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.
-
Crain’s Chicago Business
–
Heartbeat-tracking tech raises patients’ and doctors’ worries
Although the gadgets are a technical achievement, some cardiologists say the information the devices produce isn’t always useful. “The technology has outpaced us,” said Rod Passman, a cardiologist at Northwestern University who’s assisting with a study examining the Apple Watch’s ability to screen for the heart rhythm condition. “Industry came out with these things because they could. Now we’re playing catch-up and trying to figure out what to do with this information.”
-
US News & World Report
–
Why Have Some People Never Gotten COVID-19?
Given that at its peak in January, more than 800,000 people were getting COVID-19 on average each day, questions have swirled about how some people have managed to escape the coronavirus so far. According to Robert Murphy, the executive director of the Havey Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “Especially early on, there were a lot of asymptomatic cases. They either had very minor symptoms that they didn’t expect anything funny or anything more severe, or they had no symptoms at all.” Further, those who haven’t gotten the coronavirus are “very much at risk” and Murphy believes “every unvaccinated person is going to get it before this is over.”
-
NBC 5 Chicago
–
COVID Vaccines for Kids Under 5: What to Know as Travel Mask Mandate Lifted
COVID vaccines for children under the age of 5 are still not available, even as the country lifts some of its final masking restrictions. According to Dr. Bill Muller of Northwestern University, who is helping study Moderna’s pediatric doses, vaccinating the littlest “has been somewhat of a moving target over the last couple of months.” For parents looking to keep their child safe while traveling, the CDC and some health experts continue to recommend masking on public transportation.
-
NPR
–
Encore: Concussions don’t necessarily hurt your ears, but they can hurt your hearing
People who sustain a concussion can develop an unusual hearing problem. Their ears work fine, but their brain struggles to process sounds. According to Nina Kraus, neuroscientist at Northwestern University, “Making sense of sound is one of the hardest jobs that we ask our brain to do. So you can imagine that a concussion, getting hit in the head, really does disrupt sound-processing.”
-
Yahoo! News
–
Can ‘CoComelon’ Cause Tantrums and Speech Delays?
CoComelon is a popular YouTube channel turned Netflix show. The program features educational songs and nursery rhymes for kids. It is designed to help pre-schoolers learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, colors and more. There is no proof the show causes tantrums or speech delays. TV as a whole, however, can be a contributor. “Studies have shown associations between excessive TV watching in early childhood and language, cognitive and social-emotional delays,” says Dr. Michael Bauer, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
-
Reuters
–
The case for testing Pfizer’s Paxlovid for treating long COVID
Long COVID is a looming health crisis, estimated to affect up to 30% of people infected with coronavirus. Paxlovid, which combines a new Pfizer pill with the old antiviral ritonavir, is currently authorized for use in the first days of a COVID infection to prevent severe disease in high-risk patients. Dr. Igor Koralnik, who heads Northwestern Medicine’s clinic focused on the neurological effects of long COVID, noted the long list of widely-used medications that are affected by ritonavir and said Paxlovid “can’t be used willy nilly…there should be studies.”
-
US News & World Report
–
The Case for Testing Pfizer’s Paxlovid for Treating Long COVID
Long COVID is a looming health crisis, estimated to affect up to 30% of people infected with the coronavirus. It can last for months, leaving many unable to work. Paxlovid, which combines a new Pfizer pill with the old antiviral ritonavir, is currently authorized for use in the first days of a COVID infection to prevent severe disease in high-risk patients. Dr. Igor Korlanik, who heads Northwestern Medicine’s clinic focused on the neurological effects of long COVID, noted the long list of widely-used medications that are affected by ritonavir and said Paxlovid “can’t be used willy nilly.”
-
WTTW
–
Hispanic Transplant Program Encourages Latinos to Become Donors
When it comes to donating organs, Latinos made up 14.6% of all organ donors in 2020. According to Dr. Juan Caicedo, head of Northwestern Medicine’s Hispanic Transplant Program, the program has seen a 74% increase of living kidney transplant donors. The program has bilingual healthcare providers to serve Spanish speaking patients in need of a transplant. They also make efforts to involve a patient’s entire family in decision making, recognizing the importance of family for the Latino community.
-
The Washington Post
–
A tale of many pandemics: In year three, a matter of status and access
The reality is that people are experiencing many different pandemics depending on their job, health, socioeconomic status, housing and access to medical care. According to Mercedes Carnethon, PhD, professor and vice chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “It’s been a tale of two pandemics all along. For some people, the pandemic has been an inconvenience, whereas for other people, the pandemic has led to substantial concerns and loss.”
-
NBC 5 Chicago
–
When Could COVID Vaccine Be Available for Kids Under 5? The Latest on Timing
With cases of the omicron variant BA.2 on the rise across the U. S. and restrictions largely lifted across much of the U.S., parents of children still not eligible for vaccination are wondering when their time might come. Vaccinating the littlest “has been somewhat of a moving target over the last couple of months,” Dr. Bill Muller of Northwestern University, who is helping study Moderna’s pediatric doses, said. “There’s still, I think a lingering urgency to try to get that done as soon as possible.”
