UConn Health Pulse

What to Watch for With Ticks, and When

Ticks can be active whenever the temperature is above 40 degrees, meaning the tick-borne illness is more than a seasonal worry limited to a portion of the summer. And Connecticut is seeing more types of ticks, and more than just Lyme disease. 

Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, chief of UConn Health's Division of Infectious Diseases, explains all this, plus how to recognize, treat, and reduce the risk of tick-borne illness, and says some potentially promising Lyme disease news is on the horizon.

(Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco, September 2025, studio and production support by Ethan Giorgetti and Ryan Bernat)

Kevin Dieckhaus, MD
https://www.uconnhealth.org/providers/profiles/dieckhaus-kevin

UConn Health Division of Infectious Diseases
https://www.uconnhealth.org/infectious-diseases

Skin Cancer Risk: Spray Away?

“There’s no such thing as a healthy tan.” While we may be coming around on that idea, are we getting distracted by potential reasons not to use sunscreen? Are there ingredients in sunscreens that are toxic to us, or to the ocean’s ecosystem? What about those spray sunscreens? Dr. Jenna Kelsey, UConn Health dermatologist, joins to help weigh the risks and benefits of these factors against the carcinogenic properties of sun exposure.

(Dr. Jenna Kelsey, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco, August 2025, studio and production support by Ethan Giorgetti and Ryan Bernat)

Jenna Bordelon Kelsey, MD
https://www.uconnhealth.org/providers/profiles/bordelon%20kelsey-jenna

UConn Health Dermatology
https://www.uconnhealth.org/dermatology-cosmetic-surgery/dermatology

UConn Health’s advanced melanoma program
https://www.uconnhealth.org/cancer-blood-disorders/services-specialties/skin-cancer

American Academy of Dermatology
https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/prevent 

Examining Energy Drinks

They come in all kinds of colors, flavors, sizes, and prices — products claiming to deliver a burst of energy to wake you up, keep you going, or give you that needed jolt. Are they more than just high doses of caffeine and sugar? What are we actually drinking? Do we really need them? Are there healthy (or healthier) alternatives? UConn Health registered dietitian Linda York joins us to discuss the exploding energy drink trend, and offer some less caffeinated ways to boost your energy.

(Linda York, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco, July 2025, studio and production support by Ethan Giorgetti and Ryan Bernat)

UConn Health Nutrition Services:
https://www.uconnhealth.org/nutrition-services 

Angst Over Additives in Our Food

As the push to ban certain food dyes gains momentum, what should we know about them, and about other additives in our food supply? What are the potential consequences of ingredients that are not naturally occurring? How do we know what to believe and what conclusions to draw?

Dr. Rebecca Andrews, UConn Health primary care physician whose roles include director of primary care, associate program director of UConn’s Internal Medicine Residency, and nationally, chair of the American College of Physicians Board of Regents, helps us try to navigate it all.

(Dr. Rebecca Andrews, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco, June 2025, studio and production support by Ethan Giorgetti and Ryan Bernat)

Dr. Rebecca Andrews
https://facultydirectory.uchc.edu/profile?profileId=Andrews-Rebecca

Internal Medicine at UConn Health
https://health.uconn.edu/internal-medicine/

Measles and Vexing Vaccines (Including COVID)

Vaccines are considered by more than a few scientific experts to be among the most significant developments in modern medicine. Now, it’s hard to know what to believe about vaccinations. The resurgence of measles, effectively eradicated in the U.S. 25 years ago, is one indication that in some pockets of our country, is one indication of doubt in vaccines’ effectiveness. Meanwhile, the federal government is pulling back on its recommendations about who should take the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Melissa Held, professor of pediatric infectious diseases and senior associate dean of medical student education at the UConn School of Medicine, and Dr. David Banach, associate professor of medicine, infectious diseases physician and UConn Health’s hospital epidemiologist, join us to help separate facts from myths.

(Dr. Melissa Held, Dr. David Banach, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco, May 2025, studio and production support by Ethan Giorgetti and Ryan Bernat)

Dr. Melissa Held
https://facultydirectory.uchc.edu/profile?profileId=Held-Tobin-Melissa

Dr. David Banach
https://facultydirectory.uchc.edu/profile?profileId=Banach-David

UConn Health’s Infectious Diseases Division
https://health.uconn.edu/infectious-diseases/

American Academy of Pediatrics
https://www.aap.org/ 

Infectious Diseases Society of America
https://www.idsociety.org/

Connecticut Department of Public Health
https://portal.ct.gov/dph 

Spray Away Severe Depression

When severe depression becomes treatment-resistant depression, an unconventional medication is proving to be effective. It’s a specific form of ketamine that is administered by nasal spray in a supervised clinical setting, approved by the FDA for this purpose. Dr. Caleb Battersby, director of interventional psychiatry at UConn Health, explains how esketamine works and why this treatment approach has been providing hope for those who otherwise may be out of answers.

