Media Coverage
The work done by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine faculty members (and even some students) is regularly highlighted in newspapers, online media outlets and more. Below you’ll find links to articles and videos of Feinberg in the news.
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USA Today
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Do weight loss pills work? The truth about the controversial drugs and supplements.
America has long been obsessed with weight lost. It’s no wonder the CDC reports more people are on diets now than were a decade ago. For the right person, weight loss pills can be a helpful tool in weight management. Rutuja Desai Patel, DO, obesity medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine acknowledges “clinical trials do show that they are effective for weight loss and weight maintenance,” but notes that weight loss pills are usually only suggested for people with a body mass index over 30 and after other weight loss treatments such as diet and exercise have been implemented into one’s lifestyle first. “Over-the-counter supplements for weight loss should be viewed with caution because at best, they don’t work, and at worst, they may cause harm,” warns Patel.
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LA Times
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Who gets on a kidney waitlist? We’re in the dark on a crucial step toward transplant
To even have a chance at a kidney from a deceased donor – a lifesaving resource in limited supply – an ailing patient needs to get onto the waiting list. But a shrinking share of Americans undergoing dialysis have been getting that chance, national data show. Their odds have been disturbingly shaped by race and income, researchers have found. “I’m still seeing patients that have been on dialysis for seven, 10, even 15 years, who say, ‘Oh yeah, I just had a conversation about transplant,’” said Dr. Dinee C. Simpson, a transplant surgeon and assistant professor of surgery in organ transplantation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Federal regulators have started tying some funding for dialysis centers to the percentage of patients who get onto the kidney transplant waitlist, nudging them to refer more patients to transplant centers. But whether a patient makes it on the waitlist can also hinge on which transplant center is scrutinizing them as a patient.
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AP News
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No link between COVID vaccines and placental abnormalities
Research shows no link between COVID-19 immunizations and problems with the placenta, and many vaccinated women have carried their pregnancies to full term. “For our research, we looked at 60 different placental anomalies that cover the whole range of pregnancy complications and found no association between vaccination and problems with the placenta,” said Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, an assistant professor of pathology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. In addition to Goldstein’s research, another study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2022 found “no significant difference in placental findings between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, further emphasizing the safety of vaccination during pregnancy.” Goldstein, who said he personally examines 500 to 600 placentas a year in his role as a physician, said he’s seen no major uptick in any abnormality, or any other indication of a link between vaccination and placental complications.
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Good Morning America
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Popular diabetes drug Mounjaro could be FDA-approved for weight loss this year, company says
A popular drug currently approved to treat Type 2 diabetes could soon also be approved for weight loss. Eli Lilly, the maker of the drug Mounjaro, said Thursday it expects the medication could be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight loss as early as the end of the year.
Veronica Johnson, MD, internal medicine at the Northwestern Medicine Center for Lifestyle Medicine, discussed the impact she is seeing on the patients taking the drug. “These medications are promoting a lot more weight loss and so we’re having significant impacts in not only reducing our patients’ weight but improving their overall health,” she said. -
Yahoo! News
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Menopausal symptoms from hot flashes to insomnia are negatively impacting women’s careers – and the economy, says new study
Most people are aware that menopause can come with intense symptoms such as hot flashes and insomnia. But a new study from the Mayo Clinic finds it can have a direct impact on women’s ability to work – and on the economy. Researchers discovered that 597 women, or 13.4%, said they had experienced at least one bad outcome at work – meaning they quit, retired, were fired or missed hours or days of work – due to symptoms of menopause. The researchers also found that the odds of having a bad outcome at work increased the more severe a woman’s symptoms were. “There have been multiple studies, mostly from the U.K., which have shown this or worse,” said Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Why is anybody surprised that this has a billion-dollar impact on the corporate level and below? Insomnia, hot flashes…people are not able to function. As a result of this, they’re dropping out of the workplace, making mistakes and they’re really struggling.”
