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Articles by Deborah German
COVID-19 Precautions and Vaccine Update
We are all concerned about the status of COVID-19 in Central Florida, especially as we prepare to start spring classes on Monday. As physicians and faculty, we want to share information about the virus and UCF’s plan. We have been living with COVID since March, and the university’s robust contact tracing program has shown no spread of the virus as a result of classroom teaching.
Tell Me Something Good — UCF Expert Explains The Benefits of Gratitude
In this last COVID-19 health tip before the holidays, we’re addressing gratitude — an approach to life that helps improve your mental outlook, especially during challenging times. Medical research also shows that grateful, thankful people are better in protecting their physical health and in dealing with healthcare challenges. For advice on how to practice gratitude, we turn to Katherine Daly, a licensed psychologist who leads wellness efforts at the UCF College of Medicine.
Making Holiday Eating Healthy AND Fun
While COVID-19 has greatly impacted this year’s holiday season, many of us will still be making – and unfortunately overindulging in — holiday foods. This pandemic is stressful, which also causes many of us to overeat.
Letting Down Your Guard Can Spread COVID-19
As COVID-19 cases spike, health officials are discovering that many people currently testing positive were infected while they were with people they know –not in work or classroom situations, but in casual social gatherings. That’s not surprising. We let down our guards when we’re home or out having fun.
Is Your Ailment a Cold, the Flu or COVID-19?
You’re sick with coughing, sneezing and a fever. Do you have a cold, the flu or COVID-19? All three are contagious respiratory illnesses with similar symptoms. The only way to tell for certain that you have COVID-19 is through a diagnostic test, but here are some guidelines on symptoms of a cold, the flu and COVID-19: One of the hallmark symptoms of COVID-19 – and what sets it apart from other respiratory illnesses – is a loss of taste and smell.
Celebrating the Holidays During COVID-19
As we approach the fall and winter holiday season, how can you plan festivities and still protect your guests, family and the community during COVID-19? The CDC offers suggestions to supplement local and state regulations that are in place. Different types of celebrations hold different risks of spreading the virus. Holding a holiday event with members of your own household poses a low risk.
Care About COVID-19 and Your Health? Then Vote
Whatever our political opinions, we share one common view about medicine: Each one of us wants to stay healthy and wants access to a trained, knowledgeable and kind healthcare provider when we get sick. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that medicine is not just a personal issue or choice. Elected officials also play a role in our health. That’s why it’s more important now than ever before that we each exercise our right – and our responsibility – to vote.
If You’re A COVID-19 Survivor, Consider Donating Your Blood Plasma
If you caught the COVID-19 virus and are now well, your illness and your strength can help others. In this week’s health tip, we turn to Jane Gibson, an expert in molecular pathology and genetics at the UCF College of Medicine, on how convalescent plasma — blood plasma collected from people who have recovered from the coronavirus — can help boost the immunity of those currently infected.
Why Heath Literacy Matters - Especially During COVID-19
To effectively battle COVID-19, we all need reliable, accurate information. But what if you can’t understand the medical information your healthcare provider gives you? Health literacy is the ability to get, read, understand and use information to make appropriate health decisions and to be able to follow your provider’s instructions for treatment. But too many of us can’t do that, which poses a serious challenge during this pandemic.
Structure and Routine Can Help Combat Childhood Obesity, Especially During Difficult Times like COVID-19
Childhood obesity is a serious issue that has increased fivefold in the last 50 years. Today, one in three children in the United States is classified as overweight or obese. A variety of behaviors are linked to obesity in children, including lack of physical activity, diet, sleep and the amount of screen time a child gets. And new research suggests another factor – the lack of daily structure and routine, which unfortunately is the new normal for children during COVID-19.
Do Gloves Protect You from COVID-19?
Should you be wearing gloves in public and at work to protect yourself against COVID-19? For answers, we turn this week to Erica Hoyt, a College of Nursing faculty member who teaches the fundamentals of nursing, including gloving. As part of this tip, she had her Community Nursing students research the effectiveness of gloves in fighting infection – and said it helped them get valuable experience analyzing peer-reviewed scientific research.
Recovery During COVID-19
Many of us are feeling isolated because of COVID-19 and those feelings are especially hard for people in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse. September is National Recovery Month and in this week’s health tip, we turn to Megan Giddens, who leads Substance Use Disorder Services at UCF’s Student Health Services, on ways to support recovery during the new normal of this pandemic.
