancer 

Many of the side effects of cancer treatment are well-known, including nausea, fatigue, and weight loss. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date July 28, 2023
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Research    Patient Care    Orthopedics   

World Cup Shines Light on ACL Injury Bias Toward Women

When Rachel Frank, MD, associate professor of orthopedics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, performs surgery on a patient with a knee injury, it’s more than professional. It’s personal.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date July 25, 2023
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Patient Care    Lung Cancer

New Treatment Paradigm Helps Lung Cancer Patient Thrive at CU Cancer Center 

There’s no such thing as perfect timing when it comes to lung cancer, but Kathy Ballard got pretty close. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date July 20, 2023
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Research    Patient Care    Community   

Doctors of Old ‘Fitz’ Reunite for First Time Since Army Base Closure

As Nicholas DiBella, MD, walked through the bright halls of UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, heading toward the first-ever reunion of physicians who served at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center (FAMC), memories came flooding back.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date July 13, 2023
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Research    Patient Care    COVID-19   

Long COVID Patients Tell Top Officials That CU Anschutz Saved Them

While long COVID remains shrouded in mystery, the ravages of the disease were on clear and painful display when Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, U.S. assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, visited the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on July 11 to learn about the campus’s research and clinical care, and hear directly from patients.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date July 13, 2023
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COVID-19    COVID-19 Podcasts    Clinical Research   

Studying How to Treat, Identify Long COVID: CU Anschutz Takes the Lead

Between leading-edge research and the region’s first clinic to specialize in treating patients with long COVID symptoms, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is at the forefront of providing care while seeking to understand this still-mysterious disease. 


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date July 11, 2023
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Research    Advancement    Genetics

A Taste of the Future: CU Researcher Links Genetics with Dietary Intake

For geneticist Joanne Cole, PhD, food is life. Her love goes beyond trying a new recipe and seeking out new restaurants it’s also in her work in the University of Colorado Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI), identifying the connection between genetics and nutrition.


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date July 09, 2023
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lungs    pregnancy

CU Anschutz Study Shows Vaping Nicotine While Pregnant May Impact Fetal Development

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that vaping nicotine during pregnancy may be no safer for a developing fetus than smoking cigarettes. The study suggests that vaping nicotine interferes with fetal bone and lung development.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date July 05, 2023
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Research   

Benzodiazepine Use Associated With Brain Injury, Job Loss and Suicide

Benzodiazepine use and discontinuation is associated with nervous system injury and negative life effects that continue after discontinuation, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date July 05, 2023
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Colorectal Cancer    Multidisciplinary Clinic    Clinical   

Expanding the Umbrella of Care

In the earliest days of specialized cancer care, two things often happened: either individual oncologists were burdened with the expectation to know everything, or patients were sent on treatment journeys that could involve multiple visits with multiple clinicians in multiple locations.

As the field of cancer care has grown and evolved, buoyed by tremendous strides in research and therapeutics, patients could increasingly and reasonably hope to live many years, rather than many weeks or months, after a diagnosis. A significant contributor to this hope has been the move toward multidisciplinary care.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date July 05, 2023
Full Story

Diabetes    Obesity    pregnancy

Can We Solve the Childhood Obesity Epidemic During Pregnancy?

Obesity is an epidemic. It’s projected that by 2030, one in two adults and one in four children ages 5-9 in the United States will be obese.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date June 30, 2023
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Patient Care    Community    Pancreatic Cancer    Multidisciplinary Clinic   

Individualized Care Provides Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Patient with Stage 4 Diagnosis

Barb Spanjer lay on the floor of her office. She had never been so tired. Her stomach and left side ached, and the pain under her left shoulder blade was relentless. She had seen her doctor a couple of times that autumn of 2017, but the medicine for the ulcer he suspected she had wasn’t working. She had been too tired and too busy running the construction company she and her husband, Steve, owned to follow up with the doctor. But it was getting harder to ignore the symptoms. Something just wasn’t right.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date June 26, 2023
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Community    Health equity    CCTSI

iHeard Colorado Will Collaborate With Communities to Provide Accurate Health Information

Have you heard about a horse tranquilizer that rots flesh? A fungus that spreads between people? How do you know what is true? Should you be concerned or take any action?


Author Wendy Meyer | Publish Date June 20, 2023
Full Story

Community    Mental Health    COMBAT   

Fireworks and PTSD: Keeping the Warzone Out of the Fourth

For one of Ian Stanley’s former patients, an unexpected firework blast sent him hurling across the room, pouncing on his children and shielding their bodies from the fallout of the “bomb attack” that left him trembling in fear.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date June 20, 2023
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    Mental Health    COMBAT   

Post-Traumatic Growth: How to Flourish After a PTSD Diagnosis

No caring person would wish post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – or the likely terrifying event that led to it – on anyone. But for those people who develop the mental health condition and find treatment, the skills and lessons they learn can improve their lives in unexpected ways.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date June 09, 2023
Full Story

Press Releases    COVID-19   

Study Shows Commonly used Diabetes Drug Reduces Risk of Long COVID

A new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases this week has found that metformin, a drug commonly used to treat diabetes, reduces the risk of long COVID.


Author David Kelly | Publish Date June 09, 2023
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Research    Innovation    Patient Care   

CU Anschutz Receives $50 Million From The Anschutz Foundation to Accelerate Breakthroughs in Medicine

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus this week announced the Anschutz Acceleration Initiative, a program to advance cutting-edge healthcare innovations that are poised to reach patients within the next three to five years.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date June 07, 2023
Full Story

Community    Prostate Cancer    Bladder Cancer    Kidney Cancer    Testicular cancer

CU Cancer Center Member Helps Develop Genitourinary Cancer Guidelines in Sub-Saharan Africa 

It’s one thing to develop cancer treatment guidelines in the U.S., where even the smallest health centers have access to the same basic technology for treatment and testing. But what about creating guidelines for oncologists in Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to medical resources can be limited and the disease can present differently?  


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date June 07, 2023
Full Story

Research   

Advancing Research Collaboration: AB Nexus Awardees Announced

The AB Nexus program has announced its sixth round of grant awards to researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Colorado Boulder. From advancing new Alzheimer’s treatments to developing predictive computer models to help youth in crisis, the awarded teams are advancing a wide range of collaborative research projects aimed at improving human health and well-being.


Author Megan Lane | Publish Date June 06, 2023
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Research   

Three CU Anschutz Researchers Named to the 2023 Class of Boettcher Investigators

The Boettcher Foundation has selected eight researchers, including three from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, to receive funding through the Boettcher Foundation’s Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards program. 


Author Staff | Publish Date May 31, 2023
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Patient Care    Mental Health   

Can Magnets Help Heal Depression?

A treatment offered by the University of Colorado School of Medicine Community Practice is giving hope to people with depression who haven’t found relief with other treatment options.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date May 30, 2023
Full Story

Research   

Do Direct-Access IV Infusions Offer Health and Wellness Benefits?

Fighting off a nasty headache after your cousin’s wedding? Stomach virus have you feeling fatigued? Gearing up for tomorrow’s half-marathon? Many of us might be tempted to pop into an “IV bar” to seek relief from minor ailments or to prep for an upcoming event.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date May 25, 2023
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Research    Patient Care    Cardiology

Stroke Drug Offers Neuroprotection Without Long-Term Impact on Memory and Learning

A promising new stroke drug that temporarily inhibits a key protein in the brain without causing lasting harm may significantly change the future treatment of cerebral and global ischemia, according to a new study by scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. 


Author David Kelly | Publish Date May 23, 2023
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Research    Education   

Surgery Residents Share Research at Annual Symposium 

From analyzing the effects of social vulnerability and health disparities on postoperative outcomes to mitigating the effects of trauma to evaluating new treatment modalities for pancreatic cancer, the research presented at the annual University of Colorado Department of Surgery Research Symposium on May 22 posed a plethora of new possibilities for patient care.  


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date May 23, 2023
Full Story

Breast Cancer    Public Health    cancer screening

Why Does the United States Preventive Services Task Force Want to Lower the Recommended Age for Mammograms? 

Driven in part by an increase in breast cancer diagnoses in younger women — particularly in Black women — the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) — has proposed lowering the recommended age for beginning regular mammograms from 50 to 40. The USPSTF recommends that women at average risk for breast cancer get screening mammograms every other year. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date May 18, 2023
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Faculty    Leadership   

Center for Bioengineering Announces New Director

Kristyn S. Masters, PhD, has been appointed chair of the University of Colorado Denver Department of Bioengineering and the director of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Center for Bioengineering, following an extensive national search. These coupled roles provide the leadership to the unique cross-campus bioengineering program.  For the past seven years, Masters has served as professor and vice chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.


