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The Conversation

Stories originally published by The Conversation and written by UMass Chan Medical School professors.

Total: displaying 10 out of 24 results
  • Just how accurate are rapid antigen tests? Two testing experts explain the latest data
    05-16-22

    Just how accurate are rapid antigen tests? Two testing experts explain the latest data

    In an article written for The Conversation, Nate Hafer, PhD, and Apurv Soni, MD, PhD'21, explain the data regarding accuracy of rapid COVID tests, based on their extensive reseach as part of the RADx team.

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  • What is fentanyl and why is it behind the deadly surge in US drug overdoses?
    05-10-22

    What is fentanyl and why is it behind the deadly surge in US drug overdoses?

    Kavita Babu, MD, professor of emergency medicine, writes for The Conversation about illicitly manufactured fentanyl that is driving the increasing number of opioid overdose deaths.

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  • Why pregnant people should get vaccinated for COVID-19 – a maternal care expert explains
    03-22-22

    Why pregnant people should get vaccinated for COVID-19 – a maternal care expert explains

    In a piece written for The Conversation, Stacy Potts, MD, explains why pregnant people should get vaccinated against COVID-19, based on her clinical experience throughout the pandemic.

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  • First gene therapy for Tay-Sachs disease successfully given to two children
    02-14-22

    First gene therapy for Tay-Sachs disease successfully given to two children

    In a piece written for The Conversation, Miguel Sena-Esteves, PhD, talks about research leading to the first ever gene therapy for Tay-Sachs disease and the launch of the Translational Institute for Molecular Therapeutics at UMass Chan.

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  • Biden to expand access to at-home COVID kits: 4 essential reads on the critical role of rapid tests
    12-22-21

    Biden to expand access to at-home COVID kits: 4 essential reads on the critical role of rapid tests

    Nate Hafer, PhD, explains how rapid tests are used to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

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  • Rapid tests play a crucial role in curbing COVID-19 infections – especially as people gather for the holidays
    12-10-21

    Rapid tests play a crucial role in curbing COVID-19 infections – especially as people gather for the holidays

    In a piece written for The Conversation, Nate Hafer, PhD, explains why rapid tests play a critical role in fighting COVID-19 and describes how they work.

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  • What’s the difference between a PCR and antigen COVID-19 test?
    11-09-21

    What’s the difference between a PCR and antigen COVID-19 test?

    In a piece written for The Conversation, Nate Hafer, PhD, explains the differences between PCR and antigen tests for SAR-CoV-2. He is part of the RADx research team at UMass Chan. 

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  • A direct recommendation from a doctor may help with vaccine hesitancy
    09-17-21

    A direct recommendation from a doctor may help with vaccine hesitancy

    Kathleen Mazor, EdD, and Kimberly Fisher, MD, talk to The Conversation about ongoing research into COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and what it will take to influence people to get their shot.

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  • No Lyme vaccine yet, but antibody shot could provide seasonal immunity
    08-04-21

    No Lyme vaccine yet, but antibody shot could provide seasonal immunity

    Mark Klempner, MD, provides an update to a piece originally published last year on The Conversation about a yearly antibody for Lyme disease that shows promise for preventing infection.

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  • Robert Finberg: Perception doesn’t match reality of how vaccines work
    04-20-21

    Robert Finberg: Perception doesn’t match reality of how vaccines work

    Robert Finberg, MD, talks to The Conversation about the common misperception that side effects caused by the COVID-19 vaccine indicate a strong immune response in the recipient

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  • We're building a vaccine corps of medical and nursing students – it could transform efforts to vaccinate underserved areas
    02-10-21

    We're building a vaccine corps of medical and nursing students – it could transform efforts to vaccinate underserved areas

    In a piece published by The Conversation, Chancellor Michael F. Collins writes about the urgent need to vaccinate the U.S. population against COVID-19 and the institution's initiative to mobilize a vaccine corps comprising UMass Medical School students.

