Media Coverage

Emily Rogalski of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine does research on super-agers. In a Northwestern podcast, she notes that one of the distinctive things about “individuals who are free of dementia, free of cognitive problems, and really thriving in their community as well” is their endorsement of “stronger positive relationships with others.”

Pregnancy-related deaths for U.S. Mothers climbed higher in the pandemic’s first year, continuing a decades-long trend that disproportionately affects Black people, according to a government report. Dr. Janelle Bolden, assistant OB-GYN professor, shared that the report is not surprising, stating “The pandemic has uncovered the disparities in access to care, healthcare quality and delivery.”

Black women are two to three times more likely than white women to develop uterine fibroids. One Black women shared her battle with fibroids and ovarian cysts and the hope-restoring treatment she received from Dr. Magdy Milad at Northwestern Medicine’s Center for Complex Gynecology.

Most men of color, interviewed by their peers in a recent study, say they face mental health challenges. They also see a deep connection between systematic inequities and mental health. Claudio S. Rivera a professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences and pediatrics at Northwestern and a psychologist at Lurie Children’s shared the importance of including wellness in the process of this study, as the discussions could become heavy because of the violence and trauma many participants have seen.

Throughout the pandemic, movie theaters have been trying to convince customers that they are safe, simultaneously understanding why people chose to stay away. Now, with more people shedding masks and with states and localities easing restrictions, it could become even more difficult to convince people to visit the theater. Mercedes Carnethon, vice chair of preventative medicine, shares she would feel comfortable at a theater in Chicago, but “less so in Georgia, where the rates of vaccination are a whole lot lower.”

Mercedes Carnethon, vice chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern University, experienced that debate firsthand over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

Epidemiologist Mercedes Carnethon of Northwestern University went on national television programs recently to share her view that vulnerable populations still need protection and that people need to keep taking sensible measures to suppress the virus — such as wearing masks.

“I wish the pandemic were over and it was safe to lift vaccine mandates, particularly in spaces where masks will be off for eating and drinking. This seems like a move to promote normalcy without there really being normalcy,” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, an epidemiologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Vaccine mandates are safe and effective public health strategies, and backing down on this is likely to worsen spread.”

The babies of mothers vaccinated with either the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy had a 61% reduced risk of being hospitalized with the virus up to 6 months after birth, a study by the CDC determined. Because many are still hesitant about receiving a vaccine during pregnancy, Dr. Emily Miller, chief of obstetrics and assistant professor of maternal fetal medicine, says this study is an important piece of clinical data to help encourage expecting mothers to get vaccinated.

Kamila Valieva, a Russian skater has tested positive for the use of trimetazidine, a banned performance enhancing drug. However, she has been allowed to compete in all her events. Dr. George Chimpas
describes trimetazidine as a “newer medication” which is typically used for older patients with heart failure…theoretically it potentially creates greater efficacy of the heart…if you’re an athlete, and specifically an endurance athlete…this is where those little edges might make a difference especially when you’re shooting for gold.”