Author Staff | Publish Date May 18, 2023
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Community    Obesity    GITES    Bariatric surgery

Bariatric Surgery Journey Takes Man from Knee Pain to the Lightness of Flying

Danny Naranjo was still several years from his 40th birthday, but he was increasingly aware of that milestone on the horizon.

His body mass index (BMI) was about 80. He had back pain and struggled with lymphedema. His knees hurt when he had to walk even short distances for his job at Elitch Gardens, and he did it only with a steady stream of Tylenol, ibuprofen, and sometimes tramadol. As 40 approached, he knew these concerns might only get more acute, with new ones possibly joining them. He wanted to change what was beginning to feel like an inevitable future.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date May 16, 2023
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Patient Care    Community    Kidney Cancer    Urology

Kidney Cancer Journey Emphasizes Importance of Asking a Doctor when Things Don’t Feel Right

 

To start with, there was his usual schedule of national travel for his job as a Wall Street journeyman – he was always flying somewhere. Add to that moving to Castle Rock from San Francisco, plus a love for concerts and baseball games and whatever else life offers, and it’s no wonder that Lincoln Yersin was feeling run down.

But this run down? This exhausted? He went to see his primary care provider in San Francisco a few times, had a few tests, and the diagnosis was stress.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date May 16, 2023
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Research    Neuroscience   

Michael J. Fox Legacy: ‘Time Travel’ or Parkinson’s Cure?

Exactly one month before the public release of a documentary on Michael J. Fox and his life with Parkinson’s disease (PD), the actor’s research foundation announced a landmark discovery – a novel test that can biologically diagnose the disease in live patients, even before symptoms emerge.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date May 15, 2023
Full Story

Research    Cancer    CU Anschutz 360 Podcast   

Podcast: CU Anschutz Powers Up for Regenerative Medicine Frontier

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a leader in bench-to-bedside research, and the Gates Institute and Gates Biomanufacturing Facility (GBF) are at the forefront of some of the campus’s most cutting-edge innovations in cell and gene therapy.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date May 09, 2023
Full Story

Research    Cancer    Diabetes   

Platform Promises Improvement in Athlete Performance, Early Insight Into Disease Risk

With each study into world-class cyclists being pushed to the physiological limit, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus researchers get deeper insight into high-performance metabolism. They are also gaining clues about how to head off serious diseases in the general population through early detection and personalized interventions.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date May 08, 2023
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Research    Community    Regenerative Medicine   

CU Anschutz Takes the Reins in CAR T Cancer Therapy Research

One of the initially scheduled speakers at this spring’s “Transforming Healthcare” series on May 2 bowed out for a more spontaneous event: his own wedding. With his high-school diploma newly in hand and his little-known CAR T-cell therapy giving him time, the young man decided to embrace the future – now.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date May 08, 2023
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Community    Lung Cancer    Hope

Lung Cancer Survivorship Celebration Emphasizes Living with Hope and Optimism

Paul Herzegh’s lung cancer story began six years ago on a beautiful April morning, roadtripping back home to Boulder from visiting friends in Virginia. He was 68, in otherwise good health, and felt some small kinks in his chest.

Hardly any time later, he had a diagnosis: stage 4 adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that originated in the cells lining the outside of his lungs. At that point, he didn’t know much beyond “the conventional wisdom that 'lung cancer is a killer,’” he explained Saturday evening, emphasizing the air quotes because, well, the conventional wisdom was wrong.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date May 05, 2023
Full Story

Research   

The Under-Discussed Consequence of Alcohol Use Disorder: ‘Wet Brain’

Liver disease, heart disease and high blood pressure are among the conditions commonly associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD), but one condition that’s rarely discussed, and often overlooked, is Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, better known as “wet brain,” and can be the most challenging to identify and treat.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date May 04, 2023
Full Story

Research    Women's Health   

Scientists Pursue Personalized Approach to Treating Pelvic Organ Prolapse

At least one in four women suffer with pelvic floor disorder symptoms that can range from urine leakage to organs falling out of place, sometimes protruding outside the vagina. Many women remain silent, embarrassed to share their issues even with their doctors.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date May 02, 2023
Full Story

Research    Patient Care   

Study: Multiple Sclerosis Blood Antibodies Found to be Toxic to Neurons

A University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus research team has discovered that the immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in the plasma of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are toxic to neurons, a finding the lead investigator said could transform the field of study.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date April 25, 2023
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Patient Care    Clinical Research

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Survivor Set to Attend CU School of Medicine After Receiving Pioneering Treatment

While some of his grade school classmates looked up to famous athletes or television characters, Will Osier’s childhood superhero was his ophthalmologist. Now, more than 15 years later, Osier is set to attend the University of Colorado School of Medicine where his doctor pioneered a treatment that saved his vision.


Author Kara Mason | Publish Date April 25, 2023
Full Story

Firearm Injury Prevention    COMBAT

CU School of Medicine Launches Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative

The University of Colorado School of Medicine has officially launched the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative, bringing CU Anschutz experts together to serve as a trusted community and national resource for firearms-related research and solutions.


Author Colleen Miracle | Publish Date April 24, 2023
Full Story

Innovation    Patient Care    Pediatrics   

Anesthesia-Free Procedure Widens Scope of Patients Eligible for Diagnostic Tool

When Joel Friedlander, DO, MA, bioethics, travels to Vienna this month, he will check another box on a journey that’s been a series of peaks, and a few valleys, on the way to a breakthrough medical device that hit the healthcare trifecta: it opens access, improves care and lowers costs.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date April 19, 2023
Full Story

Community    Urology    Awards

Kerri Thurmon, MD, Selected as American Urological Association’s Young Urologist of the Year 

The American Urological Association (AUA) recently named Kerri Thurmon, MD, associate professor of urology in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, as one of the recipients of its 2023 Young Urologist of the Year Award. The award is presented annually to recognize early-career association members for their efforts and commitment to advancing the development of fellow young urologists. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date April 17, 2023
Full Story

Diabetes    Clinical Trials   

New Therapy First to Target Type 1 Diabetes Disease Process

Not long after recovering from a frightening episode that culminated in their daughter’s type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis at age 7, Doug and Laura Aeling turned their attention to their son.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date April 17, 2023
Full Story

Community   

Does Oxygen in a Can Deliver on Its Altitude and Energy Claims?

In a three-year span, canned oxygen has become almost as available as the real thing. Buoyed by COVID-19, a “Shark Tank” deal, and a scene on “The Simpsons,” increased demand has resulted in a burst of the small aluminum cans on store shelves, from pharmacies to gas stations.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date April 17, 2023
Full Story

COMBAT

Challenges of Medical Care in Space

On Monday, the Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research welcomed NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, MD, to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where he presented at a distinguished leader seminar on “The Challenges of Medical Care in Space: A Perspective From Low Earth Orbit and the Future of Human Spaceflight."


Author Colleen Miracle | Publish Date April 12, 2023
Full Story

Innovation   

Women Leaders Share What It Takes to Innovate in Healthcare

Taking what’s learned in the lab and creating a viable commercial product to improve patient health is a journey many academics aspire to take yet few accomplish. At “Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Stories of Women-Led Innovation on April 10, women scientists shared how focus, intention and a great team can assist in finding success.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date April 12, 2023
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    Pediatrics    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    pregnancy    ColoradoSPH at CSU   

Study Reveals Prenatal Supplements Don’t Offer Adequate Nutrition for Women and Babies

A new study from researchers in the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity (LEAD) Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus shows that 90% of pregnant women do not receive adequate nutrients during pregnancy from food alone and must look to supplements to fill that deficit. However, they also discovered that 99% of the affordable dietary supplements on the market do not contain appropriate doses of key micronutrients that are urgently needed to make up for the nutritional imbalance.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date April 04, 2023
Full Story

Research    Press Releases   

Study Finds Schizophrenia Patients May Be Candidates for Deep Brain Stimulation

A study published in Frontiers in Surgery finds that people with schizophrenia (SZ) and schizoaffective disorder (SAD) have overall lower surgical risk than people with Parkinson’s disease, which is reassuring when considering potential surgical interventions such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of SZ and SAD.