You Need A Flu Shot – Now More Than Ever | University of Central Florida News
A s we navigate COVID-19, you need to get your flu vaccine this year – now more than ever before. No, a flu shot won’t protect you from the coronavirus – the diseases are caused by two different viruses. But getting a flu vaccine provides important health protections for you, your family, your UCF colleagues and your community as we continue battling the pandemic. The flu, like COVID-19, is an airborne virus that affects the respiratory system.
Staying Pain-Free and Active While Working from Home
The quick switch to remote working has left many people without a proper office. Our kitchen and dining-room tables, even our beds, have become our workstations. These situations can result in joint and back pain from a day spent just sitting. But a few modifications can bring more physical activity to your remote work life and can improve your posture and body alignment to help keep your joints and back healthy, says Colby Mangum, assistant professor in Athletic Training.
How Vaccines Work And What It Means For COVID-19
The goal of a vaccine is to give you protection against a pathogen — without you having to suffer through the illness. With so much talk about developing a COVID-19 vaccine, we turn this week to Kai McKinstry, a virus expert at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, who is working to create a flu vaccine you would only have to take once in your lifetime — not every year.
New M.D. Students Arrive in Medical City as Society Needs Them More Than Ever
You are here: Home / Local Leaders / New M.D. Students Arrive in Medical City as Society Needs Them More Than Ever Kyle Benkel traded his UCF football jersey for a white coat – even though his new uniform, recognizing him as a physician-in-training, came in a plastic bag instead of a ceremony. Benkel was one of 120 new College of Medicine students who began training this fall at a time dramatically changed by COVID-19.
What Causes A Virus Pandemic - How Did We Get Here?
Viruses have been around for nearly 500 million years. So what happened to make the COVID-19 virus into a pandemic? How did this virus appear out of nowhere and then spread to millions across the globe? For answers, we turn this week to Griffith Parks, associate dean for research at the College of Medicine, director of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, and a nationally recognized virus expert.
Don’t Be A Super Spreader, Follow Physical Distancing
A year ago, no one would have considered a birthday party or singing in a church choir a dangerous, potentially deadly activity. But COVID-19 shows us that such events can be “super spreaders” that allow one or two sick people to infect dozens. In this week’s health tip, College of Medicine students Neel Shah and Deep Gandhi offer their perspectives on the importance of physical distancing, especially as UCF students return to our campus. We get it.
UCF Medical Faculty on Children Returning To School During COVID-19
As a new school year begins for many of our children, parents are worried about navigating the new normal of life with COVID-19. Colleen Moran-Bano, a pediatrician at the UCF College of Medicine who leads pediatric training for M.D. students and is a parent herself, offers these tips. As pediatricians, we know that most children learn best when they are in face-to-face schooling.
Joining Healthcare When Patients Need Them Most
You are here: Home / Health & Wellness / Joining Healthcare When Patients Need Them Most The taskforce of healthcare workers battling COVID-19 got a much-needed boost with the addition of 137 newly trained physicians who are ready to enter practice. Residents and fellows from the UCF-HCA Healthcare graduate medical education partnership graduated recently and are joining hospitals across Florida and the nation, entering private practice or advancing to additional training.
Caring for Someone With COVID-19
As coronavirus infections increase across our community, so does the chance that any one of us may be caring for someone with the virus. That is especially concerning to parents who could be sending their youngsters back to school in the fall. As a caregiver — to an adult or child patient — there are steps you can take to stay as safe as possible. For advice, we turn this week to Valerie Martinez, a UCF College of Nursing faculty member, nurse practitioner and expert in pediatric care.
Exerce Tips During COVID-19 from UCF Expert
Feeling sluggish? Working at home and physical distancing can turn even the most dedicated fitness fanatic into a couch potato. So in this week’s COVID-19 health tip, we turn to Tom Fisher — an expert in exercise physiology and motivation in the College of Health Professions and Sciences’ Division of Kinesiology — on ways to keep fit during the pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has tested our resolve in more ways than one.
What Is Contact Tracing? How Can It Help Manage COVID-19?
