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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The Supreme Court may hinder access to this HIV prevention, gay sex drug. Why?
The Supreme Court may soon stop requiring insurers to cover PrEP and other preventive medical care services for free, pending the results of a case regarding the Affordable Care Act it’s set to hear; it stems from a group of Texas small businesses that don’t want to “encourage homosexual behavior, prostitution, sexual promiscuity and intravenous drug use.” The case could render it cost-prohibitive for many who rely on it. “So much of this stigma against PrEP is shaped by homophobia, racism and transphobia, and a moral argument about who deserves to have sex and who does not,” says Alithia Zamantakis, PhD, research assistant professor at Northwestern Medicine’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Plus, “regardless of individuals’ person religious sensibilities, we know that the cost of PrEP is far cheaper for health insurance companies than the cost of HIV treatment over a lifetime.”
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WGN Chicago
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Northwestern Medicine reaches milestone with ‘lungs in a fridge’ technology
Doctors at Northwestern Medicine say medical innovations helped them achieve two medical milestones last year: the largest number of lung transplants in a single year and the shortest median wait time for transplants. Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute’s use of “lungs in a box” technology repairs lungs that were previously unusable, and newly developed “lungs in a fridge” controlled refrigeration keeps lungs alive outside the human body, giving doctors more time to prepare for transplantation and perform the surgery. The latter technology was pioneered in Canada and in Europe. “In 2024, we used ‘lungs in a box,’ also known as lung perfusion, to repair the most number of donor lungs that were not initially usable,” said Chief of Thoracic Surgery Ankit Bharat, MBBS. “Now with ‘lungs in the fridge,’ also known as lung refrigeration, we can keep lungs alive outside the human body for an extended amount of time.” The medical advancements also results in fewer overnight transplants for doctors and improves surgical schedules.
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CBS News Chicago
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Northwestern Medicine performs record number of transplants with new “lungs in a box” technology
Northwestern Medicine is celebrating a milestone after performing a record number of lung transplants using new technology known as “lungs in a box.” The procedure allows surgeons to remove lungs from a donor body, attach them to a ventilator, and make them usable for transplant by treating any infection, inflammation, or edema, before storing them in a refrigerator. Previously, surgeons only had six hours to take lungs out of a donor, fly them to Northwestern, and get them into the patient. Now, with the “lungs in a box” procedure, surgeons can store donor lungs for up to 12 hours, allowing doctors more flexibility and perform transplants during normal working hours. Ankit Bharat, MBBS, chief of thoracic surgery and director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, said it leads to better outcomes for patients. “All the outcomes, all of the recipients have done really well, and in fact the early experience that we have, patients are doing actually even better than what we’ve seen in the past,” Bharat said. Last year, surgeons performed 148 lung transplants on patients from around the world, the most in a single year since the hospital’s lung transplant program began 10 years ago. It’s also the first time Northwestern became the highest-volume lung transplant center in the U.S.
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New York Times
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What Testosterone Can, and Can’t, Do for Women After Menopause
tion about helping women feel good through the menopause transition and beyond — nuances about the drug are getting lost, experts told The Times. While decades of evidence suggests that low doses of testosterone can increase some women’s sexual desire with few side effects, some proponents are overstating the drug’s ability to boost mood, cognition, muscle strength and heart health, they said, and underplaying its potential risks. It improves sexual health in about 50 percent of women who try it — however the effects are usually subtle. This is partly because women’s sexual function is complex, and libido can be affected by many factors: aches and pains, depression and your relationship with your sexual partner, among other things, said Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University, who specializes in women’s sexual health. For this reason, many women benefit most from taking testosterone along with seeing a sex therapist. For some of Dr. Streicher’s patients, “testosterone kind of gave them a little kick start — you know, it kind of woke up that part of the brain,” she said. But therapy led to more lasting improvements in their sex lives.
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New York Times
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How to Beat the Afternoon Slump
Sleepiness is widely believed to be influenced by both circadian rhythms and sleep pressure, said Ian Katznelson, MD, a neurologist at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. Circadian rhythms dictate how bodily functions ebb and flow over a roughly daylong cycle, experts said, and these rhythms are largely set by a biological “clock” in the brain. Sleep pressure, meanwhile, is the idea that our need to sleep gradually builds the longer we’re awake. In the afternoon it is common to feel a slump of energy and a nap may be temping. The best ways to manage this feeling is to take a power nap, prioritize easy tasks and get some movement. Try going outside for a walk when you feel drowsy, Dr. Katznelson said: Research has long linked physical activity to improved alertness and concentration, he added. To stave off the midday slump, consider replacing breakfast foods like doughnuts and “sugar-spiked” coffee with more healthful alternatives like eggs or whole-grain oatmeal as well.