Author Kelsea Pieters | Publish Date April 03, 2023
Full Story

Patient Care    Pancreatic Cancer    Surgical Oncology    Multidisciplinary Clinic   

Enjoying the Gift of Time After a Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis

Before receiving a pancreatic cancer diagnosis eight years ago – a diagnosis that resulted from persistent self-advocacy – Carolyn Degrafinried spent one awful weekend wondering if she was losing her mind.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date March 23, 2023
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    Rheumatoid Arthritis   

Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Be Delayed or Prevented?

Many stages occur on the path to getting rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the body, especially the joints. If providers could spot the predictive biomarkers and intervene early enough, there is a strong likelihood they could delay, or even prevent, RA from developing.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date March 22, 2023
Full Story

Research    Blood Cancer    Clinical Trials    lymphoma   

Clinical Trials Show Promise for ‘Jurassic Park’ Actor Sam Neill’s Rare Lymphoma

In a forthcoming memoir, actor Sam Neill of “Jurassic Park” fame reveals that he’s been battling angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, also known as AITL.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date March 22, 2023
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Cancer    Clinical Trials    cancer screening   

Can One Blood Test Transform Cancer Screening?

Because early detection offers the best chance of surviving cancer, screening tests that involve one quick blood draw are generating excitement. If approved, rather than scheduling downtime and facing intimidating procedures, patients could undergo screening for multiple cancers at once, just by rolling up their sleeves during routine doctor exams.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date March 20, 2023
Full Story

Community    Colorectal Cancer    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

Two CU Cancer Center Members Attend Biden’s Moonshot Event on Colorectal Cancer 

Earlier this month, medical professionals, patient advocates, industry innovators, federal policymakers, and public health officials, including two members of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, gathered at the White House for the Cancer Moonshot Colorectal Cancer Forum.  


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date March 16, 2023
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Research    CCTSI

Type 2 Youth Diabetes Study Changes Standard of Care Worldwide

A 15-year, multicenter study has changed the course of care for youth with type 2 diabetes, enhancing treatments for this growing population and illustrating the scope of the work conducted on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Called Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents & Youth (TODAY), the massive clinical trial included 699 participants and was led nationally by Phil Zeitler, MD, professor, pediatrics-endocrinology, University of Colorado School of Medicine.


Author Wendy Meyer | Publish Date March 14, 2023
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    CU Anschutz 360 Podcast   

Podcast: At CU Anschutz, the Future of AI Is Here

Whether it’s accelerating research in the lab or augmenting physician decision-making in the clinic, artificial intelligence (AI) has seemingly limitless potential to transform healthcare.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date March 13, 2023
Full Story

Research    Head and Neck Cancer    Clinical Trials

Innovative Technology Shows Great Promise Against Certain Head and Neck Cancers

Over the past decade, human papillomavirus (HPV) has increasingly been identified as a significant cause of certain head and neck cancers – for example, evidence suggests it causes 70% of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date March 03, 2023
Full Story

Research    Patient Care   

Genome Study Targets Rare Immune Disorders in Children

A multi-institutional research project led by immunology researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus will focus on underlying disease mechanisms of inborn errors of immunity (IEI), which could ultimately help uncover therapies for these high-risk patients.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date March 02, 2023
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Research    Diversity    Health equity    Equity Diversity and Inclusion   

How Can the Healthcare System Achieve Health Equity?

It’s a fact. Health disparities exist across all levels of the healthcare system. Kamal Henderson, MD, assistant professor, Division of Cardiology, takes a pragmatic approach to his work in the clinic and his research. He’s guided by a single question:


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date February 27, 2023
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Patient Care    Mental Health   

Can ChatGPT and TikTok Fads Hurt People Struggling with Eating Disorders?

Many professions, including the mental health field, are greeting new AI technology like ChatGPT with excitement and fear, celebrating the possibilities while predicting the dark sides. For eating disorder experts, where everything from chatbot misdiagnoses to AI-generated body images can have devasting consequences for their patients, the concerns are high.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date February 24, 2023
Full Story

Research    Bone Cancer

V Foundation Funds CU Cancer Center Research on Pediatric Osteosarcoma That Spreads to the Lungs 

University of Colorado Cancer Center members Michael Leibowitz, MD, PhD, and Dan Regan, DVM, PhD, have received an $800,000 grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research, co-founded by ESPN and legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano, to study a new potential treatment for pediatric osteosarcoma that spreads to the lungs. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date February 23, 2023
Full Story

Research    Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI-Assisted Authoring Tool Offers Timesaving and Transparency

As the world explores the new possibilities and uses of artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, researchers at the University of Colorado Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) are integrating similar models into academic authoring.


Author Rachel Wittel | Publish Date February 22, 2023
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Research    Health equity   

Near-Death Experience Boosts Work to Save Black Mothers and Babies

Brooke Dorsey Holliman never thought she’d be a statistic for her own research.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date February 21, 2023
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    Diabetes   

Study Examines Power of Group Sessions in Managing Diabetes

Ramona Koren remembers “falling apart” when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a decade ago. Her life turned upside down, and she had “no clue” what to do next.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date February 15, 2023
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    Community    CU Anschutz 360 Podcast    COMBAT   

Podcast: COMBAT Strives to Solve Military’s Toughest Clinical Challenges

Today’s world is riven by Russia’s war in Ukraine, dangers from biological and chemical weapons, increasing rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and growing challenges for first responders and medics dealing with high-stress situations.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date February 14, 2023
Full Story

Research    Patient Care    Equity Diversity and Inclusion   

Study: Implicit Bias, Late Diagnosis Create Critical ALS Healthcare Gap

It was only his first visit to a hospital’s ALS clinic, but already the Black patient’s amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) had progressed beyond a point for an effective intervention. This memory sticks with Zach Cox, DO, who at the time was a resident at the multidisciplinary ALS clinic in Richmond, Va.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date February 13, 2023
Full Story

Research   

What Makes a Couple Successful? Tips From a Relationship Therapist

Love is in the air, which must mean it’s Valentine’s Day. People around the world contemplate the grandest gestures of affection possible to show their significant other they care or write off the 14th as just a day invented by Hallmark. Polarizing as it may be, Valentine’s Day is a time to reflect on the root of love itself. What happens to us when we fall in love? What makes a couple successful? How can we ensure our relationships last?


Author Kelsea Pieters | Publish Date February 10, 2023
Full Story

Community    Mental Health

How to Cope When Valentine’s Day Triggers Sadness

While many people celebrate love and romance on Valentine’s Day, for some people, it can be a day shadowed by pain and loss. Mental health issues from depression, grief and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can all trigger harmful negative emotions.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date February 07, 2023
Full Story

Awareness    Glaucoma    Diabetic retinopathy    Equity Diversity and Inclusion

Improved Prevention and Screening is Vital for Diseases that Disproportionately Affect Black Americans

Although Black Americans are the second-largest minority population in the United States, they remain underrepresented in vision health research. They also carry the highest burden of eye disease ranging from general visual impairment to glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and blindness.


Author Rachel Wittel | Publish Date February 06, 2023
Full Story

Innovation    Patient Care   

Center for Surgical Innovation Hosts Renowned Skull Base Course

The Center for Surgical Innovation (CSI) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is one of the few facilities in the world equipped for 3D anatomic lectures and allows trainees to practice what they’ve learned in the cadaveric laboratory.


Author Ryan Wuller and Chris Casey | Publish Date January 31, 2023
Full Story

COVID-19    Vaccine

Can Latest Booster Shot Protect Against COVID-19 Variant?

As the latest, more contagious subvariant of omicron makes its way across the country, Coloradans are left to wonder when XBB.1.5 (better known as kraken) will arrive in Colorado, if getting the newest booster will protect them against it, and what’s on the horizon for additional vaccines.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date January 17, 2023
Full Story

Research    Faculty    Lung Cancer   

Balancing Science and Medicine to Benefit Lung Cancer Patient Care

When his mom fell off a ladder on New Year’s Eve a number of years ago, after deciding that was as good a night as any to clean the leaves from her gutters, one of the first things Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, did after she got home from the hospital was take her pulse.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date January 12, 2023
Full Story

Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery    Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac Arrest During NFL Game Brings Awareness to Importance of High-Quality Intervention

Editor’s Note: Since this story first published, Damar Hamlin was discharged from a Buffalo, New York, hospital January 11 and on January 28 released a video updating his fans and community on his recovery.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, 24, remained in critical condition Wednesday after collapsing on the football field six minutes into the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date January 04, 2023
Full Story

COVID-19    Vaccinations   

CDC Study Backs Bivalent Booster Effectiveness. So Why is Uptake So Low?