(Dr. Caleb Battersby, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco, April 2025, studio and technical support by Ethan Giorgetti and Ryan Bernat)

Dr. Caleb Battersby
https://facultydirectory.uchc.edu/profile?profileId=Battersby-Caleb

UConn Health Department of Psychiatry
https://health.uconn.edu/psychiatry/

Find a treatment center
https://www.spravato.com/find-treatment-center/

UConn Health Minute: Treating Severe Depression (December 2024)
https://today.uconn.edu/2024/12/uconn-health-minute-treating-severe-depression/

 

Attacking Endometriosis With Awareness and Research

Treatable but not curable, endometriosis affects one in 10 women and girls of reproductive age. But it's not all that well understood and recognized, and can go undetected, leading to years of avoidable suffering and causing time away from school, work, and other activities. UConn Health is part of a collaboration with The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine and the state of Connecticut called EndoRISE, which seeks to raise awareness and advance research of endometriosis. Dr. Danielle Luciano, director of minimally invasive gynecological surgery at UConn Health, and Jasmina Kuljancic, EndoRISE program manager from JAX, help lead this effort. 

(Dr. Danielle Luciano, Jasmina Kuljancic, Chris DeFrancesco, March 2025, studio and technical support by Ethan Giorgetti and Ryan Bernat)

EndoRISE
https://www.ctendorise.org/

Dr. Danielle Luciano
https://health.uconn.edu/find-a-provider/physician/Luciano-Danielle

Endometriosis care at UConn Health
https://health.uconn.edu/women/gynecology/endometriosis/

UConn Today: 'EndoRISE Launch Marks New Era in Endometriosis Research and Support'
https://today.uconn.edu/2024/06/endorise-launch-marks-new-era-in-endometriosis-research-and-support/

 

Fluoride Flak: Dental Experts Weigh In

Many of us have been told for most of our lives that fluoride is greatly beneficial to our health. So how did we get from fluoride in the public water supply being one of history’s great public health achievements to it standing trial in the court of public opinion? We invite Drs. Bina Katechia and Aadarsh Gopalakrishna from the UConn School of Dental Medicine to deliberate and render a verdict.

(Dr. Bina Katechia, Dr. Aadarsh Gopalakrishna, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco, February 2025, studio and technical support by Ethan Giorgetti)

Dr. Bina Katechia, interim chair, UConn School of Medicine Department of Pediatric Dentistry
https://facultydirectory.uchc.edu/profile?profileId=Katechia-Bina

Dr. Aadarsh Gopalakrishna, chair, UConn School of Medicine Division of General Dentistry
https://facultydirectory.uchc.edu/profile?profileId=Gopalakrishna-Aadarsh

Pediatric dentistry at UConn Health
https://health.uconn.edu/dental/patient-services/pediatric-dentistry/

General dentistry at UConn Health
https://health.uconn.edu/dental/

UConn School of Dental Medicine
https://dentalmedicine.uconn.edu/

Expertise in Treating Advanced Melanoma

The deadliest form of skin cancer is even deadlier when it spreads beyond the skin. When simply cutting out the cancerous skin is not enough, melanoma goes from a dermatology matter to an oncology matter. Dr. Margaret Callahan is a medical oncologist and Dr. Giao Phan is a surgical oncologist. Together they lead UConn Health's advanced melanoma program, which offers specialized care for when this cancer has spread.

(Dr. Margaret Callahan, Dr. Giao Phan, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco, December 2024)

Dr. Margaret Callahan
https://www.uconnhealth.org/providers/profiles/callahan-margaret

Dr. Giao Phan
https://www.uconnhealth.org/providers/profiles/phan-giao

"Advancing Specialty Care for Metastatic Melanoma at UConn Health," UConn Today, Sept. 23, 2024
https://today.uconn.edu/?p=219219

Drs. Phan and Callahan on Channel 3's "Great Day Connecticut," Dec. 18, 2024
https://youtu.be/OXqT8x79SZo

Skin Cancer care at UConn Health's Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center
https://health.uconn.edu/cancer/patient-services/clinical-services/skin-cancer/

860-679-4600

Melanoma navigator
860-692-8455

Retraining the Brain With Neurosurgical Breakthrough

An emerging approach to stroke recovery involves an outpatient neurosurgical procedure that implants a device capable of stimulating a nerve found to be central to the brain's ability to learn. Dr. Christopher Conner in UConn Health's Brain and Spine Institute is the first neurosurgeon in Connecticut to implant this device, which can make the brain more receptive to intensive occupational therapy. Dr. Conner explains vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and describes its early success.

(November 2024, Dr. Christopher Conner, Carolyn Pennington, Chris DeFrancesco)

Dr. Christopher Conner
https://health.uconn.edu/find-a-provider/physician/Conner-Christopher

Connecticut's 1st VNS device implant (UConn Today, May 2024)
https://today.uconn.edu/2024/05/first-in-connecticut-ischemic-stroke-survivors-have-renewed-hope-with-the-vagus-nurve-stimulation-device-now-available-at-uconn-health/

Treating movement disorders with deep brain stimulation (UConn Today, May 2024)
https://today.uconn.edu/2024/05/deep-brain-stimulation-changing-the-quality-of-life-for-those-with-parkinsons-disease/

UConn Health Brain and Spine Institute
https://health.uconn.edu/brain-and-spine-institute/

UConn Health Stroke Center
https://health.uconn.edu/stroke-center/

UConn Health Neurology Deep Brain Stimulation Program
https://health.uconn.edu/neurology/clinical-services/movement-disorders/parkinsons-disease/

UConn Health Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center
https://health.uconn.edu/parkinsons/