At higher altitudes, oxygen is limited, making it more difficult for people to breathe. Red blood cells deliver oxygen to tissues using hemoglobin, one of the most abundant proteins in the human body.
Research Patient Care Education Community
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.
Research Patient Care Philanthropy
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus recently celebrated the generosity of the CU Anschutz benefactor community and the talented faculty they support. Hosted by Chancellor Don Elliman, the event was held for the first time at the Anschutz Health Sciences Building against the backdrop of the endowed chair recognition wall. Each plaque recognizes an endowed chair established by a benefactor or benefactors to support faculty at CU Anschutz.
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.
Research Patient Care Autoimmune disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
A simple blood test into multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology could speed MS diagnostics and ultimately improve patient care, according to Xiaoli Yu, PhD, senior author of a new study on plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody aggregates.
Research Patient Care Philanthropy
University of Colorado faculty this year garnered $1.6 billion in sponsored research funding and gifts supporting research, a 9% increase over the previous year and the highest such total in CU history.
When a headache calls and the only ibuprofen in the house is a bottle that is expired, is it worth a trip out to replace it?
Research Community Public Health ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Cathy J. Bradley, PhD, is more than two months into her role as the newest dean of the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) and the first woman appointed to this position. She commemorated the beginning of her tenure at the 2023 State of the School Address by acknowledging the school’s history and her vision for its future over the next five years.
Research Public Health ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Whether people use cannabis to induce sleep, relieve symptoms or relax during downtime, a vehicle crash or accident at work could leave them in jail or the unemployment line. Frequent users can lose their jobs or face criminal charges, even if their last puff or gummy was days or weeks prior to an incident.
Nutrition experts have recognized for many years that Western diets rich in fats and sugar may be behind the cause of obesity, but debate has reigned over the primary culprit - intake of too many calories? Specific foods such as carbohydrates or fat? This has led to some groups recommending reducing sugar, some reducing carb intake, while others believe the key is reducing high fat-foods.
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.
A vast majority (95%) of Department of Defense (DoD) health research ends up in civilian hospitals, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research works toward that number to save and improve lives on the battlefield and at home.
That was the central message of a discussion led by Vik Bebarta, MD, founder and director of COMBAT, professor ofEmergency Medicine andToxicology at theCU School of Medicine, during the 2023 Science Writers conference on Oct. 8 at CU Anschutz.
They say the third time’s a charm.
If crowded rooms and smiling faces are any indication, the third attempt at hosting the nation’s premier science communications conference at the University of Colorado Boulder and CU Anschutz Medical Campus was indeed a charm.
Research Community Cancer Firearm Injury Prevention
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.
Trying to get a full night’s rest while living with Parkinson’s disease is often easier said than done. Patients often face frequent interruptions and irregular sleep due to a number of issues, such as poor nap patterns, abnormal movements during sleep, medication side effects, and difficulties surrounding sleep-improving exercise.
Research Press Releases Pharmacy
A new study may offer a strategy that mitigates negative side effects associated with intravenous injection of nanoparticles commonly used in medicine.
Research Patient Care Infectious disease ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
While the hit TV show “The Last of Us” depicts a fictional fungus, there is a real fungus causing concern in the healthcare community, and it can be deadly.
A new study in JAMA Network Open may provide key answers to how to help people experiencing chronic back pain.
Is kratom a welcome respite for those with chronic pain? Or is it a different style of opioid that can be addictive?
Research Press Releases Clinical Trials
New research has revealed a potentially important role ginger supplements can play in controlling inflammation for people living with autoimmune diseases.
Research Pharmaceutical Sciences
Phenylephrine is the most popular oral decongestant in the country, but further scrutiny by scientists has found that the ingredient is actually no better than a placebo.
Research Patient Care Cardiology
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.
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.
Research ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
For any child, the birth-to-age-5 period is vital to healthy development, but another important period – the transition into adolescence – is an opportunity to support positive developmental trajectories. For autistic children, matching the right intervention approaches to the right developmental period is essential to support healthy development and well-being.
Hearing loss prevalence increases with age, and nearly 90% of Americans over the age of 80 have lost some or most of their hearing, a toll taken by a lifetime of noise that goes beyond the sense of sound. Research links hearing deficits with social isolation, cognition issues and dementia, underscoring the need for hearing protection.
