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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People Magazine
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After 7 Years of Fertility Struggles, This Mom Finally Gave Birth. Then She Was Diagnosed with ALS
In October 2022, Melissa Diaz-Viera started having trouble buttoning her 8-month-old daughter’s pajamas. When she lay down at night, her thigh twitched. “I just thought I was exhausted,” says the mom from Arlington Heights, Ill. At the time, Diaz-Viera was on maternity leave from her job as an elementary school social worker. She was breastfeeding, recovering from a bout of Covid “and all the mom things,” says Diaz-Viera, now 41. But mostly, she and her husband Robert Lang, a 47-year-old middle school Spanish teacher, were relishing in the joy of being new parents. They had spent seven years trying to have a baby, and Diaz-Viera had suffered seven pregnancy losses. “It was a miracle,” Lang says. But in December, Diaz-Viera ordered takeout and realized she couldn’t control the chopsticks. She scheduled a physical and told her doctor about the weakness in her hands. In February 2023, just after celebrating her daughter’s first birthday, Diaz-Viera was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The neurodegenerative condition leads to muscle weakness and affects movement, speech and breathing, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It gets worse over time, and while therapies and medications can manage symptoms and slow the progression, there is no cure. Diaz-Viera sought second opinions and has enrolled in clinical trials from Chicago to Boston. She participated in an observational study at the National Institutes of Health and is a patient at the Northwestern Medicine Les Turner ALS Center. She shares her journey on TikTok and wrote an essay about life as a new mom diagnosed with ALS. She works part-time for Project ALS, helping raise money for research. “She is an incredible woman that inspires me every day,” says her neurologist at Northwestern Medicine Senda Ajroud-Driss, MD. “I’m blown away by her strength.”
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Chicago Sun-Times
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Women face increased heart health risks as they enter menopause, but many don’t know it
Menopause is when a woman goes one year without a period, representing a natural end of her reproductive years. Although the average menopause age for U.S. women is 51, estrogen levels begin decreasing earlier in the transitional years called perimenopause. During this phase, periods become irregular. Sleep disturbances, hot flashes and night sweats may also appear, symptoms associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, American Heart Association data show. Dr. Priya Freaney, a cardiologist at Northwestern University, said women face greater risk factors for heart disease around the time of menopause as the body’s natural estrogen declines and drives worsening health trends. Total cholesterol and LDL (or “bad” cholesterol) increases as HDL (“good” cholesterol) decreases, blood pressure rises, body fat mass goes up as muscle mass declines, vascular — or blood vessel — health worsens as arteries stiffen, and sleep quality declines, she explained. The downstream effect is increased cardiovascular risk, which can continue after menopause.
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New York Post
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What is normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)? All about the brain condition affecting Billy Joel
“Piano Man” singer Billy Joel, 76, said Friday that he is bowing out of his 2025 tour after being diagnosed with the brain condition normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Recent live performances “lead to problems with hearing, vision, and balance,” Joel said on Instagram. He was advised by his doctor to refrain from performing while he undergoes treatment and recovery. The “New York State of Mind” performer postponed several tour dates in March due to a “medical condition” that forced him to “undergo physical therapy under the supervision of his doctors” following an onstage fall in February. Hydrocephalus occurs when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up in the brain, disrupting cognitive functioning. CSF provides nutrients to and removes waste products from the brain while cushioning it and the spinal cord from force. Typically, adults have 5 fluid ounces of CSF, with the body constantly producing, circulating and reabsorbing the fluid to keep that level constant. But when the body fails to circulate or reabsorb CSF correctly, it can accumulate. In NPH, this buildup is usually gradual enough that the pressure inside the skull increases, but stays within normal range. The fluid runs into the brain’s ventricles, which can hold some of the overflow.“NPH is a type of hydrocephalus that is seen typically in older people,” Dr. Matthew Potts, associate professor of neurological surgery, radiology and neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told The Post. “The fluid builds up, and it doesn’t necessarily affect the pressure in the brain — hence the ‘normal pressure’ part — but it still affects the brain.” If CSF keeps collecting, the brain begins to compress. If this compression lasts too long, permanent damage can occur.
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TODAY
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Are fluoride tablets bad for kids’ health? What to know as FDA moves to take them off the market
As more communities and states around the country are removing fluoride from public drinking water, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is also moving to take prescription fluoride products for kids off the market. The HHS claimed fluoride tablets and drops can alter kids’ gut microbiome and lead to other health problems, such as reduced IQ, weight gain and thyroid disorders. It’s true that ingesting too much fluoride is dangerous. “Too much of anything, including fluoride, is usually not a good thing,” Santina Wheat, MD, MPH, a family medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine and associate professor of family and community medicine. But according to the experts and the studies provided by HHS, such issues are associated with ingesting amounts of fluoride that far exceed the recommended amount in U.S. water supplies — 0.7 milligrams per liter, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements — and what’s prescribed by dentists and physicians. Study after study shows that water fluoridation decreases the risk of dental caries, also known as cavities, and associated tooth decay. “It decreases the risk of caries forming and slows down the progression of any that exist,” says Wheat. “On top of that, fluoride helps decrease gum disease.” Wheat adds that seeing a dentist regularly “can help identify any developing dental caries, and they can make individualized recommendations for prevention and treatment.”
