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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MIS-C, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, is a rare but serious condition that typically shows up several weeks after COVID-19 infection. The syndrome can involve inflammation of the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs. Ami Patel, assistant professor of pediatrics in infectious diseases, says she saw an increase in MIS-C cases from late December into January and early February. According to Patel, “It was not nearly the volume of cases that we saw in late 2020.”
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A clinical psychologist shares the importance of getting direct natural light as soon as possible after waking up. The psychologist’s simple life hack reflects a growing body of scientific evidence linking ample exposure to bright light early in the day to everything from better sleep and clearer thinking to improved mental health and reduced risk of obesity and diabetes. Researchers at Northwestern University found that people who got most of their bright light exposure before noon weighed a little less – 1.4 pounds, on average – than those exposed to bright light in the evening.
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Northwestern Medicine, among others, earned a score of 100 and designation as “LGBTQ+ Health Equity Leader” in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s fifteenth anniversary edition of the Healthcare Quality Index. “Driven by our patients first mission, we believe it is vital to create a safe and open environment throughout our health system for our LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees,” shared Dean M. Harrison.
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According to several health experts, BA.2 appears to be more transmissible than omicron. Northwestern’s Dr. Michael Angarone, associate professor of medicine in infectious diseases, said the increased transmissibility could be particularly strong in close contacts of those infected, but it’s still to early to tell. According to Angarone, the symptoms for BA.2 are similar to those seen in many COVID infections. Northwestern Medicine’s Center for Pathogen Genetics and Microbial Evolution said the subvariant was found in a Chicago resident who tested for COVID-19 on January 18.
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Bruce Willis will step away from his acting career due to a recent aphasia diagnosis. Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour, a behavioral neurologist with Northwestern Medicine, said about one million people in the United States currently had aphasia, which disrupts the ability to speak, read and write. They may also have trouble remembering the words for certain objects, said Dr. Bonakdarpour, which leads them to pause for long periods of time, often in the middle of their sentences.
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The United States senate recently passed a bill known as the Sunshine Protection Act to may daylight saving time (DST) permanent, but the move may be harmful to our human health. According to Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “Of the three choices-permanent daylight savings time, permanent standard time or where we are now, which is switching between the two-I think permanent DST is the worst solution.”
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A new study has revealed that rates of prediabetes among children have more than doubled over the past 20 years. Diabetes most commonly affects racial and ethnic minority communities because they are more likely to live in areas where there is a lack of access to healthy food. According to Dr. Kimbra A. Bell, a Northwestern Medicine internal medicine physician, “Our Black and Brown communities are more likely to have an abundance of fast-food restaurants and markets stocked with unhealthy processed foods as opposed to our white counterparts, where there tends to be a greater number of grocery stores and markets with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.”
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Six months after having a double lung transplant to replace his cancerous lungs, Chicagoan Albert Khoury has no signs of cancer left in his body. According to Dr. Young Chae, a medical oncologist with Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Medicine, six months after the transplant, “We’re thrilled with Albert’s progress. He doesn’t require oxygen and is leading a normal life.”
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Airlines want to drop the federal mask mandate on flights, arguing that they are no longer necessary because of dropping infection rates. Mercedes Carnethon, vice chair of the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said that for most healthy Americans who are vaccinated against COVID-19, eliminating masks on flights is unlikely to pose a serious risk. But the calculation changes if you’re seated near someone infected with disease.
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A Chicago man underwent a seven-hour surgery to receive new lungs at Northwestern Medicine in September. According to Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine “For patients with stage 4 cancer, lung transplantation is considered a complete ‘no-no,’ but because [the patient’s] cancer was confined only to his chest, we were confident we could clear all the cancer during surgery and save his life.”