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.
“Oh my God, he’s bored!”
Simone Haller, PhD, jokingly recalled seeing a colleague’s neutral facial expression during a recent presentation. The situation was a unique moment for Haller, who studies bias and emotional reactions alongside Joel Stoddard, MD, associate professor in theDepartment of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Research Education ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Deans Notes
Responding to climate change, developing large-scale solutions to the mental health crisis and extolling the positive influence public health plays in making communities stronger and more resilient are just three of the first research and education goals for Cathy J. Bradley, PhD, as she steps into her role as the newest dean of the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH).
Research Press Releases COVID-19 ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers provide answers to whether COVID-19 vaccinations reduce sickness and mortality following infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Research Public Health ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz ColoradoSPH at CSU
Apparently, people love their red meat. Either that, or they find news of a rare allergy that can result from a tick bite juicy fodder for water-cooler chit-chat.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have officially identified a central conduit to obesity: fructose.
Research Patient Care Dental Medicine
Trevor Williams, PhD, spent decades studying the genetic underpinnings of craniofacial anomalies. Without treatment, which typically involves surgery, the birth defects can leave children with breathing and eating problems and make them the targets of bullies.
Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered what they believe to be the central mechanism behind cognitive decline associated with normal aging.
Research Patient Care Orthopedics
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.
Research Patient Care Community
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.
Research Patient Care COVID-19
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.
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.
Research Community ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper and Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, visited the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on June 23.
Research Innovation Patient Care
In its short, five-year history, the SPARK Colorado program has created 20 startup companies, launched nearly 50 projects and invested $7.5 million in teams that are advancing biomedical discoveries into treatments for patients.
Research Patient Care Neuroscience
Ten percent of the world’s population suffers from migraines, with women suffering from the painful headaches at significantly higher rates than men, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Research Patient Care Mental Health COMBAT
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.
Research Innovation Patient Care
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.
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.
Research Education Community ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz Leadership
On Aug. 1, Cathy Bradley, PhD, will take the reins of the Colorado School of Public Health, becoming the fourth dean in school history and the first woman appointed to the position, following interim deans Judith Albino and Elaine Morrato. Bradley will succeed Jonathan Samet, MD, MS, who hasheld the post since October 2017.
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.
Research Patient Care Advancement Alzheimer's
As the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to triple by 2050, the sense of urgency for researchers to find better treatments and, ultimately, a cure for the 6 million people whose memories and lives are at stake has intensified.
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.
Research Patient Care Cardiology
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.
Against a backdrop of pink and purple hues, a masked figure sails on the wind to a new destination and an uncertain future. Monarch butterflies accompany the traveler, undertaking the same arduous journey.
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.
Research Cancer CU Anschutz 360 Podcast
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.
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.
Research Community Regenerative Medicine
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.
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.
Research Esophageal Cancer Advancement
About 40 people recently gathered at the Anschutz Health Sciences Building to celebrate the newly named Katy O. and Paul M. Rady Esophageal and Gastric Center of Excellence and honor Sachin Wani, MD, as the inaugural center director and recipient of the Katy O. and Paul M. Rady Esophageal and Gastric Center Chair.
When discussing recent high-profile industrial chemical spills in places such as East Palestine, Ohio, and Philadelphia, the first step in public health response is identifying the harm these chemicals pose, according to Lisa Bero, PhD.
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.
Research Women's Health Advancement
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide, with young adults and women hit the hardest, according to a scientific briefing released by the World Health Organization. Yet there’s still much that’s not understood about women’s health research and how it impacts their mental and physical health.
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.
Research Faculty Advancement Anesthesiology
A recent gathering at the Anschutz Health Sciences Building celebrated the generosity of the University of Colorado Department of Anesthesiology and honored Susan Ingram, PhD, as the inaugural recipient of the Richard Traystman, PhD, Endowed Chair in Anesthesiology.
Research Community Public Health ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
The story of the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history didn’t end with the receding of hurricane-strength winds and the extinguishing of the blaze’s last embers. Over a year later, while some questions the Marshall Fire left in its wake have been answered, many others remain, including where future public policy should go.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have partnered with UCHealth to pilot a streamlined way to conduct clinical trials that could cut down on costs, time and extra lab work, while enabling patients to more easily enroll in research studies.