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ABC News
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What to know about prostate cancer after former President Joe Biden’s diagnosis
Former President Joe Biden’s office announced on Sunday that he was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer. Biden’s office said the cancer was diagnosed after “increasing urinary symptoms” and that it has metastasized, spreading to his bones. The statement added that the cancer is “hormone-sensitive,” which may allow for effective treatment options, which Biden and his family are reviewing. Maha Hussain, MD, a prostate cancer expert and the Genevieve Teuton professor of medicine in the division of hematology-oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told ABC News it is more common for prostate cancer to be found through regular annual exams than because of symptom occurrence. She added that many symptoms, such as frequent urination or difficulty passing urine, may not be due to prostate cancer but rather due to an enlarged prostate, which is common among older men. “The good news is, nowadays, we have had significant improvement in the medical management of prostate cancer that has spread, and there’s been significant prolongation of life, and so there are all kinds of different treatment options available for these patients,” Hussain said.
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Reuters
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Former US President Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer
Former U.S. President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office said in a statement on Sunday. Biden, 82, was diagnosed on Friday after experiencing urinary symptoms, and he and his family are reviewing treatment options with doctors, according to the statement. Chris George, MD, the medical director of the cancer program for the Northwestern Health Network, said prostate cancer is no longer curable once it spreads to the bones but that there are treatments that can control it. Biden lost a son, Beau Biden, in 2015 due to brain cancer. In 2022, Biden revived an Obama-era program known as Cancer Moonshot, seeking to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years.
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TIME
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How Doctors Treat Aggressive Prostate Cancer Like Joe Biden’s
In a statement from his personal office on May 18, former President Joe Biden revealed he has an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. Recent studies show that survival for men with prostate cancer that has spread to the bone is just under two years. But this form of cancer, though aggressive, can sometimes be controlled. Here’s what oncologists who treat prostate cancer say are the most common strategies for treating a cancer like Biden’s, and some of the challenges. “The good news is this: we have now entered an era of different treatments that I call therapy intensification where we are trying to attack cancer with a multi-modality approach,” says Maha Hussain, MD, deputy director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and professor of medicine (hematology and oncology). “We can come up with a significant prolongation of life by comparison to when I entered the field.” She has seen patients with prostate cancer that has spread survive and “live many, many years.” Most prostate cancer is fueled by the male hormone testosterone, so the most effective strategies to control it starve the cancer by cutting off its supply, say experts. Historically, doctors have removed the testes—the main source of the hormone—but today, pills and injections can suppress testosterone not just in the testes but in other organs that produce small amounts, such as the adrenal glands, as well. Doctors also now add chemotherapy to hormone-suppression to better control cancer growth.
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AP News
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Easily distracted? How to improve your attention span
Feel like you can’t focus? Like you’ll never finish a book again? Like the only way to keep your mind and hands busy is to scroll on social media for hours? You’re far from alone. One body of decades-long research found the average person’s attention span for a single screen is 47 seconds, down from 2.5 minutes in 2004. The 24/7 news cycle, uncertainty about the state of the world and countless hours of screen time don’t help, experts say. “When my patients talk to me about this stuff there is often a feeling of helplessness or powerlessness,” said Michael Ziffra, MD, a psychiatrist at Northwestern Medicine and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences (general psychiatry) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “But you can change these behaviors. You can improve your attention span.” The key is to make an intentional effort, experts say.“It is in many ways similar to a muscle in the sense that we can build it up with practice and exercises,” Ziffra said. “Conversely, it can weaken if we’re not exercising it.”
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Washington Post
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4 ways to make your house germier – in a good way
With many of us spring cleaning our homes, here’s advice from experts — protect your house’s microbiome for your health. The microorganisms in our homes, where we spend a large amount of time, can play an important role in our health. When cleaning your home, don’t overuse harsh chemical disinfectants because they could kill too many beneficial microorganisms, said Erica M. Hartmann, PhD, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University. Instead, when cleaning, ask yourself, “What problem do I want to solve?” Focus on disinfecting areas where you know there may be harmful microorganisms, such as the kitchen countertop, where bacteria such as E. coli could spread from handling raw meat, or the bathroom, where potentially harmful molds could grow, she said. When cleaning with chemical disinfectants, wear a mask and open a window to avoid breathing in chemicals, which could be harmful to your health, Hartmann recommended To remove debris such as dust or dirt from floors and shelves, skip disinfectants and use a damp cloth instead, she said.
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New York Post
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I got prostate cancer at 47 despite having no symptoms — why my doctor sent me for a screening
The Chicago-based artist and Northwestern Medicine employee was hit with crushing news: He had prostate cancer at just 47 years old. The real kicker? He had zero symptoms. “It shocked me,” said Jones, who didn’t know at the time that black men are 70% to 110% more likely to develop prostate cancer than their white peers — and twice as likely to die from the disease. Being proactive about screening is critical, as prostate cancer grows slowly and many men show no symptoms until it’s in advanced stages, Adam Murphy, MD, MBA, MSCI, a urologist at Northwestern Medicine, told The Post. “When people come in with symptoms, it’s usually things like blood in the urine or difficulty urinating, which means that you have a large tumor or cancer spread,” he said. “That makes it less curable.” The biggest impact of his cancer journey has been the new outlook it gave him on life. “I just want to help people,” Jones said. He’s made it his mission to raise awareness about prostate cancer and the importance of screenings, sharing his message with family, friends and even strangers.