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  • A healthy microbiome builds a strong immune system that could help defeat COVID-19
    01-25-21

    A healthy microbiome builds a strong immune system that could help defeat COVID-19

    In a piece written for The Conversation, Ana Maldonado-Contreras, PhD, explains why the army of microbes living inside your gut is essential for fighting off threats, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

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  • Gene therapy and CRISPR strategies for curing blindness
    06-25-20

    Gene therapy and CRISPR strategies for curing blindness

    In a piece originally published on The Conversation, Hemant Khanna, PhD, comments on recent studies that use CRISPR to treat diseases that cause blindness and explains why the eye is an ideal organ for testing new therapeutic approaches.

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  • A Lyme disease vaccine doesn’t exist, but a yearly antibody shot shows promise at preventing infection
    06-04-20

    A Lyme disease vaccine doesn’t exist, but a yearly antibody shot shows promise at preventing infection

    In a piece originally published on The Conversation, Mark Klempner, MD, talks about a yearly antibody for Lyme disease that shows promise for preventing infection.

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  • Coronavirus is giving smokers incentive to quit, and social distancing could help them do it
    05-05-20

    Coronavirus is giving smokers incentive to quit, and social distancing could help them do it

    In a piece originally published by The Conversation, Amy Harrington, MD, discusses why smoking or vaping nicotine or other products might make coronavirus illnesses worse and how that is motivating nicotine users to quit.

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  • A simple way to promote HPV vaccination among Asian American women: Storytelling
    03-04-20

    A simple way to promote HPV vaccination among Asian American women: Storytelling

    In a piece originally published on The Conversation, Minjin Kim, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate, discusses the need to raise awareness among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders about HPV, the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer.

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  • Cancer deaths decline in United States, with advances in prevention, detection and treatment
    02-04-20

    Cancer deaths decline in United States, with advances in prevention, detection and treatment

    In an essay originally published by The Conversation, Cancer Center Director Jonathan Gerber, MD, discusses the specifics of recently reported declines in cancer deaths and provides perspective for future continued progress.

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  • Why we are hard-wired to worry, and what we can do to calm down
    01-10-20

    Why we are hard-wired to worry, and what we can do to calm down

    In an essay originally published by The Conversation, mindfulness expert James Carmody, PhD, writes about the human tendency to worry and what we can do to help quiet our minds.

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  • Who are the 1 in 4 American women who choose abortion?
    05-30-19

    Who are the 1 in 4 American women who choose abortion?

    In an essay originally published by The Conversation, Luu Ireland, MD, writes about the abortion debate from the perspective of an obstetrician/gynecologist who understands the stories of the 1 in 4 women who choose abortion.

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  • The Conversation: Hemant Khanna on potential treatment for eye cancer using tumor-killing virus
    02-04-19

    The Conversation: Hemant Khanna on potential treatment for eye cancer using tumor-killing virus

    Hemant Khanna, PhD, an ophthalmology and visual sciences researcher, writes for The Conversation about a recent report in which scientists have found a new approach to target retinoblastoma using cancer-killing viruses. 

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  • Forget lanes--we all need to head together toward preventing firearm injury
    11-28-18

    Forget lanes--we all need to head together toward preventing firearm injury

    In an essay originally published by The Conversation, Michael Hirsh writes about his commitment to ending gun violence.

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  • New treatment in the works for disfiguring skin disease, vitiligo
    06-27-18

    New treatment in the works for disfiguring skin disease, vitiligo

    In an essay published by The Conversation, John Harris, MD, talks about his lab's vitiligo research and possible new therapeutics that could be longer lasting----possibly even permanent----than current treatments available.

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  • Why pregnant women with depression often slip through the cracks
    06-06-18

    Why pregnant women with depression often slip through the cracks

    In a piece originally published by The Conversation, Tiffany Moore Simas, MD, and Nancy Byatt, DO, discuss the urgent need to address depression in obstetric and pediatric settings----settings in which women are seen often during pregnancy and the year after birth.

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  • What clues does your dog’s drool hold for human mental health?
    12-02-15

    What clues does your dog’s drool hold for human mental health?

    In a piece first publish by The Conversation, Elinor Karlsson, PhD, discusses her research project Darwin's Dogs (now Darwin's Arc) that explores canine DNA to help understand how genetics impact dog behavior. The project may also decipher neural pathways involved in psychiatric and neurological diseases shared between people and dogs.

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