Sometimes serendipity has a wagging tail.
When Lexi Dunnells looked to build a project for the School of Dental Medicine’s Research Day, she knew she wanted to study how to reduce barriers to care in the dental clinic.
Research Press Releases Addiction
Involuntary displacement of people experiencing homelessness will likely lead to a substantial increase in morbidity and mortality over a 10-year period.
Research Press Releases Pediatrics ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz pregnancy ColoradoSPH at CSU
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.
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.
Research Press Releases Firearm Injury Prevention
Public health experts at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus released a new research letter today in JAMA Pediatrics that examines how quickly Colorado’s children and teenagers can access a loaded gun and called attention to the critical importance of reducing access to guns when an adolescent is in crisis.
Research Community Public Health ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
By creating a rapt worldwide audience at a time of worry, COVID-19 brought out the worst in fake health news. Misinformation clogged the airwaves, with claims of microchipped vaccines, dangerous miracle cures and mask-mandate conspiracies plastering TV stations and social media platforms.
Today, pandemic “news” has abated. But misinformation has not.
Research Patient Care Rheumatoid Arthritis
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.
Research Blood Cancer Clinical Trials 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.
Research Patient Care ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Imagine a jigsaw puzzle with thousands of tiny pieces spread across a table. The puzzle’s completion promises insights into better personalized patient care, but the pieces are from different puzzle-makers – their sides not fully matching up at first glance.
Did you know that people with Down syndrome almost never develop solid tumors or high blood pressure, but their chances of having Alzheimer’s and autoimmune disease are off-the-charts high?
Research Patient Care CU Anschutz 360 Podcast
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.
This spring, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus returns to primetime.
Research Faculty Regenerative Medicine
The Gates Grubstake Fund invokes the memory of Gold Rush prospectors who received seed money, “grubstakes,” for food and supplies so they could search for treasure. The funding supports the work of modern-day prospectors – translational researchers affiliated with Gates Institute – whose work developing cell- and gene-based therapies could make a difference in human lives. In 2022, four awardees received $350,000 each to support their work.
Research Regenerative Medicine
Cell and gene therapies (CGTs) are poised to transform the practice of medicine, but further advancement will require close partnerships between academic institutions and biotechnology companies, Terry Fry, MD, executive director of the Gates Institute, told a standing-room-only crowd in the Torreys Peak Auditorium of Bioscience 3 on March 1.
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.
Research Press Releases Diabetes Barbara Davis Center
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. The disease most commonly starts in childhood but can develop in adults as well. As a result of damage to the pancreas, high blood sugars (hyperglycemia) occur and daily insulin treatment is needed.
Research Diversity Health equity Equity Diversity and Inclusion
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:
Research Heart Medical Marijuana
Not long after Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2012, Lori Walker’s daughter came home shaken from a party.
“Mom, what does pot do to the heart?” she asked Walker, PhD, an associate professor of cardiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Research Patient Care rare disease
Editor’s Note: The joint efforts of the Gates Institute, Children's Hospital Colorado, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine elevate the research, innovation and care for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a collection of difficult-to-treat and debilitating connective tissue disorders. Below, patient Calla Winchell shares how the collaborative effort she found at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus changed her path.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus assessed the financial considerations of pursuing PhD training for those with a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) – and found long-term earnings outweigh early career earning deficits.
All Sophie Rosenberg and her parents should be worrying about is kindergarten and playdates. Instead, hospital visits and leg braces overshadow the 5-year-old’s life, and her parents dedicate their time to the search for a miracle.
Brooke Dorsey Holliman never thought she’d be a statistic for her own research.
Research Patient Care 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.
Research Patient Care Community CU Anschutz 360 Podcast COMBAT
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.
Research Patient Care Equity Diversity and Inclusion
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.
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?
What happens in the mouth doesn’t always stay in the mouth. That’s the mantra for many dental experts today, as research into connections between gum disease and systemic disorders – from strokes and rheumatoid arthritis to diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease – becomes more prominent.