As COVID-19 infections dramatically increase, so does the risk that you’ve been potentially exposed to someone with the disease – someone who may not have had symptoms yet. That’s why contact tracing is such an important tool in managing the spread of this virus. What is contact tracing, how does it work and why is it important in our fight against COVID-19?
The Importance of a Sleep Routine During COVID-19
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults over age 18 get more than seven hours of sleep a night as part of a strategy to achieve peak mental and physical performance. But the stresses of COVID-19 may be impacting your sleep, so in this week’s health tip, we get advice from Keith Brazendale, a sleep and physical activity expert in the Department of Health Sciences.
Maintaining Mental Health During Today’s New Normal
If today’s new normal is increasing your feelings of stress, anxiety and even depression, you’re not alone. In this week’s health tip, we turn to Katherine Daly, a licensed psychologist who leads counseling and wellness services for UCF medical students, on ways to maintain your mental health during this challenging time: Be intentional about your emotional health right now. Be honest with yourself – what are you feeling? Irritable? Sluggish? Panicked? Unmotivated? Angry?
This Is What Love Directs Us to Do
UCF medical students Lake Lindo and Joshua Salzman have known each other since kindergarten; they grew up together in Orlando and played YMCA basketball together. And recently, Lindo, who is black, and Salzman, who is white, knelt next to each other on the College of Medicine’s green for eight minutes and 46 seconds to honor the life of George Floyd and protest police brutality.
Like All Disease, COVID-19 Preys On Vulnerable Communities
Your ZIP code may be a better predictor of your health than the medical care you receive. Does that fact surprise you? If so, you’re not alone. Most people assume that genetics and healthcare are some of the biggest factors in whether a person is sick or well. But research shows that a person’s health is also based on where they live, their socioeconomic status and whether their neighborhood allows them easy access to healthy food and clean water.
Strengthening Your Immunity — What to Eat to Maintain Good Health
Having a healthy immune system is important all the time — but especially during COVID-19. One way to support and strengthen your immunity is to eat high-nutrient foods. Valerie Schulz is a registered dietitian nutritionist and faculty member in the Department of Health Sciences. She provides this week’s COVID-19 health tip: Foods that contain high levels of vitamins A, C, D and E all support your immune system in different ways.
Caring for Seniors During COVID-19
People over age 70 have been especially devastated by COVID-19. What can we do to help and protect our older parents, neighbors, family and friends? This week’s health tip is from College of Nursing faculty member Jacqueline LaManna, who specializes in geriatric primary care. It’s important to remember that social distancing has caused many seniors to live in an isolated world of fear. Those of us with senior parents aren’t able to visit.
Lake Nona’s Young Physicians Graduate and Prepare to Battle Pandemic
You are here: Home / Education / Lake Nona’s Young Physicians Graduate and Prepare to Battle Pandemic Haider Ali and family; Courtesy of Haider Ali. COVID-19 did not stop their match. It did not stop their graduation, and now as they take their positions as doctors across our nation, UCF’s newest physicians are helping to stop COVID-19.
What is Antibody Testing?
Antibodies and antibody testing are in the news frequently – UCF and Aventus Labs are starting drive-through COVID-19 antibody testing on campus this week. What are antibodies, what do they do and what role do they play in diseases like the unique coronavirus causing this pandemic? For answers, we’re turning to Jane Gibson, an expert in molecular diagnostics at the UCF College of Medicine and chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences.
Why Your Back Hurts During Quarantine
How many of us are using our dining room table and chair as a remote home office? That may be why your back hurts. So we’re turning to William Hanney, associate professor of physical therapy at UCF’s College of Health Professions and Sciences and an expert in back and neck pain, for guidance. Hanney says as we work from home during the pandemic, we’re more sedentary. These changes in activity levels and working in a less ergonomic environment can cause back pain.
UCF Scientists Seek Novel Material to Kill COVID-19
You are here: Home / Local Leaders / UCF Scientists Seek Novel Material to Kill COVID-19 Masks that protect doctors and nurses from COVID-19 only block the virus before it reaches their faces, but UCF researchers are working to create a protective coating that would include a novel mask material that would catch the virus and kill it within seconds.
Women and Men Taste Fat Differently, Med School Research Finds
You are here: Home / Local Leaders / Women and Men Taste Fat Differently, Med School Research Finds There may be a scientific reason why men binge on bacon. UCF College of Medicine researchers have discovered that female sex hormones make women more sensitive to the taste of fat, helping them better regulate how much of it they eat.
