The U’s Role in the Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic

By Elise Vandersteen Bailey

March 25, 2017

The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimated that 2.1 million Americans misused prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012. In 2014, Utah was ranked seventh in the nation for “drug poisoning deaths,” most of which were related to prescription opioids. Opioids are the most powerful class of p...

U Doctor Compares ‘Dung lung’ Sickness in the Himalayas to Utah Air

By Elise Vandersteen Bailey

March 10, 2017

Nicholas Kanaan, emergency medicine doctor at University of Utah Health Care, recently published a case study in emergency medicine on an airway syndrome affecting people in the Nepali Himalayas that results from using yak dung as fuel for cooking and heating. He calls the sickness ‘Dung Lung.’ ...

Immersive Video Shows the Impact of Poor Air Quality

By Elise Vandersteen Bailey

March 8, 2017

This winter, the Salt Lake Valley spent several days with the worst air quality in the nation. Several groups and individuals at the University of Utah are working to educate citizens about it. Among them are Jakob D. Jensen, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Humanities and Kerry E. Kelly,...

Women’s Week Aims to Change Rape Culture on Campus

March 5, 2017

March 6 through 10 is Women’s Week at the University of Utah planned by the Office for Equity and Diversity to “[celebrate] and [address] the importance of social, economic, cultural and political achievement and well-being of women and girls." Each year, the annual event focuses on a differe...

Panel Talks Refugees and Immigration Policy

March 3, 2017

Jason Perry, the University of Utah’s Vice President for Government Relations, opened the March 2 panel discussion on immigration and refugee policy by quoting the Utah Compact —“The way we treat immigrants will say more about us, as a free society, and less about our immigrant neighbors.” ...

Trax Service on Campus Halted Friday

By Elise Vandersteen Bailey

March 3, 2017

According to statements made on Twitter by the University of Utah, Commuter Services and UTA, red line Trax services between 900 E. and University Medical Center have been halted, cutting off Trax access to all of campus since about 9:45 a.m. this morning. A bus bridge is in place, utilizing UTA buse...

U Hosts Thoughtful Panel on Healthcare Reform

February 25, 2017

At a discussion surrounding healthcare in the United States on Feb. 16, panelists were confronted with a series of difficult issues, which prompted Republican Utah State Senator and former physician Brian Shiozawa to say, "If we could answer these questions, we would solve the problems with healthcare...

Different Drug Would Save More Lives, Study Shows

By Elise Vandersteen Bailey

February 16, 2017

Nausea, fever, weight loss, rapid heart rate, diarrhea ten to fifteen times a day, and kidney failure. These are just some of the symptoms of a severe infection from a small bacterium called Clostridium difficile—nicknamed C. diff. According to a new study by University of Utah assistant research professor, Vanessa Stevens, C. diff  “is a ubiquitou...

U Researchers Concerned About White House EPA Directives

January 31, 2017

The White House began handing out gag orders to various federal agencies on Tuesday, meaning they must cease all communications outside of their organizations -- this includes talking to the press without administrative approval. These reports came from leaks to news organizations like ProPublica, the Associated Press and the Washington Post. Among the agencies silenced is the Environmental Protection Agenc...

U and Board of Regents Create New Policies to Handle Sexual Assault

By Elise Vandersteen Bailey

January 30, 2017

The U has encountered a lot of issues with sexual assault in the last few months, from Halloween’s alleged assault— the investigation of which was later suspended—to stories of sexual assault published in the Daily Utah Chronicle, and two separate demonstrations protesting the way the U handl...