Research ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Abrupt closures at public libraries in Boulder, Littleton, Englewood and Arvada due to methamphetamine contamination are a cause for concern, if not alarm.
Sightings of dead geese in neighborhood ponds are becoming sadly more common today, as the most significant avian flu outbreak in U.S. history continues its march across the country. Nearly 58 million birds have fallen to the wild waterfowl-driven epidemic, with the virus now detected in 47 states.
Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus recently discovered a previously unknown stability in synapses in the central nervous system (CNS) that they predict could hold therapeutic potential for brain disorders.
Research Innovation Patient Care
Finding and sharing meaningful stories that highlight the work done on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus throughout the year is an easy task. Choosing 10 of those stories that encapsulate the unique attributes of the region’s top academic medical campus is not.
Research Innovation Press Releases
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has been named one of the top academic institutions in the world for innovation, according to Nature’s 2022 Innovation Index report. The report ranked CU Anschutz in the top four universities globally for forging the strongest innovations links.
Vice Chancellor for Research Thomas Flaig, MD, delivered the annual State of Research Address on Dec. 6 to an online audience of more than 500 scientists, students and staff from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Research Community and Practice ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Consumer options for apps or wearable devices to help track personal health goals begin well before they arrive in a digital or physical store. The design and testing phase is where developers make crucial decisions on how well the solution will perform: from following evidence-based academic research, to including perspectives from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Research Patient Care Esophageal Cancer cancer screening
Paul O’Hara grew up in a large Midwestern family where loyalty and toughness run deep. About nine years ago, Paulie, as he was called by his siblings, leaned into his family’s caring and stout nature when he was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer, which has a five-year survival rate of under 20%.
It started with a love of caring for dogs and other animals.
Mia Smith, DVM, PhD, became interested in her furry patients who would come to the veterinary office sick from autoimmune conditions, disorders that trigger the body’s immune system to attack itself.
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.
Voters in November pushed Colorado to the forefront of a psychedelic-assisted therapy movement for mental health, becoming the second state behind Oregon to approve the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms for therapeutic use.
Research Press Releases Public Health ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
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.
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.
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.
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.
Research Innovation Patient Care Community
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.
Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered a new way the brain processes and communicates information that could lead to improved learning in those suffering neurological disorders or recovering from brain injuries.
Fentanyl’s growth from its original design as an effective surgical pain management tool to a leading cause of overdose death and concern has happened quickly – with severe consequences.
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.
Driven by ever-powerful social media platforms, health claims and trends are proliferating at lightning speed, inundating information-seekers. In this CU Anschutz newsroom series, medical experts leverage their knowledge to offer advice on the credibility and safety of social-media trends and advertising claims circulating today.
Research Patient Care Education Community Climate Science
Increasing rates of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heat-induced illness and other maladies are strong indicators of the growing health impacts of climate change, according to experts at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. At an Oct. 26 roundtable discussion with U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, CU Anschutz and CU Boulder faculty and researchers shared perspectives of how the patients and populations they serve and study are uniquely impacted by the climate crisis.
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.
Exposure therapy is a major treatment option used by clinicians to help patients face and get past their distressing and impairing fears. However, the fears can return in as many as 50% of patients.
A new paper in Cell Systems explores the importance of using multiple data types in drug discovery. The paper screens over 1,000 drugs tested in six doses and demonstrate that gene expression and cell morphology provide different information for drug prioritization.
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.
Research Patient Care Education
Chancellor Don Elliman delivered his annual State of the Campus Address on Oct. 19 to an in-person audience for the first time since 2019.
The biggest steps to protect your hearing are actually a series of small steps, according to audiologist Cory Portnuff, AuD, PhD, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Research Diversity Pharmaceutical Sciences
Growing up in a family of machinists, Carlos Catalano was fascinated by the inner workings of devices. Wrist watches, especially, weren’t safe around the family home in Southern California.
Research Patient Care ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
In the wake of the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Ian as it made landfall across southwest Florida come new health concerns for residents in the impacted areas – ranging from traumatic injuries and waterborne infections to job stressors and mental health impacts.
A new study published in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) analyzes the benefits and harms of prior authorization (PA) policies for Medicare and the impact these policies have on patients and clinicians.