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Chicago Tribune
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Illinois’ Blue Cross will stop covering at-home COVID-19 tests when public health emergency ends next month
Many Illinois residents will soon have to pay for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests, with the state’s largest insurer saying it will no longer cover them once the federal emergencies for COVID-19 end next month.
The changes come as a new COVID-19 omicron variant, XBB.1.16, also known as Arcturus, is spreading across the country. The variant now makes up about 10% of cases in the region of the U.S. that includes Illinois, though it does not seem more dangerous than previous variants, according to the World Health Organization.
“We’re going to see people give up testing,” said Lindsay Allen, a health economist and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “Behavior comes down to incentives. We know when we provide people with preventative care at a free or low cost they’re much more likely to use it, and that includes COVID tests. … As soon as it becomes cost prohibitive, they’re not likely to use it.” -
FOX 32 Chicago
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Unique heart procedure performed at Northwestern Medicine
It is estimated that more than 100,000 patients in the United States have aortic valve disease. The Ross Procedure gives patients a new heart valve using parts of their own body instead of a mechanical valve or ones made of animal tissue. Less than 300 patients per year get this operation says, Christopher Malaisrie, MD, professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiac Surgery, and there are a select few highly trained surgeons perform the procedure including himself.
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Chicago Tribune
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Single mom from Midlothian, doctor who transplanted her liver forge decades-long friendship
Kathy Fiandaca, of Midlothian, was a single mom with an infant when she learned she needed a new liver.
The physician who delivered the news — Dr. Daniel Ganger — assured Fiandaca that not only would she get a new liver but she’d be able to watch her daughter grow to adulthood.
“There’s somebody upstairs looking after me. I’ve never gone back. I’ve never had an issue,” said Fiandaca, who is now 58. “Somebody is watching over me. I’m blessed. That’s all I can say.”
For many years, that “somebody” has been Ganger, 71, a transplant hepatologist who trained and worked at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago from 1984 until 1991 before moving to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He met Fiandaca, then 28 in 1992.
“She was a very young person,” he said “and had a very young daughter at the time. I kept track of her.” He added that she was “really young” for a transplant.
The two reconnected in 2008 when Ganger came back to Northwestern to practice. -
New York Times
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22 Out of 25 Melatonin Products Were Mislabeled, Study Finds
A tiny, berry-flavored gummy of melatonin carries a big promise: better sleep. But a new research paper, published in the medical journal JAMA on Tuesday, highlights a critical issue: When it comes to melatonin, as with other supplements, what you see on the label isn’t always what you get.
The higher the dose of melatonin, the more likely you are to experience side effects, said Dr. Sabra Abbott, a sleep medicine specialist at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. Large amounts of melatonin aren’t likely to be dangerous for most adults, experts say, but some people report feeling groggy or hung-over the morning after taking the supplement, or having vivid, unnerving dreams.
Melatonin gummies can pose serious risks to children if they consume too many. Calls to the American Association of Poison Control Centers related to pediatric melatonin consumption jumped 530 percent from 2012 to 2021, according to research published last summer. -
Yahoo! News
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What Happens To Your Body When You Sleep in Contacts?
About a third of contact lens wearers report sleeping in their contacts. Sleeping in contact lenses, especially if done regularly, creates an optimal environment for bacteria to get into the eye area. Contact lenses are worn by 45 million Americans and are considered quite safe. But caring for them improperly or keeping them in for too long—especially while you sleep—can have serious impacts on eye health, experts warn. Contact lenses can make it more difficult for enough oxygen to get to the cornea, which can actually lead to damage to the surface cells of the cornea, called the epithelial cells. “If those tears aren’t making it to the cornea easily and you’re not getting oxygen to the cornea, then the cornea can tend to break down and then be vulnerable to the bacteria that are harbored in the contact lens,” said Robert Feder, MD, director of cornea service in the department of ophthalmology and professor of ophthalmology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Soft contacts hang on to water, Feder explained, but can also cling on to debris or bacteria that accidentally gets in the eye throughout the day. If lenses aren’t frequently cleaned, people run the risk of getting an infection. The risk is even higher if they sleep in their contacts.
