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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CBS News Chicago
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2 more measles cases confirmed in Chicago for total of 10; one new case is at migrant shelter
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Wednesday announced two new confirmed cases of measles – one of which was in the migrant shelter in Pilsen where most of the cases have originated. Over the past few days, the city said it has administered over 900 vaccinees – bringing the percentage of people immune to measles at the shelter up to 95 percent or more. Larry Kociolek, MD, of Lurie Children’s Hospital also said more unvaccinated people are likely to get sick before the outbreak is over. The incubation period for measles is part of the reason why, Kociolek explained. “It could be two to three weeks before I develop symptoms, and so it usually takes about two or three weeks to know if the measures that we’re taking today are effective,” he said. “So the virus is actually pretty stable, where it doesn’t develop an ability to evade the immune response,” Kociolek said, “and so the vaccine that we have currently, that we have used for decades, is expected to be quite effective against measles forever, really.”
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Yahoo! News
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If You’re Over 65, You May Not Need These Common Medical Tests and Screenings
After the age of 65, many people find themselves in a healthcare provider’s office more frequently for help with managing a chronic disease or just to “keep an eye on” their health. Since having access to quality healthcare in the United States is not a given, being proactive about your health if you’re able is generally a smart move. That said, there can be such a thing as too much of a good thing—even when it comes to medical care. Many older adults don’t realize that some routine screenings and treatments may not be necessary and can even be harmful for them. A recent study highlighted the need for safeguards to avoid overtreating older adult patients, which can include unnecessary tests and screenings, particularly for prostate cancer (PSA test), urinary tract infections (UTI), and diabetes. “This shows that alerts like the ones used in this study can help curtail overuse of tests and treatments,” study lead author Stephen Persell, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Verywell. “We are always getting continuing education as clinicians. This type of nudge can help remind us of things we’ve learned previously when it is directly relevant to a patient we are working with.”
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Fox News
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Ask a doc: ‘Why are my eyes often bloodshot?’
Bloodshot eyes are often associated with late nights followed by early morning obligations. While this is indeed one cause of irritated eyes, other factors can contribute to the condition. Michelle Andreoli, MD, an ophthalmologist at Northwestern Medicine in Naperville, Illinois, shared with Fox News Digital some tips for treating red eyes at home. Over-the-counter artificial tears can be used to address irritation and wash allergens from the eye. Avoid decongestant (anti-redness) drops, Andreoli advised, because “they don’t solve the cause of the problem and can sometimes make redness worse in the long run.” Instead, she suggested using over-the-counter antihistamine drops to help with itchy eyes caused by seasonal allergies. (Always check with a doctor first.) A cool compress can also provide some relief.
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TODAY
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How young is too young? What experts say about tweens having a skin care routine
Tweens are interested in skincare, potentially fueled by brands, influencers and “get ready with me” routines flooding their social media feeds. These videos have opened a wider conversation about what the ‘right’ age is to start using skincare products. “It’s good to start with ingredients that aren’t overly harsh because their skin types and tolerances are still changing and evolving so much as they go through puberty,” says Steve Xu, MD, MSc, assistant professor of dermatology and pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The four ingredients that get the thumbs up from experts include azelaic acid, niacinamide, salicylic acid and hylauronic acid. However, retinol is not great for young skin. “I would recommend avoiding very aggressive and potent retinols right at the start, unless acne is appearing really early and severely,” says Xu. If they are experiencing severe acne, then he suggests consulting a dermatologist. While Xu warns that large amounts of retinol can cause damage to tween skin, small, “gentle” doses of it in moderation and over time are safe. A repairing night cream can work overnight to tackle tween acne woes while they’re sleeping. Xu advises tweens to avoid high-potency retinols, noting that they should be using it at a “graduated concentration.”
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CNN
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Do this now to ease you and your child’s transition to Daylight Saving Time
Here’s one simple thing you can do to ease you and your children into getting up an hour earlier when Daylight Saving Time rolls around on Sunday, March 10 — start adapting today by going to bed and waking up earlier each day until the time change. Planning for a change may lessen the impact of this change on your circadian rhythms. Starting now means an easier transition — the body can more quickly adapt to first five minutes, then 10, then 15 to 20 to 30 minutes of going to bed and getting up earlier than an entire hour all at once, experts say. Prepping in advance is an especially good plan for teenagers, who are naturally programmed to stay up late and sleep late, and for anyone else in the family who is a night owl, said Phyllis Zee, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Zee, who is also a professor of neurology at Feinberg, agreed: “For most younger children, moving their bedtime and wake time by about 10 to 15 minutes earlier starting three days before the time change can help them adjust to the social clock time change by Monday morning,” she said.