Research Community Skin Cancer
Targeting young people with sun-safety education promises the biggest chance of lowering deadly skin cancer rates. The DNA damage that gives rise to the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States accumulates, starting with a child’s first sunburn.
Research Patient Care Press Releases
A device known as a bionic pancreas, which uses next-generation technology to automatically deliver insulin, was more effective at maintaining blood glucose (sugar) levels within normal range than standard-of-care management among people with type 1 diabetes, a new multicenter clinical trial has found. The trial, conducted partly at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus was primarily funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment – an early stage of memory or cognitive ability loss – have a particular challenge in their diagnosis and treatment: Only 16% of seniors receive regular cognitive screenings as part of their primary care, and as high as an estimated 95% of elderly patients with memory concerns don’t receive a diagnosis until the disease has significantly progressed.
Research Breast Cancer Liver Cancer Colorectal Cancer Pancreatic Cancer Cancer Public Health Esophageal Cancer ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that a new imaging information system may ultimately provide a faster, more accurate prognosis for certain cancers.
Casey Greene, PhD, chair of the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Department of Biomedical Informatics, is working toward a future of “serendipity” in healthcare – using artificial intelligence (AI) to help doctors receive the right information at the right time to make the best decision for a patient.
How do you solve a puzzle with hidden pieces? That’s the question researchers focused on pediatric Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) face every day, as only 20% to 25% of their young patients under 5 years old present with a diagnosis-confirming genetic factor. Identifying the remaining children with the serious disorder presents a vast challenge.
Research Innovation Patient Care
Jeffrey Jacot, PhD, who oversees the Jacot Lab for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, easily gets pumped about his work.
A new study suggests that therapeutic interventions to treat neurodevelopmental disorders may be more effective if done during the early stages of brain development.
Research Community Philanthropy
On Aug. 18, alumni, friends, faculty and staff gathered on campus for the fifth Loyal Benefactor Celebration. This event honors those who make ongoing annual gifts to support the university, those who have included the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in their estate plans, and faculty and staff who give through payroll deduction. After a two-year hiatus, the return of this special event was met with joy by over 140 attendees.
Research Education Faculty Awards
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.
Research Patient Care Education
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.
Research Patient Care Cancer CU Anschutz 360 Podcast lymphoma
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.
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.
Editor’s note: This is part of our periodic series of articles showcasing the creative talents of our faculty and students on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. If you know of someone who is a “Creator in the Classroom,” please send us a tip here.
Research Patient Care Education CU Medicine Today Pediatrics
Over the past 50 years, The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect has changed the culture of children’s rights worldwide. Established in 1972, The Kempe Center became the first of its kind, providing research, training, education and innovative program development for all forms of child abuse, neglect and trauma.
Research Brain and Spinal Cancer Cancer
All cells in the human body secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny membrane-enclosed sacs that deliver important cargo – including RNA, proteins, lipids and DNA – to other cells. Cancer cells, notorious for rapid growth, are prolific EV creators.
Plagued by severe depression all his adult life, Aaron Serna has lived through years of ups and downs so low nothing could pull him out of the darkness. Job losses, failed relationships, forced hospitalizations and months of isolation and despair mark his 37 years of life, with thoughts of ending it planned out – all the way to the circled day on his calendar.
Research Press Releases Neuroscience Clinical Research Clinical Alzheimer's
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have shown a direct link between vagus nerve stimulation and its connection to the learning centers of the brain. The discovery may lead to treatments that will improve cognitive retention in both healthy and injured nervous systems.
Fitzsimons Innovation Community has launched a new interactive website reflecting an environment centered on biotech collaboration and surrounded by amenities that support health innovation. The new website was built with site selectors in mind, to aid new companies in choosing the Aurora-based innovation center for their home.
Research Press Releases COVID-19
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have investigated how antiviral proteins called interferons interact with SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, focuses on how the innate arm of the immune system defends against this coronavirus. The work resulted from a collaborative effort by multiple scientists, including the laboratories of Mario Santiago, PhD, associate professor of medicine, and Eric Poeschla, MD, professor of medicine, both at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
What’s it like living when you are dying?
It’s a question palliative care provider and instructor Jonathan Treem, MD, fields so often, he derived an analogy in answer.