If any of the 86% of Americans lacking a current bivalent booster took a shot on the omicron-targeting vaccine right now, their chances of being sick with COVID-19 on Christmas Day would fall by as much as half.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date December 12, 2022
Full Story

Research    Genetics    CCTSI    rare disease

Researchers Shed Light on a Rare Genetic Disease in Children

You probably learned about cilia in high school biology class. The tiny hairlike structures line our nasal passages, ears and airways. Children born with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a rare inherited disease, have problems with the cilia that prevent them from moving mucus and inhaled particles and germs out of their airways, causing mucus to build up, leading to ear, sinus and lung infections.


Author Wendy Meyer | Publish Date December 07, 2022
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Community    Cancer    Magazine    Equity Diversity and Inclusion    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Leadership   

Women Are Gaining Increasing Seats at the Table in Cancer Leadership

Two important numbers to keep in mind are that 50.5% of the U.S. population is female, and that cancer will account for more than 606,000 deaths in the United States this year, making it the second-leading cause of death.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date November 28, 2022
Full Story

Research    Alzheimer's

Chris Hemsworth Learns of Heightened Alzheimer’s Risk

Superman had kryptonite. Thor has two copies of the gene ApoE4.

One is a fictional material. The other is a real-life genetic characteristic that signals a greater likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Chris Hemsworth, who plays the Norse warrior armed with a trademark hammer, recently learned he has copies of the gene, one from his mother and one from his father. The genetic rarity – carried by only 2% to 3% of the population – makes Hemsworth eight to 10 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.


Author Staff | Publish Date November 22, 2022
Full Story

Research    Community    Equity Diversity and Inclusion

CU Professor Draws on Indigenous Roots in Approach to Research and Mentoring

From the University of Colorado Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) offices on the top floor of the Anschutz Health Sciences Building, one sees sweeping views of Denver and the Rocky Mountains. DBMI Assistant Professor Katrina Claw, PhD, sees the lands that Native American tribes have called their home.


Author Toni Lapp | Publish Date November 21, 2022
Full Story

Head and Neck Cancer    Cancer    Oncology    Immunotherapy

Selective Nodal Radiation May Be a More Effective Approach in Cancer Treatment

A promising new study released by the University of Colorado Cancer Center suggests that recurrence of certain cancers can be significantly decreased by irradiating only a select set of lymph nodes near a tumor rather than all of them.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date November 16, 2022
Full Story

Research    Press Releases    Public Health    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz   

New Research Can Help Older Adults Plan for Changes in Driving and Firearm Use

New research from the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative examined diverse viewpoints on reducing access to potentially dangerous situations among older adults due to changes in physical or cognitive functioning.


Author Julia Milzer | Publish Date November 16, 2022
Full Story

Research    Community   

Rocking the Fashion Runway: Over $2.2 Million Raised for Down Syndrome Research

The “Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show” once again drew a large and star-studded crowd to raise awareness and funds for Down syndrome research.


Author Staff | Publish Date November 15, 2022
Full Story

Research   

New AB Nexus Grant Awards Spotlight Cross-Campus Collaborations

AB Nexus announced its fifth round of grant awards to researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Colorado Boulder. These teams are comprised of experts from a range of disciplines to advance basic science and translational research that improves human health and well-being, from taking on the most complex forms of cancer to exploring unexpected relationships between periodontal disease and stroke.


Author Staff | Publish Date November 15, 2022
Full Story

Community    Mental Health

Expert Untangles Complexities of Grief for Suicide Loss Survivors

About 800,000 people worldwide take their lives each year, which is one death every 40 seconds, according to the World Health Organization. It’s estimated that for every one person who dies by suicide, there are up to 135 people who are impacted by the death. Survivors of suicide loss often feel stuck in the trenches fighting a battle alone in a war they were thrown into against their will.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date November 15, 2022
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Research    Education    Community    Equity Diversity and Inclusion

PIKE-PREP Supports Scholars from Underrepresented Backgrounds in Pursuing Top-Tier Education

Xander Bradeen began his undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder planning to major in neuroscience as a pre-med student, the first in his family to pursue a college education. Then he learned about prairie voles.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date November 14, 2022
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Community    Mental Health

Bipolar Disorder Expert: Raw Look at Selena Gomez’s Life Can Open Eyes

Christopher Schneck, MD, guardedly tuned in to a highly trumpeted documentary on celebrity Selena Gomez on a recent weekend. Unsure if “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me,” a six-year recorded journey of the pop star’s life that debuted Nov. 4 on Apple TV+, might amount to a publicity ploy, the top bipolar expert began watching with a skeptical eye.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date November 11, 2022
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Research    Patient Care   

Podcast: Seeing a Regressive Form of Down Syndrome From All Sides

Nine years ago, Miah Yager was an active, life-loving young woman who had made great strides overcoming Down syndrome symptoms when, very suddenly, she crashed. Linda Roan said her daughter changed from her “world-by-the-tail” self to someone completely different. She stopped talking to friends and family, started hallucinating and could no longer sleep, getting maybe an hour each night.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date November 09, 2022
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Community    Neuroscience

Intricate Look at Neurons Brings Wonder and Intrigue to Anatomy Lesson

Visitors from a local high school held real human brains, virtually dissected a body donated to science and gazed at a 10-foot rendition of optic neurons during a recent anatomy lesson with an artistic twist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date November 09, 2022
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Patient Care    Awareness    Pancreatic Cancer    Surgical Oncology

Pancreatic Cancer Survivor is Eternally Grateful for her Surgery With Schulick

Laura Foote is now three years out from her pancreatic cancer diagnosis, thanks to a surgery performed by Richard Schulick, MD, MBA, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and chair of the Department of Surgery


Author Cancer Center | Publish Date November 08, 2022
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Research    Innovation    Patient Care    Community   

CU Anschutz Faculty Drive Innovation in Confronting Nation’s Mental Health Crisis

Embracing their own vulnerability and telling personal stories, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus psychiatry faculty shared how they are innovating across disciplines and using digital technologies, novel drugs and deep brain stimulation to transform the mental health treatment landscape.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date November 07, 2022
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Research    Innovation    Education   

Awards Ceremony Recognizes Research Excellence at CU Anschutz

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus hosted its second annual Research Awards ceremony on Oct. 25. More than 125 people gathered to recognize the contributions of their fellow colleagues with cheers and standing ovations. With eight different award categories and over a dozen individual awardees, the event highlighted the significant depth, strength and teamwork of the CU Anschutz research community.


Author Megan Lane | Publish Date October 31, 2022
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Research   

For Migrants, the Path to Happiness Often Carries a Traumatic Mental Toll

For many scientists, communicating their research involves turning data into stories. However, for Laura Vargas, PhD, MSW, MPA, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, her data already are stories.


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date October 26, 2022
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Research    Patient Care    Breast Cancer    Plastic Surgery

Multi-Faceted Treatment Helps Young Breast Cancer Patient Through Her Cancer Journey

Amanda Vegter did not have time for whatever it was that she felt on the side of her left breast.

She was six weeks into her fourth year of veterinary school, she had backpacking trips to go on with her boyfriend, walks to go on with her two dogs, plus plans for a summer externship in South Africa. She was busy and happy and it was probably nothing.

But that firm spot she first felt on her breast in January 2021 while working out at her boyfriend’s house didn’t just go away. Now she can look back and shake her head – of course it was breast cancer.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date October 21, 2022
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Innovation    Patient Care    Clinical Trials

Invisalign for Cleft Palates? Researchers Team Up to Bring Birth-Defect Treatment Home

Just as Invisalign® plastic aligners have revolutionized orthodontic treatment, a team at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus hopes its project using 3D printed plastic molds can transform cleft lip and palate care.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date October 21, 2022
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Research    Community   

Does TikTok-Fueled Vagus Nerve Icing Offer Calming Relief?

