May 17, 2021

Congratulations to our Family Medicine Resident Graduates!

After a year of doing everything virtually, UAFP is looking forward to the possibility of in-person events (with proper precautions, of course) in the upcoming months. All of the following events are tentative and subject to change, based on the data and safety precautions recommended closer to the event. Please continue to check our website at utahafp.org and watch for announcements in the UAFP Weekly Beat emailed to members every Friday.

There is a good chance you have seen the names and faces of Dr. Dixie Harris and Dr. Jeanette Brown in the local news lately. That is due to the fact that these two outstanding physicians, who have both spent time at the front lines treating the most critically ill patients with COVID-19 over the past 15 months, and are also treating patients who continue to struggle with COVID-19; sometimes months after their initial symptoms began. This patient population, often referred to as “long haulers,” now have access to even more specialized care in Utah with the opening of the University of Utah Post-COVID Clinic and doctors and research scientists learning more and more everyday about how best to provide care.

In November 2020, the FDA granted emergency use authorization of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of COVID-19. Studies have shown that these medications, if infused within the first seven days of symptoms in high-risk patients, can lower one’s risk of hospitalization. Despite potential benefits to both patients and hospitals, uptake across the nation has been rather slow due to challenges and barriers to connecting patients to these potentially lifesaving drugs.

A friend of mine is a teacher at an elementary school in Murray, Utah. Prior to the pandemic, we would routinely get together to walk around a nearby park and chat. One time she relayed this story to me: