Amidst a global pandemic, exercise has become a more valuable tool in boosting immune systems and managing stress, according to West Virginia University researchers. Thanks to a program spearheaded by the WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, West Virginians, from Berkeley County to Mingo County, will have new and improved opportunities to be physically active in their communities.
Across the nation, many individuals who identify as transgender or gender diverse avoid accessing health care, even basic primary care, because of fear of discrimination or mistreatment — but WVU Medicine is implementing a number of strategies to improve care for this patient population.
Medical specialists often can’t—or choose not to—work in rural emergency departments. But Scott Findley, a researcher with the WVU School of Medicine, and his colleagues are using telehealth to close that gap. They have received a $1.2 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to support telehealth at four rural emergency departments in West Virginia. Findley and his colleagues will connect the four emergency departments with WVU Medicine specialists in Morgantown.
Dr. Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, associate chair of surgery for cancer services, has been named the permanent director of the WVU Cancer Institute after having served in the position on an interim basis since January.
The West Virginia University School of Dentistry now offers robotic-assisted implant procedures that are, in some cases, quicker than conventional methods and in certain circumstances can be less painful than traditional procedures and help reduce recovery time.
West Virginia University is providing additional data to its COVID-19 testing dashboard to help the campus and surrounding community better understand positive test results and monitoring protocols.
Just because it’s legal to buy emergency contraception over the counter doesn’t mean it’s easy. In a new study led by Amie Ashcraft—a researcher with the WVU School of Medicine—chain pharmacies were more likely than smaller, independent ones to keep emergency contraception in stock. Chain pharmacies also made it easier to access and provided more information about its effectiveness.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. A new study to be conducted by the West Virginia University and the University of Pittsburgh seeks to change that. The National Eye Institute recently awarded the universities $15.2 million to study how a treatment called selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) can be better used to treat glaucoma.
Dr. Sally Hodder, director of the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute headquartered at WVU, will lead an eight-state consortium that will contribute to a national COVID-19 data resource, thanks to a $1.5 million National Institutes of Health grant.
West Virginia University will resume in-person undergraduate classes on the Morgantown campus Monday, Sept. 28.