Sept. 24, 2026

“There is really no good double-blind placebo control study that shows that glucosamine is actually effective at minimizing joint pain.”

— Ramon Sun, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, on a study showing that a popular supplement used for osteoarthritis and joint pain may be linked to accelerated progression and higher mortality for Alzheimer’s and related dementias for The Washington Post, July 7

“It sounds extremely exciting, and I think for a lot of people this could be a game changer.”

— Amy Sheer, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and program director for the obesity medicine fellowship, on how the device could be a good fit for patients who experience “injection fatigue” or struggle to remember daily pills for CNBC, July 11

“It’s a big deal, [the results] could help usher a whole new wave of new therapeutic treatments for cancer.”

— Elias Sayour, M.D., Ph.D., the Stop Children’s Cancer/Bonnie R. Freeman Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research in the Department of Pediatrics and Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery, reacting to the announcement of an experimental mRNA vaccine that would allow people with high-risk melanoma to live longer, for The New York Times, Aug. 19

“Unless you get a stool test, specifically a GI pathogen panel, and it comes back positive, a doctor will not know how to treat it. Without the test, it could be viewed as bacterial or viral diarrhea.”

— Anil K. Sharma, M.D., an associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, warning how Cyclospora infections do not respond to typical over-the-counter anti-diarrheal medications, for The Sun Sentinel, July 11

“Typically, when people drown, it’s not like in the movies, where somebody is sort of screaming and waving and slowly going in under the water and coming back up. A lot of times, it’s quiet.”

— Torben Becker, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor and vice-chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, giving advice on how to safely celebrate the Fourth of July by assigning someone to keep an eye on children and adults in the water, for The New York Times, July 3

“What is best … is to develop strategies and continue to invest in programs for surveillance of these diseases, as well as finding ways to mitigate risks as the environment changes, as the world changes and as we continue to move around the world and live in different regions of the world.”

— Norman Beatty, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, on the recent rise of tropical diseases in the United States, for The Palm Beach Post, July 20

“An aortic dissection is uncommon, but it can strike without warning and requires immediate medical attention. It occurs when a tear or rupture develops in the inner wall of the aorta, allowing blood to separate the layers of the artery. About 13,000 Americans die from the condition each year.”

— Eric I. Jeng, M.D., an associate professor in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery and director of the UF Health Aortic Disease Center, on the importance of aortic dissection awareness in an op-ed for Greenville News, July 21

“Sepsis is challenging because each patient’s response is unique and requires an individualized treatment strategy.”

— Phillip Efron, M.D., a professor in the Department of Surgery and director of the UF Sepsis and Critical Illness Research Center, on the status of sepsis treatment and awareness in light of NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s death, in a commentary for the Orlando Sentinel, June 10

“The eye is the best place to do gene therapy. It’s a small organ, so you don’t need much ‘drug’ to get the job done.”

— Shannon E. Boye, Ph.D., a professor and chief of the Division of Cellular and Molecular Therapy in the Department of Pediatrics, on researching how to prevent childhood blindness, for Florida Trend, Aug. 7

“The most important thing is hydration. Kids just don’t regulate their temperature as well as [adults]. They don’t sweat as well as we do, and they absorb more heat.”

— Maritza Plaza, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, on the importance of making sure children are hydrated during extreme heat indexes, for FOX 35 Orlando, Aug. 13