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Chicago Tribune
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Dr. John Phair, infectious disease specialist who confronted HIV with steady hand amid early hysteria, dies at 89
John Phair, MD was an infectious disease professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and an early leader in investigating HIV infection. Phair was “a great mentor, instrumental at the beginning of the AIDS pandemic to keep people sane and sensible during the biggest health care crisis of the day,” said Robert Murphy, MD, an infectious disease professor at Northwestern. Phair, 89, died of heart failure on February 19. Frank Palella, MD, who oversees the Potocsnak HIV and Aging Center at the Feinberg School, recalled his infectious diseases fellowship at Northwestern in the early 1990s under Phair and Murphy. “Unless you were around at the time and in the thick of it, it’s difficult to imagine how stressful the (AIDS) situation was medically, socially and societally,” Palella said. “John responded to the situation with his characteristic selflessness and lack of concern about what might be socially desirable but what was the right thing to do. He put Northwestern on the map through his research efforts and through clinical care in the outpatient clinic that he established a few years later.” Upon Phair’s retirement, Northwestern established an endowed professorship in his name, the John Philip Phair Professor of Infectious Diseases chair, as an acknowledgement of Phair’s dedication and leadership in the field.
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WGN Chicago
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Dr. John Phair remembered as a pioneer of HIV and AIDS research
John Phair, MD, a pioneering Northwestern University doctor who spearheaded groundbreaking discoveries in the fight against HIV and AIDS, has died at the age of 89. “He was the number one researcher of HIV and AIDS in the Chicago area, in the Midwest,” Robert Murphy, MD said. “The impact was so tremendous.” Dr. Robert Murphy was Phair’s mentee and serves as the John Phillip Phair Professor of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern. “You think back to 1981, there was a lot of hysteria, a lot of stigmatization, a lot of very irrational thinking. Some hospitals were not letting patients with HIV even come into the hospitals,” Murphy said. “He really calmed everybody down. He said, ‘Let’s follow the science.’” Phair led the first and largest investigation of HIV, the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, which gathered critical data from 1987 to 2012. He also established the Chicago AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, which evaluated HIV treatment.
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Washington Post
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Why the long-term success of weight-loss drugs may depend on exercise
The new weight-loss drugs that suppress appetite and reduce food cravings can be quite effective at helping people drop pounds, with many losing at least 10 or 20 percent of their body weight while they take the medications. But in the real world and despite the drugs’ effectiveness, as many as half of users quit the drugs within a year, studies show, because of their expense, side effects or for other reasons. Along with taking weight-loss drugs, those who’d exercised while taking the drug had maintained considerably more of their weight-loss during this phase. Many remained at least 10 percent lighter than at the study’s start, and at least some of the weight they’d regained was muscle, leaving them with a healthier body composition than the other groups.“The results are very encouraging,” agreed Robert Kushner, MD, an endocrinologist and professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who specializes in weight loss. “But further studies will need to be performed to see if a less intense exercise routine” has similar effects on weight maintenance when people stop a GLP-1 drug.
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CNN
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What an IVF doctor who’s undergone the process wants you to understand
In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is one of the last bastions of hope for couples unable to conceive on their own. “IVF is really common. Infertility affects 1 in 6 people in the United States, and annually in the US alone, we perform about 400,000 cycles of in vitro fertilization,” fertility expert Eve Feinberg, MD, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “If you look collectively at the population of the US just over time, in the 40 years since Louise Brown was born, about 2% of the current population has been conceived with IVF,” she said of the first “test tube baby,” who was born in 1978. However, The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children and protected under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. The ruling has alarmed patients, healthcare providers and reproductive rights advocates in the state and beyond. A number of clinics in Alabama have already paused treatment, and patients’ lives have been thrown into uncertainty. “I think it most seriously impacts those who are most vulnerable. We have patients who want to go through IVF, who save up for years to go through it. We have patients who mortgage their houses because their desire to build their family is so profound,” said Feinberg, a practicing reproductive endocrinologist.
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New York Times
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The Costs for I.V.F. Patients After Alabama’s Ruling
When the Alabama Supreme Court issued a surprising decision this month that led doctors to restrict in vitro fertilization treatments in the state, it raised a host of questions that the court did little to answer. In the wake of the decision, doctors and patients have worried that they could be vulnerable to prosecution in any number of medical scenarios that were once routine. Some Alabama facilities have halted or restricted treatment, and patients elsewhere worry that similar rulings or laws may soon come to their states. Some undergoing IVF are attempting to ship their embryos out of Alabama, however it can be difficult. “There are so many checks and balances in order for it to happen safely,” said Emily Jungheim, MD, a professor and chief of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine who is also a practicing physician. “It’s not something where you can just say, ‘I want to ship them out,’ and it’s going to happen tomorrow.” However, this service can also be very costly. If you don’t have specific insurance coverage, shipping embryos to another clinic or long-term storage facility can cost between $500 and $1,000.