A young woman’s TikTok video claiming that icing her chest with a bag of frozen peas conquered her until-then untouchable insomnia must have hit a nerve.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date October 20, 2022
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Patient Care    Diabetes    Obesity   

Elon Musk Rockets Weight-Loss Drug Into Public Eye

When a Twitter follower praised Elon Musk’s new “awesome, fit, ripped and healthy” look, the billionaire entrepreneur replied that his secret was “fasting” and “Wegovy.” Given society’s obsession with celebrities and weight loss and Musk’s massive following on Twitter, a viral tweet was born.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date October 19, 2022
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Firearm Injury Prevention    COMBAT

CU Anschutz Researchers and Partners Launch Firearm Injury Toolkit

A free Firearm Injury Toolkit was unveiled this week to help more states find voluntary firearm storage sites while setting up online support maps that can help save lives.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date October 11, 2022
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Education    Community    Public Health

Decades-Long Public Health Partnerships in Nepal Supported by University of Colorado Colleagues

It wasn’t his first stroll through a teeming Kathmandu market, his first taste of momos, or even his first view of the Himalayas that weaved a piece of his heart into the fabric of a country 12,000 miles from his Denver home.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date October 05, 2022
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Innovation    Patient Care   

Electricity from Glucose? Researchers Seek Efficient Powering of Implanted Devices

In a bioengineering lab below Children’s Hospital Colorado, sugar water burbles softly as it flows from a beaker into a breadbox-sized unit connected to wires. The setup is small and inauspicious, but the “power harvest” taking place offers huge potential for millions of people living with implanted devices, including pacemakers, neurostimulators and prosthetic devices.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date September 29, 2022
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Press Releases   

CU Anschutz Researchers Part of National Effort to Rapidly Boost AI in Medical Research

The National Institutes of Health will invest $130 million over four years, pending the availability of funds, to accelerate the widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) by the biomedical and behavioral research communities.


Author Kelsea Pieters | Publish Date September 13, 2022
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Patient Care   

Detecting Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Children Early Can Reduce Growth Delays

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – an umbrella term for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – often involves a difficult journey to diagnosis, particularly for children. Yet detecting IBD early in pediatric patients decreases risk of growth and puberty delay and the need for surgeries.


Author Matthew Hastings | Publish Date September 06, 2022
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Patient Care    Education    Community    ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz    Patient-Centered Injury Prevention

ER Physician Offers Five Steps That Can Help Prevent Suicide

An average of 130 people take their lives each day in the United States, making it the 11th leading cause of death.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date September 06, 2022
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Research    Pediatric Cancer    Brain and Spinal Cancer

CU Cancer Center Is Home to One of the Largest Groups of Pediatric Brain Tumor Researchers in the Country

Initially, the big picture looks severe: Pediatric brain tumors are now the number one cause of death for children diagnosed with cancer.

Though leukemia is four times more common in pediatric patients than brain tumors, about 90% of children diagnosed with leukemia will experience a cure “because we’ve done such a good job of researching leukemia, and treatments have come so far that cure rates have improved significantly,” says Rajeev Vibhakar, MD, PhD, MPH, a professor of pediatric hematology and oncology in the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “We need to see that same level of support and advancement in finding cures for pediatric brain tumors.”


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date September 01, 2022
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Community   

Energy Drink or Coffee? This Nutritional Scientist Would Choose the Java

Energy drinks now constitute a multibillion-dollar industry, luring shoppers with their colorful cans and life-changing promises: “Clears brain fog.” “Burns body fat.” “Provides superhuman performance.”


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 29, 2022
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Press Releases    Geriatrics   

CDPHE Adds Multidisciplinary Center on Aging at the University of Colorado as a Recognized Health Navigator Training Program

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is pleased to add the Multidisciplinary Center on Aging at the University of Colorado as a Recognized Health Navigator Training Program. Recognized programs must demonstrate that their training curricula meet the entry-level core competencies for individuals to become credentialed health navigators in Colorado. Building the health navigator workforce is a core component of the state’s strategy to eliminate barriers to accessing health care and promote positive health outcomes for all Coloradans. 


Author Guest Contributor | Publish Date August 23, 2022
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Research    Education    Faculty    Awards

Professor Emeritus Receives Prestigious Award for Lifelong Dedication to Chemistry and History

Joseph Gal, PhD, was trained in chemistry, is fluent in French, and spent most of his career in medical science research. More recently, he focused his activities on the history of science and more specifically on the renowned French scientist Louis Pasteur.


Author Laura Veith | Publish Date August 22, 2022
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Research    Patient Care    Education   

Harnessing Global Expertise to Train the Next Generation of Neurosurgeons

Human anatomy is a universe unto itself – fine-tuned and intricate, and quite delicate. The stakes are very high when a surgeon must navigate, as in the case of a base skull specialist, the labyrinth of miniscule cranial nerves and blood vessels deep within the brain.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date August 22, 2022
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Research    Patient Care    Cancer    CU Anschutz 360 Podcast    lymphoma

Why Is CAR T-Cell Therapy ‘One of the Most Phenomenal Advances in Science’?

This episode of CU Anschutz 360 focuses on a promising breakthrough therapy for patients with large B-cell lymphoma, an aggressive subtype of the disease. The clinical trial was led by Manali Kamdar, MD, clinical director of the lymphoma program in the Division of Hematology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.


Author Chris Casey | Publish Date August 16, 2022
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Research    Mental Health

This Is Your Brain on Mushrooms: How Does Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Work?

Over 60 years ago, Bill Wilson, the man behind the largest sobriety program in history, tried LSD and began publicly touting the psychedelic drug as a way toward recovery from alcoholism. Today, a growing number of studies suggest the Alcoholic Anonymous co-founder’s revelation might be right.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 15, 2022
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Patient Care    Blood Cancer    Clinical Research    lymphoma

Rolling the Dice: Gamble Pays Off For Cancer Patient in CAR T-Cell Clinical Trial

Family, friends and positive attitudes helped Katherine Haug through months of failed attempts at ridding her body of cancer. Then a passionate doctor with an experimental treatment gave the wife, mother and grandmother a big reason to smile.


Author Debra Melani | Publish Date August 15, 2022
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Research    Breast Cancer   

Study Could Lead to Better Education and Treatment of Sexual Health for Breast Cancer Patients

A new study released by the University of Colorado Cancer Center shows that more than 70 percent of breast cancer patients have reported changes that affect their sexual health during and beyond treatment.


Author Laura Kelley | Publish Date August 02, 2022
Full Story

COVID-19   

Data scientists in the spotlight

Melissa Haendel, PhD, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and her team of data scientists have been working at a lightning-fast pace for two years, unlocking some of the mysteries of long COVID. Not only have they been instrumental in the development of the largest national, publicly available HIPAA-limited dataset in U.S. history – the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) – but their research using the data is making headlines and getting the attention of the White House.


Author Wendy Meyer | Publish Date July 20, 2022
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Research    Press Releases    Education    Clinical Research    CU Medicine Today   

Department of Biomedical Informatics Launches to Advance Patient Care Using Data-Driven Discovery

Connecting basic science and medicine with clinical and translational scientists, the University of Colorado School of Medicine is introducing the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) to enhance clinical care through integrated computational technology, laboratory investigations, and artificial intelligence (AI).


Author Rachel Wittel | Publish Date July 06, 2022
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Patient Care    Community    Awareness    Colorectal Cancer

Couple Both Battling Stage IV Colon Cancer Focused on Enjoying Each Moment as a Family

As they both deal with a stage IV colon cancer diagnosis, Kacie Peters and Erik Stanley are focused on living a normal, happy life with their son.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date June 20, 2022
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Patient Care    Awareness    Transplant Center    CU Medicine Today

“One in a Billion Odds”

It happened so fast, and it was so unexpected.