It’s like being in a perpetual horror movie, where a killer lurks inside your home, he says. You’re the main character, alone with the murderer, who lies in wait. As you creep from dark room to dark room, searching for a monster sure to overpower you, the dread builds.
A new study published in PNAS highlights a newly identified mechanism of how auditory sensitivity is regulated that could temporarily reduce sensitivity of the auditory system to protect itself from loud sounds that can cause irreversible damage.
Currently, there are no disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson’s disease that can change the progression of the disease. An international team of scientists led by faculty at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is hoping to change that.
Demonized in the early 1960s despite promising research, psychedelic drugs are making a resurgence as therapeutic tools, capturing the eye of medical scientists and the public. Two initiatives destined for Colorado’s November ballot would open the door to treatment in the state and likely ease the launching of studies at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Research Pharmaceutical Sciences
Could oxidative stress, a condition known to cause inflammation and cellular breakdown, impact the trajectory of Down syndrome cell development?
Research Press Releases Pharmacy
Since June, the number of COVID-19 infections started rising again, as the most transmissible omicron variant started picking up delta variant mutations leading to new subvariants BA.4/BA.5 and Deltacron variants. Out of all the five known variants of concern, which have been shown to evade therapeutic antibodies and vaccines developed against unmutated, original SARS-CoV-2 virus, delta is the most virulent leading to severe symptoms and increased mortality among infected people. A new peer-reviewed study provides answers to why delta is the most lethal variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Research Innovation Patient Care
Diane Gates Wallach has a head for business and a heart for science. When she pursues both – blending her knack for strategy with a desire to better the world – her imagination comes alive. No frontier looks insurmountable when the right talent is involved.
Research Patient Care Child & Adolescent Pediatrics
In a qualitative, interview-based study of emergency department leaders, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus found most were motivated to provide high-quality pediatric sepsis care but disagreed on how best to do it.
Susan Ingram, PhD, has been named vice chair of research in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, effective July 15. Ingram will be the inaugural Richard Traystman, PhD, endowed chair in anesthesiology.
Two commonly used psychiatric drugs show evidence of improving symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, including boosting cognition, according to a study from researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Research Press Releases COVID-19 Mental Health
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) struggled with their mental health during the COVID-19-induced lockdowns and subsequent restraints on community services, according to a new study published today in Psychiatric Services.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus discovered that while exercise activates muscles, which is critical for bone health, intense exertion over long periods contributes to a metabolic cascade that may lead to a loss of bone mineral density (BMD).
Research Patient Care Press Releases COVID-19 Vaccinations Clinical lungs
A new study published in today’s issue of PLOS Pathogens is the first to link SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells to lung function and those who suffer from long-term COVID symptoms. Long COVID currently affects hundreds of millions of Americans.
Research Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences
A new study published in today’s issue of Biochemistry is the first to explore the effects of multiple mutations in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants. The findings can help scientists better understand the properties of current and new variants.
Today, the AB Nexus program announced its fourth round of grant awards to faculty from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Colorado Boulder. From advancing new cancer and diabetes treatments to developing AI tools to diagnose dementia, the selected teams bring together experts from multiple disciplines to advance basic science and translational research that improves human health and well-being.
The Boettcher Foundation has selected eight researchers, including four from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, to receive funding through the Boettcher Foundation’s Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program.
It’s sun season in Colorado, which is good news for the state’s multitudes of outdoor-recreation enthusiasts. Unfortunately, Colorado’s high altitude coupled with abundant sunshine make the state a leader in skin cancer rates.
Research Innovation Education COMBAT
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) signed an official Educational Partnership Agreement on May 18. The agreement will facilitate collaborations between military personnel and CU, including joint research, internships and ongoing relationships with DHA experts.
Research Public Health Epidemiology ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
A new study released by the Colorado School of Public Health evaluated the structural and outbreak factors associated with reporting foodborne outbreaks and found that the number and types of foodborne outbreaks reported varied substantially across states, with high reporting states reporting four times more outbreaks than low reporting states.
Research Pharmaceutical Sciences
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a leader in the field of integrating pharmacogenomics into clinical care.
