Advocates say the Latino community, which makes up more of the state’s cases than any other racial or ethnic group, is often particularly vulnerable to the disease. “There is no biological or cultural reason for us to have more COVID,” said Dr. Max Luna, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Virginia and director of the UVA Latino Health Initiative. “It is the particular socioeconomic struggle that many are confronting that exposes them to transmission and to continued infection.”
In celebration of Juneteenth, we follow up our initial list of 100 inspiring Black scientists in America with another 100 people that we can look to as examples of Black excellence in science. (The list includes Sarah Afua Owusu, clinical science coordinator, Department of Surgery; and Dr. David S. Wilkes, dean of the School of Medicine and James Carroll Flippin Professor of Medical Science.)
(Commentary by Kyle Kondik of UVA’s Center for Politics) It’s fair to say that presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is emerging as a favorite in the presidential race. Not necessarily an overwhelming favorite, but a favorite nonetheless.
(Commentary) Independent research from the University of Virginia shows that multidisciplinary behavioral threat assessment teams reduce suspensions and help ensure the equitable treatment of all students.
When you say “fire ants,” people likely think about the bad news -- painful stings, itching, and damage to crops. But some University of Virginia researchers now say the presence of this invasive insect species might also have an upside: reducing prevalence of red meat allergy caused by tick bites.
Kateri DuBay, an assistant professor of chemistry at UVA, is working to understand the physical forces that govern the structures of polymers and the mechanisms that control their growth. She has been named a Cottrell Scholar, which recognizes teacher-scholars for their innovations as researchers and their contributions as academic leaders.
(Editorial) A working paper from nonprofit education organization NWEA and scholars at Brown University and the University of Virginia offers a rather ominous assessment of the setback to education during the pandemic. The authors estimate that students will start the school year at roughly 70% of where they should be in reading levels, and at less than 50% of the expected level in math.
Caroline Wimbleton credits her ease in working with people from different countries and cultures to a new 10-month program she completed in 2018 that simultaneously earned her two business master’s degrees and a certificate from schools on three continents. A partnership between UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce, Lingnan (University) College at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, and ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, the program sends students to live and study as a cohort at all three institutions for stints ranging from nine to 15 weeks.
A new blueprint aims to help businesses take all the necessary steps they need to recover from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Project Rebound, a Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce collaboration with the economic development organizations at UVA, Albemarle County and Charlottesville, released the “Blueprint for Economic Resiliency and Reinvention in the Greater Charlottesville Region” Thursday.
(Commentary by Osman Ozbulut, associate professor of civil engineering) Fighting a two-front battle is never an ideal arrangement, but it is something we must consider. After all, we will almost certainly face another natural disaster in the coming year, on top of the devastating effects of coronavirus.
(Commentary by Peter Debaere, E. Thayer Bigelow Research Chair in Business Administration at the Darden School of Business) There is a lot of discussion about reopening the economy, and rightly so. For an economist, however, the argument that favors caution is straightforward. We have made considerable investments, at great expense, and with longer-run benefits in mind. We don’t want to squander those for uncertain short-term gains.
The presidents of three of Virginia’s largest public universities have asked the state to set aside $200 million to increase testing for the novel coronavirus on college campuses and elsewhere, arguing that the funding will be crucial to resume higher education and other activities in the coming year.
Malcolm Brogdon, a former Virginia men’s basketball star and current member of the Indiana Pacers, has tested positive for COVID-19. “I recently tested positive for the COVID virus and am currently in quarantine,” Brogdon said. “I’m doing well, feeling well and progressing well. I plan to join my teammates in Orlando for the resumption of the NBA season and playoffs.”
Mary Jackson went on to work with NASA’s 4×4 supersonic pressure tunnel and became the agency’s first Black female engineer in 1958. She completed additional training and courses for her new role after petitioning the city of Hampton to allow her to learn with white students, taking University of Virginia night classes at a local high school. Her contributions, along with the work of NASA mathematicians Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan, were highlighted in the 2016 film “Hidden Figures,” inspired by a book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, a 1991 UVA alumna.
An exciting addition to the exhibit will be a film made by the University of Virginia in 1959 documenting Charles Smith’s artistic process. The movie of Smith, the former head of the University’s art department, has been restored and digitized and will be showing in the History Gallery.
Larry Sabato, director of UVA’s Center for Politics, said that with the nominations of UVA Health Dr. Cameron Webb on the Democratic side and Bob Good on the Republican side, the House of Representatives race will be much more competitive than usual.
Dr. Cameron Webb is taking care of COVID-19 patients at the University of Virginia Hospital, and now he's also the Democratic nominee for Congress in Virginia's 5th District, which Trump won in 2016.
The International Healthcare Worker Safety Center at the University of Virginia developed the statement, entitled, “Moving the Sharps Safety Agenda Forward in the United States: Consensus Statement and Call to Action,” which described five key areas to further reduce the risk of sharps injuries to health care workers.
The “alpha-gal” meat allergy is commonly seen throughout the Southeast, the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest, but it is not seen very often along the Gulf Coast or in Texas. The UVA researchers determined that this is likely caused by the steady expansion of fire ants that were accidentally imported from South America in the 1930s. However, in some cases, these ants can cause life-threatening anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, with their bite as well as posing dangers to animals and crops.
UVA Health’s telehealth services will see $700,000 in support during the COVID-19 pandemic through the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, established under the “CARES” Act. Those funds will now go toward tablets, video monitors and other equipment that allows health care workers to treat patients remotely.