Drug maker AstraZeneca has come under scrutiny for its COVID-19 vaccine. While it is not approved for use in the United States, reports connecting it to a small number of rare blood clots in Europe have raised concerns across the globe. “The safety concern is that there's been a very low incident of blood clots in patients that have received […] the AstraZeneca vaccine,” said University of Virginia infectious disease expert Dr. William Petri. “It's one specific kind of clot, which makes one concerned about whether that could be a side effect since it's not your everyday blood clot.”
The odd dreams that many people report to have experienced after getting their shots were not not reported in clinical trials for the vaccines, according to Dr. William A. Petri, the chief of the division infectious diseases at the University of Virginia. “The CDC is accumulating self-reported data from the millions of people receiving the vaccine. This will help us gather more information on the rare side effects,” he says.
A March survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that among Republican adults, 29% say they “definitely will not” get the vaccine. For white evangelical Christians, it’s 28%. “I think that we’re all, at heart, altruistic,” said Dr. Bill Petri, who studies infectious diseases at UVA. “We want to help other people, and gosh, what better opportunity to be helpful to other people than to yourself be vaccinated?”
(Editorial) The legislature has no vetoes from Gov. Ralph Northam to override but does face a stack of bills that he’s sent back with amendments. The one we are most concerned about is the amendment he wants to attach to the bill abolishing the coal tax credits — an amendment that recommends the state’s savings be directed to the University of Virginia’s College at Wise “for the expansion of course offerings in data science, computer science, cybersecurity, and renewable energy.”
The legislature will also consider an amendment to legislation that would phase out two coal subsidy programs. The amendment would send the money saved by the state to the University of Virginia’s College at Wise in Southwest Virginia.
Timothy Beatley, author of “The Bird-Friendly City: Creating Safe Urban Habitats,” is an expert in environmental planning and policy at the University of Virginia and a longtime advocate for intertwining the built and natural environments. Here he takes readers on a global tour of cities that are reducing the risks birds face in urban areas.
(Commentary) In a 2002 oral history for UVA’s Miller Center, Caspar W. Weinberger, the implacable Soviet foe who served seven years as Reagan’s defense secretary, described Nancy as “a strong influence” on her husband, persistently pulling him toward “closer relationships with the Soviet Union.” Weinberger noted that Nancy “was more receptive to the idea of forming a working relationship with the then-Soviets than some of the rest of us were, and more willing to trust them. She believed strongly in his negotiating capabilities.”
Researchers at the UVA Cancer Center say they’ve made a discovery that could revive a cancer treatment originally thought not to work. It is an antibody treatment for solid cancer tumors like ovarian, colon, and triple negative breast cancers. Originally the treatment had an unintended effect, suppressing a person’s immune system in clinical trials. Now researchers say they’ve figured out a way to make it work.
UVA researchers have published a new study that could revitalize once-promising treatments that help fight solid cancer tumors, the university announced on Monday. The research successfully laid out why the immunotherapy treatments targeting ovarian, colon and triple-negative breast cancer, succeeded in lab tests but failed in human trials.
“Foundations of diversity and inclusion” is offered by the University of Virginia and explains how power and privilege play out in organizations. It also covers how companies can turn calls for action into new policies, how to have difficult conversations around race and power at work, and how to begin to root out bias in hiring practices.
It’s been about a year since the University of Virginia’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers was completed. The COVID-19 pandemic canceled plans to dedicate the monument last spring, but UVA is going forward with a dedication this year. A virtual ceremony will be held on Saturday to honor the legacy of the estimated 4,000 enslaved people who built and maintained the University between 1817 and 1865.
(Commentary) As the commonwealth marks the 50th anniversary of the Virginia Constitution, we recognize A.E. Dick Howard, a professor at the UVA School of Law and a principal drafter of the 1971 constitution, which enshrined hard-won civil rights protections and voting rights, constitutionally committed the state to educational equality and included stewardship of natural resources as a constitutional obligation.
Toni Irving, a professor at UVA’s Darden School of Business, knows the feeling all too well. She started her current position last June and says her remote orientation and first few weeks on the job were “a little disorienting and frustrating.” Without opportunities to spontaneously meet new colleagues while walking to a meeting or grabbing a cup of coffee, those who’ve started new jobs remotely are automatically at a disadvantage socially, she says. Instead, they’ve had to make connections in a more formal way, scheduling time on coworkers’ calendars. While initially daunting, this may actual...
The White Spot, located on The Corner, has been serving up its famous Gus Burgers since 1953. Now it’s under new ownership, headlined by UVA basketball legend Ralph Sampson. “Most people say it’s a hole in the wall, which it is, but it’s a good hole in the wall that has tradition,” Sampson said.
Dr. Vivian Pinn, a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, is the winner of the Emily Couric Leadership Forum’s annual Women’s Leadership Award. Among other accomplishments, Pinn founded the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health. Pinn will address the scholarship recipients and other attendees at the April 14 virtual awards event.
A pair of students – one at the University of Virginia, the other at Virginia Military Institute – have made history at their schools this spring.
"[Donmald Trump] didn’t just hijack the party – and I use the hijack term very deliberately because he’s obviously not a party regular, he had been a Democrat and he wasn’t viewed as being a Republican or part of the party – he hijacked or appealed to a whole segment of the population who were obviously open to those messages," says Barbara Perry, professor and director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. "And that part of the population is still open to those messages."
Attorney and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Carson has been selected as the University of Tulsa’s 21st president, university officials announced Monday. Most recently, Carson has been a professor at the University of Virginia since 2018.
The Chinese government may be concerned about a platform for filmmaker Chloe Zhao, whose “Nomadland” is a front-runner for best picture and director. While the Frances McDormand-starring movie focuses on itinerant workers in the modern American West, it comes from a Chinese-born director who once made comments critical of China. “I think if she says something about China it will be interesting, and if she doesn’t that will be interesting for an entirely different reason,” said Aynne Kokas, a University of Virginia professor and author of “Hollywood Made In China,” about their relationship. “Th...
Led by Dr. Brian Werner, a team from UVA Health sought to assess trends and variations in hospital charges and payment relative to surgeon charges and payments for surgical treatment of hip fractures using data from the PearlDiver database, which contains data related to fee-for-use administrative claims and provides a nationally representative sample of 51 million patients covered by Medicare parts A and B.