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Superhero for a Small Planet

Zika. Swine flu. Ebola. A crusader at the CDC kept some of the world’s worst outbreaks and epidemics from spreading to pregnant women and infants. Now, this Gator is training the health heroes of the future.

Beatrice Dorestil Promoted to HealthStreet Director of Operations

Beatrice Dorestil, MPH, has served as HealthStreet’s Lead Community Health Worker (CHW) and Volunteer Coordinator since June 2018. She has assisted in the training of dozens of volunteers and interns and has helped in enrolling hundreds of community members for health education, community services, and participation in research. Her experience…

Nathan Smith receives dissertation grant award

NIDA predoctoral fellow Nathan Smith received a dissertation grant award from the National Center for Responsible Gaming. The grant supports the inclusion of a specific aim on social isolation, drug use, and gambling in Smith’s dissertation research titled, “Social Isolation and Gambling Problems in 10-17…

University of Florida receives NIDA training grant in addiction research

The University of Florida has received a T32 award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to prepare pre and postdoctoral fellows for careers in research on drug use, addiction, and consequences of addiction from a population science and public health perspective. The T32 Substance Abuse Training Center in Public…

University of Florida to Lead Marijuana Research Consortium

The State University System of Florida Board of Governors has selected the University of Florida to lead a statewide consortium studying health outcomes related to medical marijuana. UF will lead the Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research, which will be composed of public and private universities engaged in research…

Medical marijuana: A Catch-22 for Florida residents, researchers

Ask nearly any scientist in Florida who wants to conduct clinical research on cannabis, and expect to hear echoes of a similar strain: The status of medical marijuana in the Sunshine State is currently hazy — ask again later. But for thousands of chronically ill patients who rely on…

Ebola vaccine for pregnant women: one step closer but still more to go

In the midst of a deadly epidemic like Ebola, who should get an experimental vaccine that provides protection against the disease 97.5% of the time? The obvious candidates would be immediate contacts of people who developed Ebola, and their contacts. Yet an entire group of vulnerable individuals who fall into…