May 26, 2020
Quicker reviews, designated funding are speeding COVID-19 research efforts at UF Health
Amid the worst public health emergency in a lifetime, UF Health leaders have taken steps to speed novel coronavirus research, recognizing the urgent need to provide answers and options to the communities they serve. Key to their efforts: IRB retooled its approval process for coronavirus trials, and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute set up a $2 million pilot research fund for scientists with translational projects that can be rapidly mobilized
Learn more about how they are making it work in this story.
He survived a heart transplant, a kidney transplant and COVID-19
Having battled lifelong congestive heart failure and diabetes, Enell “Trent” Porter accepted his new heart and liver from UF Shands Hospital on Feb. 28. The surgeries were both successful, and Porter was sent home to recover. Three weeks later, he would test positive for COVID-19. In less than a week, he spiraled into severe respiratory distress, needing a lifesaving ventilator and medically induced coma to protect his fragile new organs.
Porter went on to make a full recovery and become part of a special and growing group: the more than 100 COVID-19 patients who have been successfully discharged following inpatient treatment in the UF Health system.
Read the full inspiring article here.
Spring 2020 commencement ceremonies like no other in history
Over the Memorial Day Weekend, the College of Veterinary Medicine honored its Doctor of Veterinary Medicine candidates in an online commencement ceremony that marked UF’s last of the spring semester. Just a week earlier, the College of Pharmacy honored its Doctor of Pharmacy degree recipients while 800 devices watched from 11 different countries.
“The College of Pharmacy was not going to let the pandemic prevent us from marking an important milestone in the lives of our graduates,” Dean Julie Johnson said. “We wanted to make sure we celebrated all the good things that made the class of 2020 special. Our hope is these graduates remember all the ways they have been enriched by the UF College of Pharmacy, because they have certainly enriched us.”
To see how colleges throughout UF celebrated their Spring 2020 grads, visit the UF Commencement website.
Understanding, managing and relieving stress
The challenges of COVID-19 have led to increased stress for many people. Mark McIntosh, MD, medical director of UF Health Jacksonville’s Employee Wellness program, says stress is the reaction to a stimulus that challenges one’s physical or mental equilibrium. When a person becomes stressed, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, triggering the fight-or-flight response in the body.
Learn more about how you can alleviate these symptoms and manage stress here.
What can Floridians expect as the climate changes?
Join the UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute via Zoom or Facebook Live today at 7:45 p.m. for “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Climate Change” with Meteorologist John Morales.
Learn more about the event here.