Student health advocacy group “Team Awareness Combatting Overdose” wins awards
The student group Team Awareness Combatting Overdose (TACO) won two awards from the Associated Students of The University of Arizona (ASUA) at the 2025 Red & Blue Club Awards ceremony, the “Outstanding Community Engagement” Award and the “Outstanding Student Organization of the Year” Award!
The student group Team Awareness Combatting Overdose (TACO) won two student club awards from the Associated Students of The University of Arizona (ASUA) at the ASUA Red & Blue Club Awards ceremony. The TACO team was presented with two awards:
- “Outstanding Community Engagement” award
- “Outstanding Student Organization of Year” award
In alignment with TACO’s public health mission, several public health students have served in key leadership roles for the group. Dr. Bridget Murphy, an assistant research professor in the College of Public Health, serves as the faculty advisor for TACO. She teaches and conducts research on substance use and addiction, and she volunteers to support student advocacy.
Team Awareness Combatting Overdose (TACO) is a national organization, and the University of Arizona Chapter of TACO is a student-led club that aims to provide peer-to-peer education and support to help students make informed decisions about substance use, using the latest evidence that neither supports or condemns substance use. TACO members educate peers about the neurobiological effects of substance use, prevalence in Arizona, risks, and ways to stay safe. TACO provides harm reduction solutions such as training on overdose recognition and naloxone administration and provides fentanyl test strips.
TACO members have hosted events, created engaging social media content, collaborated across campus to expand the availability of naloxone by collocating it in the automated external defibrillator cabinets and more. Students in the club work tirelessly to decrease stigma and provide evidence-based prevention and harm reduction services and support.
Congratulations to all the students on the TACO team for your well-deserved awards! And thank you for all your work to keep University of Arizona students, staff, faculty, and guests safe on campus.
To learn more about and/or join TACO, email taco.uofa@gmail.com.