A research team supported by the National Institutes of Health has identified characteristics of people with long COVID and those likely to have it. Scientists, using machine learning techniques, analyzed an unprecedented collection of electronic health records (EHRs) available for COVID-19 research to better identify who has long COVID. Exploring de-identified EHR data in the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), a national, centralized public database led by NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), the team used the data to find more than 100,000 likely long COVID cases as of October 2021 (as of May 2022, the count is more than 200,000). The findings appear in The Lancet Digital Health.
Research Press Releases Advancement
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus today announced the creation of the Gates Institute, a state-of-the-art facility that will focus on rapidly translating laboratory findings into regenerative, cellular and gene therapies for patients.
Research Community Philanthropy
Fueled by a major investment by the Gates Frontiers Fund, a newly announced Gates Institute on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus will stand ready to transform the frontier of regenerative medicine and cellular and gene therapies in the Rocky Mountain region.
Research Patient Care Public Health
Worldwide focus on the novel SARS-CoV-2 reversed momentum that was halting an age-old killer. Tuberculosis (TB) remains the world’s most-lethal infectious disease after COVID-19, and, according to an infectious disease expert at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, health experts had planned to end the TB epidemic by 2035.
After overcoming the challenges of setting up a program as the pandemic descended on Colorado, the University of Colorado Diabetes Research Center (DRC) seems to be hitting its stride.
Research Women's Health Mental Health
A coaching program aimed at decreasing burnout among female resident physicians significantly reduced emotional exhaustion and imposter syndrome while increasing self-compassion over a six-month period, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine are exploring a new frontier in 3D printing – developing new and more durable materials designed specifically for inkjet printing that can be made quickly and customized for each patient.
A star took center stage at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on April 26, where the award-winning “guest” was presented by some of its greatest fans to a roomful of many new admirers.
Fitzsimons Innovation Community welcomes four new members to its Board of Directors: Curtis Gardner, public sector solutions manager for Waste Management and councilman at-large for the City of Aurora, Tom Gronow, president and CEO of UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Afshin Safavi, president and CEO of Safavi Holdings, and Dustin Zvonek, president and owner of Zvonek Consulting and councilman at-large for the City of Aurora. Each will serve a two-year term and join seven returning members to complete the Community’s Board of Directors.
For years, Richard Johnson, MD, professor of renal medicine in the Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has investigated the impact of sugar, especially fructose, on the human body and how we process it. He recently published “Nature Wants Us to be Fat,” a book outlining why evolution has programmed us to overeat on the promise that we will lose the weight during lean times.
Research CU Anschutz 360 Podcast Obesity
For more than 20 years, Richard Johnson, MD, has investigated the impact of sugar, especially fructose, on the human body and how we process it. He’s found that evolution has programmed us to overeat on the promise that we will lose weight during lean times. However, it’s no longer feast or famine – it’s just feast.
Research Public Health Health equity
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus are joining efforts to improve the lives and healthcare of the 61 million Americans living with disabilities, a number expected to rise in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus are leading a $3.3 million project to advance stem cell research in low Earth orbit.
Research Patient Care Community ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper visited the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on April 14, hearing from CU and UCHealth leaders on how they joined efforts in the battle against COVID-19 and touring the new Anschutz Health Sciences Building (AHSB). The senator’s aim was to take lessons learned back to the U.S. Capitol to help guide legislation and manage the country’s future health crises.
Research Patient Care Pediatrics ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Trained as a computer scientist and engineer, Antonio R. Porras, PhD, became fascinated by craniofacial research – specifically the diagnosis and treatment of craniosynostosis, a skull-growth disorder – while working at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Research Patient Care Dermatology
A joke about bald heads by comedian and presenter Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony last month stung patients and providers of alopecia areata (AA) around the world. Actor Will Smith’s shocking slap to Rock’s face in response ignited public awareness of a disorder that steals the hair of nearly 7 million people in the United States, many of them children.
Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer among adult men. In recent decades, however, research and treatment innovation for this disease have lagged. Thomas Flaig, MD, vice chancellor of research for CU Denver and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, recently presented findings from a 10-year-long effort to study bladder cancer biomarker development and treatment.
Research Press Releases ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
A new study discloses that firearm retailers and law enforcement agencies support providing firearm storage to their community.
