For the past three years, Viacheslav “Slava” Fofanov and other Northern Arizona University researchers have been studying tooth decay in 350 preschoolers in northern Arizona to see if they are affected by the acidic bacteria in their oral “microbiome.” They will soon begin working both in southern Arizona in Yuma County… Read more
research
De Heer addresses childhood obesity
In summer, elementary and middle school students seem to have unlimited time for outdoor exercise and exploration––long, sunny days free from classes or cold weather to keep them indoors.
But through three years of research, Hendrik “Dirk” de Heer found that weight gain among the highest risk students is highest in the summer months.… Read more
CHER/SHERC Spring 2020 newsletter
NAU Researchers Invent Technology That Speeds Healing and Prevents Infection Invented

The American population is aging, and conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are on the rise. With those factors in place, the medical community has growing concerns about wound treatment. According to the American Professional Wound Care Association, about 15 percent of Medicare recipients suffer chronic, nonhealing wounds with an annual cost of about $30 billion.
One challenge physicians repeatedly face in treating wounds is the threat of bacterial infection. Closing the wound helps reduce the risk, but if… Read more
Update on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) Pilot Project

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) pilot project is nearing the completion of qualitative and biological data collection. Individuals detained in the Coconino County Jail have participated in interviews and biological swab samples that are being tested for staph and cavity-causing bacteria. The collection of data has been supported by 7 student interns and a new CHER Project Coordinator Sr., Carly Camplain. Further data collection and analysis will include accessing and obtaining permissions to criminal justice information systems, local data… Read more
KNAU Interviews Julie Baldwin about a Report on Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities

CHER Director, Julie Baldwin, is a member of the Committee on Accelerating Progress to Reduce Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities. The committee authored the Consensus Study Report Getting to Zero Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities: A Comprehensive Approach to a Persistent Problem, which was the topic of KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny’s interview with Julie Baldwin. The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report calls for stricter blood alcohol concentration laws in an effort to reduce impaired driving injuries and fatalities.
KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny’s interview with… Read more