In August 2020, Mario Carrasco got what he suspected was COVID-19 and took Tylenol to combat his high fever. When that didn’t work, he took an antibiotic he had received from Mexico and eventually felt better. For several months afterward, he felt fine. He felt like he always does.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date June 15, 2022
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Patient Care    Community    Mental Health

Low Testosterone: Separating Fact From Fiction

Men looking for information on their physical and sexual health often turn to the internet, where low testosterone is a commonly searched — and commonly misunderstood — topic.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date June 10, 2022
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Research    Community    Magazine    Clinical Trials

Growing Evidence Shows Increasing Overlaps Between Human and Companion Animal Cancer Research

Molly the golden retriever was a fan of cookies. Whenever there was a plate of them nearby, she kept her eye on it, waiting for her chance to sneak one or five. She was a fan of water, too, even after she had surgery to remove her left front leg following an osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, diagnosis in April 2017.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date May 19, 2022
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Patient Care    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Melanoma    Immunotherapy   

Acknowledging the Fears of Cancer by Giving Them a Face and a Name

To understand why Beau Gill built a mental cupboard for Jeff and Spike, first you must travel back with him to the small town of Catemaco in Mexico’s state of Veracruz.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date April 20, 2022
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Patient Care    Community    Awareness    Transplant Center

Living Organ Donation Journey Inspires Doctor to Normalize the Experience for Others

At first, she was reluctant to talk about it – a little sheepish, even. The obvious question was, “Why are you doing this?” And though she had answers, none of them were quick or easy.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date April 06, 2022
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Community   

National Cancer Institute Renews CU Cancer Center’s ‘Comprehensive’ Designation

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has once again recognized the University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center as one of the best cancer centers in the country. On March 31, the NCI officially renewed the CU Cancer Center’s “comprehensive” designation with a strong rating, the best ever received at the CU Cancer Center. The award recognizes the center’s strengths in basic, translational, clinical, and population science research, as well as leadership and resources devoted to community outreach and engagement and cancer research, training, and education.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date March 31, 2022
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Education    Community    Faculty    Vascular Surgery    Cardiothoracic Surgery

Nurturing a Passion for Medicine that Was Born in the Midst of War

Almost a decade into his medical career, amid the daily traumas of war, Mohammed Al-Musawi, MD, began to love his job.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date March 22, 2022
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Research    Awareness    Pediatric Cancer    Brain and Spinal Cancer

Youngest Brain Tumor Patients Have Significantly Poorer Outcomes than Older Pediatric Patients

A University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center researcher has found, through extensive data analysis, that the youngest patients with brain tumors – those ages birth to 3 months – have about half the five-year survival rate as children ages 1 to 19.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date March 18, 2022
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Innovation    Press Releases    Health Sciences   

Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer, PhD, Named Chief of Artificial Medical Intelligence in Ophthalmology

Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer, PhD, has been named chief of the new Division of Artificial Medical Intelligence in Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado (CU) School of Medicine. In her new role, Kalpathy-Cramer will translate novel artificial intelligence (AI) methods into effective patient care practices at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center.


Author Rachel Wittel | Publish Date March 17, 2022
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Community    Awareness    Cancer

6 Years After Bile Duct Cancer Diagnosis, Focus Shifts to Not Wasting Time

There were a lot of things Jim White thought he’d never do: stay in one place long enough to feel roots grow beneath his feet, meet the love of his life, have a child whose daily joy in discovering the world reignites White’s own joy.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date February 22, 2022
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Community    Awareness    Trauma and Fractures    GITES

Bob Saget’s Death from Accidental Head Trauma Brings Awareness of Signs to Look for Following Head Injury

Comedian Bob Saget’s death on January 9 was a shock to fans who loved him as Danny Tanner on “Full House” or for his stand-up comedy, and to those who admired and respected him as a colleague.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date February 10, 2022
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Research    Community   

CU Cancer Center Research Highlights Objectives of Biden's Moonshot Initiative

On this World Cancer Day, the University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center looks back to earlier this week when President Biden reignited his Cancer Moonshot initiative, setting ambitious goals to “reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years and improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer — and by doing this and more, end cancer as we know it today.” 


Author Shelly Lange | Publish Date February 04, 2022
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Patient Care    Awareness    Low Vision Rehabilitation

Driving Dreams Come True at Age 52

By the time Karre Wakefield’s friends and classmates turned 16 and got behind the wheel, she had accepted riding as only a passenger. Wakefield was born with hydrocephalus, or excess fluid in her brain, which damaged her optic nerve and rendered her ineligible for a driver’s license in the state of Colorado.


Author Rachel Wittel | Publish Date February 04, 2022
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Research    Patient Care    Plastic Surgery

New Cosmetic Cream Created at CU Leaves Skin 'Silky' Smooth

From Silly Putty to the microwave oven, there is a long history of consumer products “accidentally” discovered during the scientific discovery process. 


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date February 03, 2022
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Research    Faculty    Magazine    Oncology

Wells Messersmith, MD, Named CMO of Oncology Services at UCHealth

University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center leader Wells Messersmith, MD, has been named chief medical officer of oncology services at UCHealth. In this new role, Messersmith will oversee cancer care at all UCHealth locations with a focus on expanding advanced treatments and the clinical trials UCHealth offers in partnership with the CU Cancer Center.


Author Cancer Center | Publish Date January 27, 2022
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Research    Patient Care    Community    Surgical Oncology

Research Finds Patients and Providers Differ in Opinions About Immediate Access to Medical Records

While both patients and clinicians prioritize information transparency, a 21st Century Cures Act requirement for the immediate release of test and lab results is proving more controversial, according to recently published survey results of clinicians and patients.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date January 21, 2022
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Research    Patient Care    Awareness

Telemedicine Strengthens Glaucoma Diagnosis and Management

For more than a decade, Tom Poindexter managed his glaucoma with drops as routinely as brushing his teeth. Catching it early, he was diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma, the most common form, in his 50s.


Author Rachel Wittel | Publish Date January 14, 2022
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Research    Education    Students   

Medical Student Receives Grant to Help With Cannabis Study

Emma Lamping, a second-year student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has received a $5,000 “Emerging Scientist Award” from the Institute of Cannabis Research in Pueblo, Colorado, for her work on a research study comparing postoperative pain medication requirements and surgical outcomes after major abdominal surgery for the treatment of cancer between daily cannabis users and nonusers of cannabis.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date January 06, 2022
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Patient Care    Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery   

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at CU School of Medicine Celebrates a ‘Herstoric’ Moment

With two female cardiothoracic surgeons in its ranks, the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine is ahead of the curve when it comes to gender representation in the field. By one recent estimate, just 8% of cardiothoracic surgeons in the country are female.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 17, 2021
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Patient Care    Community    Plastic Surgery   

Gender Affirmation Surgery Helps Patient Feel Whole for the First Time in 71 Years

The victory lap came 50 years after high school, in a female restroom at Denver’s East High School.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date November 15, 2021
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Patient Care    Community    Sarcoma

“You Are Cancer-Free”

The cancer diagnosis came at a time when it seemed as though everything was happening – he was only 37 and soon to become president of the Denver City Council; his three children were ages 4, 6, and 9; he had just run the BOLDERBoulder 10K.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date November 03, 2021
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Patient Care    Education    Faculty   

CU Street Medicine Connects Students with Opportunities to Aid People Experiencing Homelessness

Patient care doesn’t always happen within four walls or in buildings with controlled climates and cupboards full of supplies. Sometimes it happens in a parking lot, on the sidewalk, by a trail – wherever a person with need happens to be.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date October 28, 2021
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Patient Care    Education    Faculty   

CU Street Medicine Connects Students with Opportunities to Aid People Experiencing Homelessness

Patient care doesn’t always happen within four walls or in buildings with controlled climates and cupboards full of supplies. Sometimes it happens in a parking lot, on the sidewalk, by a trail – wherever a person with need happens to be.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date October 28, 2021
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Research    Patient Care    Press Releases   

Fluid Dynamics

The U.S. Department of Defense is funding a study by Arek Wiktor, MD, associate professor of GI, trauma, and endocrine surgery and interim medical director of the UCHealth Burn and Frostbite Center – Anschutz Medical Campus, to aid in treatment of military and civilian burn patients.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date October 19, 2021
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Community    Blood Cancer

Colin Powell’s Death Highlights the Challenges Multiple Myeloma Patients Face With COVID-19

In a grim reminder of the toll COVID-19 can take even among those who are vaccinated against it, former Secretary of State Colin Powell died Monday of complications from the virus. His family said Powell, who was 84, was fully vaccinated against the disease.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date October 18, 2021
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Patient Care    Community    Breast Cancer    Advocacy

Genetic Counseling Helps Young Woman Take Control After Testing Positive for BRCA2

The first time Caley Kurchinski had to think about a double mastectomy, she was only 16. Her mother had died at age 36 from breast cancer, when Caley was 6. When she became a teenager, Caley’s family physician began telling her she needed to get genetic testing.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date October 15, 2021
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Patient Care    Awareness    Breast Cancer    Surgical Oncology    Plastic Surgery

Young Mom’s Breast Cancer Journey Highlights Importance of Breast Cancer Screening in Younger Women

Kirsten Stewart was just putting on lotion, like she does every morning after her shower. That particular morning, though, she noticed something different: a lump that hadn’t been there before and that definitely wasn’t normal. She was only 30 years old.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date October 07, 2021
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Patient Care    Community    Child & Adolescent    GITES

CU Surgeon Looking to Extend Bariatric Surgery Services to Adolescent Patients

Over the past five decades, childhood overweight and obesity has transitioned from public health concern to public health crisis. In 1971, 5.2% of U.S. children ages 2 to 19 were experiencing obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a number that increased to 19.3% by 2018.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date September 30, 2021
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Community    Pancreatic Cancer    Surgical Oncology

“Sex and the City” Actor’s Death Raises Awareness of Pancreatic Cancer

Actor Willie Garson was probably best known for his role as Stanford Blatch on “Sex and the City,” playing one of Carrie Bradshaw’s New York-savvy best friends.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date September 27, 2021
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Patient Care    Blood Cancer    Leukemia

Norm MacDonald’s Death Puts Spotlight on Acute Leukemia

Comedian and former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Norm MacDonald died Tuesday, after what his brother, Neil MacDonald, described as a nine-year battle with acute leukemia. Norm MacDonald, known for his intelligence and sarcastic wit, was 61.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date September 16, 2021
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Research    Patient Care    Community    COVID-19    Quality and Clinical Effectiveness   

Multidisciplinary Team Designs Novel Mask in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

Ideas and innovation don’t always co-exist with convenience. On the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, the road to a novel mask design to address the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic took some unexpected twists and turns.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date September 08, 2021
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Research    Community    COVID-19   

Harnessing community voices to bolster COVID-19 vaccinations

We are more likely to trust a familiar voice.

