December 15, 2021

As the holiday season approaches, a new COVID-19 variant has come knocking on the door, potentially disrupting plans for many. The omicron variant was discovered at the end of November, and researchers are still studying it to better understand its transmissibility as well as the effect of vaccines on neutralizing the virus. Experts say the omicron variant appears to spread far faster than other COVID variants. They remain unsure if it leads to less severe symptoms than other variants. Despite the rise of the new variant, experts say it’s still possible to celebrate over the holidays. But they stress that it is best to take safety measures to protect everyone’s health while enjoying holiday traditions. In a story published by Healthline, one of the experts quoted on staying safe during holiday gatherings is Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine.

October 14, 2021

Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the UC Division of Infectious Diseases in the College of Medicine was interviewed by WKRC-TV, Local 12 for a story on how dropping COVID-19 cases across the country could signal herd immunity.

March 9, 2022

COVID-19 first entered the public consciousness about two years ago. It drew a lot of comparisons to another pandemic just over a hundred years earlier. WVXU interviewed Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine to learn more about how the COVID-19 outbreak compares with the 1918 influenza outbreak.

March 18, 2022

With COVID-19 cases declining, some school districts in the Cincinnati region are no longer requiring masks to be worn in class. The Ohio Department of Health announced recently that it would end daily reporting of COVID-19 cases. In a story published by Cincinnati.com, several local infectious disease experts were asked about a variety of practices as society emerges from the pandemic. One of the sources was Jennifer Forrester, MD, and another was Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, both of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine.

March 22, 2022

For the first time since 2019, Match Day at the UC College of Medicine was held in person at Kresge Auditorium on Friday, March 18. 174 medical students gathered to find out where they would be doing their residencies over the next three to seven years. One of those, Mason Yoder, was followed by Spectrum News as they documented his experience.

February 21, 2022

In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) set opioid-prescribing guidelines for physicians. The idea was to offer doctors the best ways to protect people from an over-prescription of pain pills which had fueled the misuse of opioids and amplified cascading overdose deaths in the United States. While the goal was to protect patients, the impact was not all positive. In an article published by Cincinnati.com, Christine Wilder, MD, of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the UC College of Medicine and the director of the UC Health Addiction Sciences, was one of the experts cited.

February 22, 2022

Health experts in the United States are monitoring an increase in cases of bird flu in several states, including Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia. In January, the United States Department of Agriculture detected the first U.S. bird flu case after a hunted wild bird tested positive for the virus in Colleton County, South Carolina. Experts reported that it was the H5N1 strain, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) — the same strain responsible for fatal poultry outbreaks across Europe and Asia in late 2021. In a story on the increase in bird flu published by Healthline, Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine was one of the experts cited.

February 28, 2022

Austin Thompson, a 2019 University of Cincinnati Arts and Sciences graduate and third-year medical student, spoke with Spectrum News about the trend showing a growing number of Black adults obtaining bachelor’s degrees.

February 9, 2022

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced recently that people should stop using the E25Bio rapid COVID-19 test. The agency warned that the test contains false labeling and instructions. The manufacturer says the E25Bio test uses a “novel technology” that is more accurate than a PCR test “without the need for equipment and at a fraction of the cost and time.” However, according to the FDA, this test hasn’t been “authorized, cleared, or approved” by the FDA for distribution or use in the United States and may include false labeling claiming that the test is authorized by the FDA. In a story published by Healthline, Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases was the first expert source cited, that in an emergency, manufacturers might rush a product to market and don’t have to deal with full FDA approval.

March 14, 2022

Jennifer Bard, PhD, professor in UC’s Colleges of Law and Medicine, spoke with USA Today about efforts in state legislatures to offer protections for physicians who prescribe ivermectin to treat COVID-19.