News Bites

Rate of Opioid Deaths Correlated to Physician-Direct Marketing

January 20, 2019 Anaamika Campeau

One of the most visible health stories of our time remains the opioid crisis. In the 1990s, when drugs like Oxycodone were first introduced to treat pain, doctors were told that opioids had no propensity for fostering addictive behavior. Today, it is estimated that 130 people die from opioid overdoses every day, and opioid abuse costs taxpayers $78.5 billion per year.

U.S. Government Shutdown has Major Health Consequences

January 13, 2019 Vineet Tummala

The US government shutdown is now in day 23 of the longest shutdown in history with no end in sight. While the shutdown has major implications on legislation and wages, it also has a colossal impact on healthcare and public health.

Allison and Honjo awarded 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for cancer research

December 3, 2018 Ryan Ghassemi

On October 1st, the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their pioneer work on a new cancer treatment called “immune checkpoint therapy.” For decades, both scientists have studied the potential of the immune system to fight cancer.

Local medical response teams aid recovery efforts in fire evacuation centers

November 18, 2018  Lynn Nguyen

As the Camp Fire and the Woolsey Fire continue to burn throughout parts of California, evacuation centers have been filled with fire victims escaping the natural disasters. In response, the California Emergency Medical Services Authority has enlisted several volunteer medical response teams across the state to aid recovery efforts in these evacuation centers.