The family of actor Bruce Willis recently announced that he would be stepping away from acting following an aphasia diagnosis – a language disorder caused by damage to the areas of the brain responsible for expression and comprehension. On Feb. 16, 2023, Willis’s family released a statement that his condition had progressed. The renowned “Die Hard” actor has been given a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), of which aphasia can be a symptom.
James Burton, MD, a transplant hepatologist, regularly sees the ravages caused by alcohol in patients. A decade ago, most severe alcohol-related liver cases were in older patients, but increasingly, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Burton and his colleagues are treating younger patients.
Research Community COVID-19 ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
The classrooms of Barnum Elementary School in Denver echo with the chatter of students and the instruction of teachers. The white, waist-high, curved machine in the corner is quiet as can be.
Robin Gabriels, PsyD, MA, is studying how equine therapy in youth with autism has led to a decrease in their symptoms while boosting verbal and social skills. The outcomes last at least six months after the therapeutic riding ends. Now she wants to understand the physiology behind it all.
Research Cancer Metastasis lungs
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and their international collaborators have discovered that a protein critical in the embryonic stages of life is reactivated in certain cases of mesothelioma, offering clues into the origin of this aggressive cancer.
Research Innovation Education Scholarship Graduate Program
Schools and colleges of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus are again ranked among the best in the country on the 2023 U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of higher education programs.
A new study shows that a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease may also improve cognitive function in people with Down syndrome.
As Americans cross their fingers, hoping the pandemic stays behind them, scientists across the country remain focused on the novel coronavirus, intent on combating its next move.
Intense light activates proteins shown to protect against lung damage in mice, a discovery that could have major therapeutic implications for treating acute lung injury in humans, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Research Neuroscience Autoimmune disease
Two things happen when Teri Schreiner, MD, MPH, diagnoses a 10-year-old with multiple sclerosis (MS): It breaks her heart and inspires her research.
Research ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
Uncertainty and new questions are some of the first things that come to mind for Katherine Dickinson, PhD, assistant professor of Environmental & Occupational Health at the Colorado School of Public Health, when recalling Dec. 30, 2021 – the day of the Marshall Fire.
After an official groundbreaking in January 2019, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus community has watched as a surface parking lot was transformed into a 396,000-square-foot facility to drive the next generation of translational health science research, mental and behavioral health, education and personalized clinical care.
Research Patient Care CU Anschutz 360 Podcast Alzheimer's
More than one in nine Americans 65 and older are now battling Alzheimer’s disease, and the numbers are expected to greatly increase in the coming decades as our population ages.
Research Education ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
It started with the wind. Ripping across the plains on the morning of Dec. 30, 2021, gusts over 100 mph made for an unusual Colorado weather day just before the new year.
Sometimes life takes unexpected turns and puts you on a path you could never foresee. That was true for Donald “Don” Egan, MD ’66 (Resident ’70). His first career started in 1958 with the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he quickly learned he would not be suitable as the next Maverick.
Research Patient Care Rheumatoid Arthritis
Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have pinpointed for the first time a bacterium that could trigger rheumatoid arthritis. Their look at the gut microbiome’s potential role in the autoimmune disorder could offer clues in defining what patients are most at risk for the disabling disease.
Extract from the bark of the Neem tree may help treat and reduce the spread of coronavirus, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata.
When Blake Martin, MD, packs up his two tots for preschool and outings, he knows their chances of ending up in the hospital with COVID-19 are slim. Many parents breathed huge sighs of relief when the mysterious virus of 2020 turned its focus away from the country’s littlest citizens.
Melissa Haendel, PhD, has many goals as a prominent data scientist and the first-ever chief research informatics officer for the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. All research on the academic medical campus stands to benefit from her team, skilled in the emerging field of data science.
Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke, which – if not treated quickly – often leaves victims with devastating disabilities. While clear stroke treatment guidelines in emergency departments have resulted in rapid care for years, for a unique patient population that suffers in-hospital strokes (IHS), the treatment hasn’t always been so speedy.
Research Patient Care COVID-19 Faculty Equity Diversity and Inclusion ColoradoSPH at CU Anschutz
While oral healthcare has dramatically improved over the past 20 years, especially in digital technology and restorative dentistry, access to routine and preventative care remains a significant problem in the United States.
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