UCF Biomed Student Presents Autism Research at State Capitol
You are here: Home / Local Leaders / UCF Biomed Student Presents Autism Research at State Capitol A College of Medicine biomedical sciences major investigating the link between processed food and autism presented her research findings at the state Capitol recently, sharing her discoveries with lawmakers, scientists and citizens from across Florida. Aseela Samsam was one of four UCF students chosen to represent student research at the Undergraduate Research Posters at the Capitol event.
Staying Active On A Busy Schedule
When it feels like you have a million things going on, exercise can often be the last thing on your mind. Staying active on a busy schedule is no easy task, but there are ways to get moving that won’t obstruct your daily routine. 1. Take the stairs Instead of using the elevator, taking the stairs every day at work or school can help you burn calories and build muscle.
UCF Researchers Working to Cut Alzheimer’s Plaque
You are here: Home / Local Leaders / UCF Researchers Working to Cut Alzheimer’s Plaque UCF College of Medicine researchers have found an enzyme that cuts away the building blocks that form the brain plaques linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists believe the buildup of that plaque is what causes the disease’s devastating symptoms of cognitive decline, dementia, and memory loss.
Med Students Teach Health Literacy to Nona High Schoolers
You are here: Home / Community / Med Students Teach Health Literacy to Nona High Schoolers As Lake Nona High School eleventh grader Juliana Guerrero studied the nutrition facts on the labels of some of her favorite snacks, she was shocked to learn what she thought was healthy was not so healthy after all.
We’re All in This Together
People trash-talked over corn hole, dined on barbeque and beans, and two in-service veterans waved a giant red, white and blue UCF flag. A recent football tailgate party at UCF was a huge celebration. The only thing missing: alcohol. As part of National Recovery Month, UCF campus organizations – Sober Knights, the Student Veterans of America chapter, and SALUTE Veterans Honor Society – recently teamed up to hold a sober tailgating party at the on-campus Veterans Academic Resource Center.
Med Students Offer Care During Hurricanes
Central Floridians forced to flee their homes during a hurricane are getting help from UCF’s physicians in training. Under a new partnership with Seminole County Emergency Management Services, 20 of our M.D. students have been certified as emergency responders to provide triage services at local shelters during natural disasters. Just weeks after completing their training, six of our medical students helped evacuees from September’s Hurricane Dorian.
19 Years to Medical School
In her words, Sarah Baker’s journey to medical school was “long and winding” as it spanned nearly two decades. She first applied 19 years ago but postponed that dream to raise a family. Last month, with her husband and three children in tow, she received her white coat as one of 120 new medical students in the UCF College of Medicine’s Class of 2023.
Supporting Recovery – on Campus and in Our Community | University of Central Florida News
Mental health and substance use disorders affect millions of us nationwide, and by seeking help, those who experience these challenges can embark on a new path toward improved health and overall wellness. September is National Recovery Month and this year’s theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together We Are Stronger,” carries an important message: We all play a role in recovery, whether or not we struggle personally with issues like depression, anxiety, alcohol, drug or nicotine abuse.
New Program Offers Med Students More Hands-On Training
You are here: Home / Health & Wellness / New Program Offers Med Students More Hands-On Training Seeing patients for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience for medical students. So, a new UCF College of Medicine training program geared toward giving third- and fourth-year students additional practice time on “dummy” patients is providing them with the skills to tackle challenging procedures.
‘Today Is Joy’ – Three UCF Students Match At Nemours • Nonahood News
You are here: Home / Education / ‘Today Is Joy’ – Three UCF Students Match At Nemours Gabriel Williams opened his match envelope, fist-pumped and cheered, “I got Nemours!” – capping off March 15’s Match Day at the UCF College of Medicine that saw three students enter a new pediatric residency at Nemours Children’s Hospital down the street in Medical City.
Med Students Get a ‘Leg Up’ in Anatomy From PT Students
You are here: Home / Education / Med Students Get a ‘Leg Up’ in Anatomy From PT Students Kayla Combs stood at the head of the anatomy lab table surrounded by medical students examining their patient’s musculoskeletal system. “If you pull on this tendon here, it will cause the fingers to move,” Combs demonstrated. But, the teacher wasn’t a med school faculty member.
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