In addition to providing clinical care, the doctors of University Physicians Healthcare perform valuable medical research across Southern Arizona.
UPH physicians are committed to prevention, better treatments and finding
cures for all types of disease.

Today, because of the research conducted by UPH doctors and their colleagues, we know more about how to prevent disease, and can provide a wider array of treatment options for the specific needs of patients. 

• Over 30 UPH physicians are working on the prevention and treatment of cancer, including extensive drug-discovery research at more than 60 research labs within the Arizona Cancer Center.

• David S. Alberts, M.D., director of the Arizona Cancer Center, has played a crucial role in the development of a new treatment method for advanced ovarian cancer.  The research has found that administering specific drugs to women newly diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer improves their chance of survival from the disease.

• Marlene Freeman, M.D., UPH psychiatrist, is conducting a pilot study with Omega-3 fatty acids in women with postpartum depression.  The natural supplement shows promise for treatment of this devastating mental illness, where typical chemical antidepressants can be harmful to the woman and her baby.

• UPH doctors at the Sarver Heart Center have identified a compound that might have an effect on patients with heart failure.  UPH cardiologist Eugene Morkin, M.D. and his team developed DITPA, a drug that improves the heart’s performance without making it beat faster.  150 patients are currently involved in a clinical trial to further investigate the effectiveness of DITPA.

• Violet Siwik, M.D., a UPH Family Medicine physician, is offering a study to 40 overweight children ages eight to 10.  The CHOICES study will teach children and their parents about healthy lifestyles and ways to maintain healthy weight.