The New York Times published a dialect quiz that, by offering users a series of multiple-choice options of everyday life phrases and names, could pinpoint the exact U.S. region a quiz taker was from. Each of us comes from a community with its own dialect—how we talk is unique to not just our state, but our region, county, city, and even neighborhood.


Author Laura Veith - ACCORDS Writer | Publish Date September 06, 2021
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Patient Care    Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer Patient Hopes His Story Encourages Early Detection for Others

The diagnosis came as a shock. Although, looking back, Bill Mordecai says it shouldn’t have been. 


Author Valerie Gleaton | Publish Date September 01, 2021
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Patient Care    Lung Cancer    Clinical Trials

Traveling to CU Cancer Center for a Lung Cancer Clinical Trial

David Kooyman transferred his care to University of Colorado Cancer Center member and associate professor of thoracic oncology, Tejas Patil, MD, to be part of a clinical trial to help with his rare lung cancer gene fusion.


Author Cancer Center | Publish Date August 19, 2021
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Patient Care    Pancreatic Cancer    Surgical Oncology

The Pancreatic Cancer Battle That Bonded a Patient and His Physician

Richard Schulick, MD, MBA, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, becomes close with all of his patients, but he has a special bond with Gerry Turner, one of Schulick’s surgical patients for pancreatic cancer.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date August 18, 2021
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COVID-19    Vaccinations

Why COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Work As Well In Immunocompromised Cancer Patients

Despite the growing threat of the Delta variant, many Americans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are living life much as they did pre-pandemic — traveling, shopping, going out to eat, and forgoing masks in many situations.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date August 13, 2021
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Faculty    Cardiothoracic Surgery

“Is There a Physician Onboard?”: Emergency over the Atlantic Reaffirms Surgeon’s Commitment to Helping

You know how it is trying to leave for vacation – there’s always one last thing to do, one last note to write, one last end to tie up before committing to the rest and relaxation.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date August 13, 2021
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Research    Education    Students

Second Annual Medical Student Summer Research Program Offers Mentorship and Hands-On Research Experience

Of all the lessons she learned during the eight-week Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSRP), Rose Castle, a rising second year at the University of Colorado School of Medicine who is interested in pursuing general surgery, drew her main takeaway outside the operating room.


Author Rachel Sauer | Publish Date August 10, 2021
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Research    Education    Magazine

Educational Pipelines Ensure Future Interest in Cancer Research

When you ask a classroom full of middle schoolers what they want to be when they grow up, you’re likely to get a range of answers, from “pro athletes” and “astronauts” to “musicians” and “movie stars.”


Author Valerie Gleaton | Publish Date July 26, 2021
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Patient Care    Community    Plastic Surgery

Young Craniofacial Patient Battles Multiple Surgeries With Positive Outlook

“Basketball, playing with sheep, playing with goats, playing with dogs, horse camp, friends ...”

Nine-year-old Danner Plumhoff is rattling off a list of her summer plans. Many of these activities wouldn’t have been possible for her last summer, when she was fresh off an intensive craniofacial surgery. It was her biggest surgery to date, but as a child with a rare variant of Crouzon syndrome, it was hardly her first.


Author Valerie Gleaton | Publish Date July 20, 2021
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Research   

Helping Working Cancer Caregivers Manage Stress

It’s difficult enough when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, but employed spouses of those who receive the diagnosis also are confronted with an array of practical problems. It’s now up to them to untangle issues around medical leave, health insurance, caregiving benefits, and more.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date July 14, 2021
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Education    Community   

Viral Tweet Puts Surgery Resident in the Spotlight

Matthew Bartley, MD, MS, has gone viral (as in trending in the world of social media).


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date July 01, 2021
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Research    Patient Care    Community   

Patients Now Have Immediate Access to Their Medical Records. How Can Providers Help Them Make Sense of the Data?

Patients’ rights advocates scored a major victory in April, when a provision went into effect that allows patients immediate access to all information in their medical records, including physician notes and test results. The change is part of the 21st Century Cures Act, which was passed by Congress in 2016 and continues to be updated.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date June 14, 2021
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Research    Honors    Head and Neck Cancer    Magazine    Funding

CU Cancer Center Receives Highly Competitive SPORE Grant for Head and Neck Cancer

Research and treatment of head and neck cancers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center reached a new level this month with a highly competitive Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The SPORE was approved by NCI Scientific Program leadership for FY2021 funding; the projected starting date is July 1.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date June 07, 2021
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Innovation    Education    Community   

Medical Students Help Create Surgical Training Tool to Meet Local and Global Needs

On May 19, 2021, more than 20 medical students from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, along with a handful of residents, fellows, and faculty members from the Department of Surgery, gathered in the home of Yihan Lin, MD, MPH, a cardiothoracic surgery fellow.


Author Valerie Gleaton | Publish Date May 27, 2021
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Research    Patient Care    Community    Lung Cancer

From Debilitating Chemo to One Pill a Day for Lung Cancer

One of the most difficult nights of Hank Baskett Sr.’s life was the night he told his wife he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date May 24, 2021
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Community    COVID-19   

CU School of Medicine Doctor Working to Get COVID-19 Supplies to India

After seeing the tragic COVID-19 crisis unfolding in India, Saketh Guntupalli, MD, associate professor of gynecologic oncology in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and member of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, decided to do something about it.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date May 19, 2021
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Community    COVID-19   

CU School of Medicine Doctor Working to Get COVID-19 Supplies to India

After seeing the tragic COVID-19 crisis unfolding in India, Saketh Guntupalli, MD, associate professor of gynecologic oncology in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and member of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, decided to do something about it.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date May 19, 2021
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Research    COVID-19   

Are the COVID-19 Vaccines Good News for Cancer Care?

Long before RNA and mRNA became important parts of the COVID-19 vaccine conversation, researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine were studying how RNA biology can improve diagnostics and therapeutics for a range of diseases.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date May 18, 2021
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Patient Care    Blood Cancer    Leukemia    Magazine    Clinical Trials

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Won’t Slow World Champion Triathlete Down

Siri Lindley couldn’t swim. She had never learned how and the idea of competing in a triathlon seemed completely out of the question.


Author Jessica Cordova | Publish Date May 16, 2021
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Patient Care    Community    Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Patient’s Advice: Take It One Treatment at a Time

It feels odd to use the phrase “perfect timing” when talking about a cancer diagnosis, but that’s exactly how Tonya Quinn describes her experience being diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago.  


Author Valerie Gleaton | Publish Date May 12, 2021
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Research    Patient Care    GITES

Bariatric Surgery Public Health Initiative Improves Lives for Patients with Obesity

Fredric Pieracci, MD, MPH/MSPH, an associate professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Surgery, is the senior author on a new paper published in Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases that details the results of a public health initiative to provide affordable bariatric surgery to uninsured Denver County residents.  


Author Valerie Gleaton | Publish Date April 28, 2021
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Patient Care    Community    Cardiothoracic Surgery

University of Colorado Surgeon Performs State’s First COVID-19 Lung Transplant

Bryan Raymond was very nearly just another grim entry on the ever-growing list of COVID-19 fatalities. But thanks to efforts by faculty members in the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Department of Surgery, Raymond is a COVID statistic of a different sort — the first person in Colorado to receive a lung transplant related to the virus.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date April 26, 2021
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Patient Care    Pediatric Cancer    Magazine

CU Cancer Center Technology Gives Kids a Welcome Distraction During Radiation Treatment

Thirty days of radiation treatments — five days a week, with Saturdays and Sundays off — are difficult for even the toughest of adults. But for a child, they’re even harder to bear. They involve fasting, waking up early, and lying in a dark room alone, without even your parents there for support.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date April 21, 2021
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Patient Care    Community    Awareness    Health equity    Transplant Center

Two Transplant Doctors Explain the Basics of Organ Donation and What’s New in Transplants

April is National Donate Life Month — an awareness month that encourages Americans to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors and that honors those who have saved lives through the gift of donation.


Author Valerie Gleaton | Publish Date April 09, 2021
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Research    Patient Care   

Following Patients’ Progress After Surgery 

For the past nine years, the Surgical Outcomes and Applied Research (SOAR) group at the University of Colorado School of Medicine has been conducting research on health services within the Department of Surgery. A large part of that research has to do with clinical outcomes for surgery patients and how patients fare — in the short term and the long term — after an operation.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date April 07, 2021
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Education    Community    COVID-19   

Navigating Through the Pandemic

As they look back on one of the most challenging years in their medical careers, members of the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine remember the low points — the crowded emergency rooms, the delayed surgeries, the deaths from the disease — but they remember some high points as well.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date March 24, 2021
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Patient Care    Philanthropy    Prostate Cancer    Magazine

An Engineer Tackles the Problem of Prostate Cancer as a Patient and Financial Donor

Ashton Villars has always been a problem solver. As a competitive athlete in basketball, waterskiing, and tennis and an actual rocket scientist, Villars has tackled every challenge in life head on — including his prostate cancer diagnosis. Now, he’s bringing that same problem-solving spirit to supporting cancer research. 


Author Valerie Gleaton | Publish Date March 05, 2021
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Education    Community   

Johns Hopkins Director of Surgery Speaks at CU Surgery Department’s First DEI Lecture

“Diversity and inclusion in medicine can save lives.” That was the message from Robert Higgins, MD, MSHA, director of the Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.


Author Department of Surgery | Publish Date February 25, 2021
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Education    Community   

Resident Recounts Her Son’s NICU Battle in Essay for New England Journal of Medicine

As a resident in the Department of Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Heather Carmichael, MD, was accustomed to the emotional remove doctors have from their patients. The distance that allows surgeons to cut into someone without hesitation or to deliver bad news without falling apart.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date February 19, 2021
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Research    Education   

Medical Student Presents Research at Academic Surgical Congress

Eighteen physicians, residents, and medical students from the University of Colorado School of Medicine presented on their research this week at the Academic Surgical Congress, an annual convention hosted by the Society of University Surgeons.


Author Department of Surgery | Publish Date February 05, 2021
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Education    Awareness

CU Cancer Center Celebrates World Cancer Day

For the past 20 years, the Union for International Cancer Control has designated February 4 as World Cancer Day — a day to raise awareness, improve education, and catalyze personal, collective, and government action around the deadly disease. The organization hopes to reduce the number of premature deaths from cancer and noncommunicable diseases by one-third by 2030.


Author Cancer Center | Publish Date February 02, 2021
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Research    Quality and Clinical Effectiveness

Practicing Fire Safety in the Operating Room

Edward Jones, MD, MS, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is a nationally recognized expert on preventing operating room (OR) fires.


Author Department of Surgery | Publish Date January 13, 2021
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Research    Patient Care    Quality and Clinical Effectiveness

Safety and Quality Are a Primary Focus for the CU Department of Surgery

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new attention to the safety of patients during surgery. But long before the concerns brought on by coronavirus, the CU Department of Surgery was working to make patient safety a priority.


Author Department of Surgery | Publish Date January 06, 2021
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Research    Vascular Surgery

The Pandemic’s Impact on Vascular Surgery

In a normal year, vascular surgeons would never postpone surgeries for patients with aortic or carotid disease or other conditions.


Author Department of Surgery | Publish Date December 30, 2020
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Patient Care    Magazine

Increase in Cancer Deaths Predicted Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 is the most-talked-about health concern in 2020, but for many, it is not the deadliest disease. University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center leadership is bringing attention to the fact that more people will die from cancer than COVID this year.


Author Cancer Center | Publish Date December 22, 2020
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Education    Community    Plastic Surgery

Department of Surgery Makes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion a Priority

The racial reckoning occurring in America in a year that saw the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others touches nearly every aspect of society. From corporate boardrooms and HR departments to police forces and universities, assumptions are being questioned and priorities reexamined as we are reminded of the inequities that still exist for people of color.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date December 14, 2020
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Research    Cancer    Surgical Oncology

Untangling Medical Cannabis

Medical cannabis was legalized in Colorado in 2000, but 20 years later, Camille Stewart, MD, isn’t able to prescribe it to her patients. Nor is she able to dictate the dosage or frequency with which patients take the drug.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date December 07, 2020
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Patient Care    Community    Publications

Changes Needed to Address Financial Hardship from Cancer

Until you or a loved one are facing treatment for a cancer diagnosis, you may not realize the cost associated with treatment and doctor visits. Unfortunately, the cost is continuing to rise as new treatments are discovered and patients are responsible for more of those costs, even if they have health insurance coverage.


Author Cancer Center | Publish Date November 24, 2020
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Awareness    Pancreatic Cancer    Magazine    Surgical Oncology

Alex Trebek’s Death Raising Awareness and Questions About Pancreatic Cancer

Longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek announced it to the world on March 6, 2019: Like 50,000 other Americans each year, he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 11, 2020
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Sarcoma    Cancer

New Disney+ Movie Raising Awareness of Rare Cancer

A new movie streaming on Disney+ is shining a spotlight on a rare type of bone cancer that occurs most often in children and young adults.


Author Greg Glasgow | Publish Date November 02, 2020
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Patient Care    Plastic Surgery

Improving Confidence with Reconstructive Surgery After a Double Mastectomy

Knowing your family health history is one of the first steps to finding out if you may have a higher risk of cancer and might need early screenings. Ela Carta is no stranger to the struggles of having a family history of cancer. At the age of 30, Carta’s aunt, Audie, began urging Carta to get a mammogram. With a long family history of breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease, Carta knew she had to be proactive with her health.


Author Chanthy Na | Publish Date October 21, 2020
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Research    Patient Care    Community    Prostate Cancer    Cancer    Urology

Former Broncos Punter Wants Men to Share Their Experience With Prostate Cancer

Growing up, Douglas “Bucky” Dilts was all too familiar with the dangers of cancer. “My mother ran a cancer tumor registry at St Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia for over 25 years. She was always telling us about different types of cancer, so cancer was always at the forefront.”  


Author Department of Surgery | Publish Date September 23, 2020
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Patient Care    Community    Plastic Surgery

Cleft Lip Reconstruction Transforms Jennifer's Outlook Making Her Brave Enough to Teach

As a young child, Jennifer Falomir-Lopez just wanted to look “normal” like all the other kids. She knew she was different but couldn’t explain to her friends why she looked different. Jennifer was born with a cleft lip and cleft alveolus.


Author Chanthy Na | Publish Date July 28, 2020
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School of Medicine In the News

Cardiovascular Business

Cardiologist receives $7M for 5-year study to boost care for heart failure patients

news outletCardiovascular Business
Publish DateNovember 29, 2023

Larry Allen, MD, a cardiologist with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has received $7 million in funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to investigate the use of electronic resources among heart failure patients.

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Radiology Business

RSNA 2023: Panel spars over record-sharing provision in 21st Century Cures Act

news outletRadiology Business
Publish DateNovember 28, 2023

Is granting patients immediate access to their medical images a worthwhile practice? Experts debated both sides during a panel discussion Monday as RSNA 2023.

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Denverite

Denver weighs raising temperature threshold for opening warming centers and stopping sweeps

news outletDenverite
Publish DateNovember 28, 2023

Denver’s current threshold to open emergency warming shelters or stop encampment sweeps that boot people from the warmth of their tents onto the sidewalk is 20 degrees. That’s far below the 32-degree temperature that can trigger hypothermia or frostbite that can lead to lost limbs and even lost lives.

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Action News 5

Best Life: Targeting Alzheimer’s

news outletAction News 5
Publish DateNovember 28, 2023

The Alzheimer’s epidemic continues to cast a shadow over the lives of millions of people.

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