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US News & World Report
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Stroke: Types, Causes, Symptoms and Treatments
“Because strokes can strike at any age, it’s important to be aware of how your brain works and the signs and symptoms of stroke,” says Fan Caprio, MD, medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “You should see your primary care physician regularly to reduce any risk factors you may have for a stroke and work at keeping yourself physically and neurologically healthy.” A stroke can be a life-threatening condition that occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is interrupted because of a blockage or tear in a blood vessel. To function properly, a constant supply of blood carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain is needed. When blood flow to the brain is blocked, brain cells begin to die within minutes. Symptoms are often ignored because they don’t cause pain, but you should know how to recognize signs of a stroke. The National Stroke Association acronym BE FAST can help you determine if someone is having a stroke. F-Face, ask the person to smile and see if one side of the face is drooping. A-Arms, ask the person to raise both arms to determine whether one drifts down. S-Speech, ask the person to repeat a simple phrase to determine whether speech is missing, slurred or garbled. T-time, time is very important in getting care for someone who is having a stroke. You should call 911 immediately. Do not drive to the hospital. Wait for an ambulance that will begin life-saving treatment on the way to the hospital. They will also call ahead to the emergency room where staff will be waiting for you. When a stroke patient is brought in by ambulance, diagnosis and treatment may begin more quickly than for someone who is not brought to the hospital by ambulance. Emergency workers also collect vital information on the way to the hospital, saving time.
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US News & World Report
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What to Know About Journavx, the Non-Opioid Pain Medication Just Approved by the FDA
The drug, suzetrigine, will be sold under the brand name Journavx and is the first new class of pain medicine approved in more than 20 years. Journavx showed a “statistically significant superior reduction in pain” when compared to a placebo in two randomized trials of acute surgical pain, according to the FDA. However, it did not outperform a common opioid-acetaminophen combination pill. But the drug’s advantage “is not its efficacy, but rather its side effect profile, including the absence of addiction potential,” Steven Cohen, MD, a professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician, said in a statement. Journavx has a list price of $15.50 per pill, which is significantly more expensive than comparable opioids. However, it’s unclear to what extent insurers could cover the medicine, and patient support programs for Journavx are available.
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WGN Chicago
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Flu map: These states are now at CDC’s highest activity level
The map of flu activity across the United States continues to darken, both figuratively and literally, as case numbers spike upward in most states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The flu positivity rate from lab tests across the country has jumped week-to-week from 18% to 25%, with documented flu activity especially high in some states. With the winter cold driving many of us indoors where virus transmission is easier, the increase in respiratory illnesses isn’t a surprise. However, Mattew Kippenhan, MD from Northwestern Medicine says there may be another reason that so many people seem to be falling ill. “Unfortunately, I think a lot of people have become complacent after COVID and didn’t get their vaccines, so there’s just a higher risk of those people actually becoming ill,” Kippenhan explained. In a Dec. 20 update, the CDC said that vaccination coverage “is lower across most groups of people compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic.” The CDC advises that antiviral drugs work best against the flu when the patients take them within one to two days after they start feeling symptoms. The CDC advises that antiviral drugs work best against the flu when the patients take them within one to two days after they start feeling symptoms.
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Yahoo! News
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Flu activity is on the rise, norovirus cases are spiking and ER visits for COVID are down: What to know about these winter illnesses
‘Tis the season for gathering inside and being surrounded by loved ones — which, unfortunately, makes it much easier to spread and catch the flu, norovirus, COVID-19 and RSV. And it’s not just cuddling by an open fire that puts you at risk: The hallmarks of the winter season, including lower temperatures, low humidity and indoor heating systems, also create the perfect conditions for viruses to thrive, while leaving our dried-out mucous membranes more vulnerable. The most recent CDC data shows emergency department visits related to COVID-19 nationwide as “low” or “minimal,” and Robert Murphy, MD, professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life that deaths from COVID-19 have been “hovering between 50 to 60 per day for the past several weeks” — down from around 200 per day in 2023. There aren’t any antivirals for RSV, so the CDC recommends that you manage symptoms at home with over-the-counter fever reducers and pain relievers along with lots of fluids, and to contact a health care provider if you have difficulty breathing or if symptoms worsen.
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Fox News
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Experts On Aging Reveal The 5 Major Habits That Will Improve Your Longevity
Remaining healthy and sharp are goals for most people as they age. But one group of people — known as “SuperAgers” — is said to have this all down as they go through life, even into their later years. Experts stress that SuperAgers are not the same as people with good longevity, with the main difference between them being one’s brain. Studies show that SuperAgers’ brains resemble those of much younger people. Specifically, less brain volume loss is seen in SuperAgers in comparison to a person who just has good longevity, according to Northwestern Medicine, an affiliate with Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. For example, someone who is, say, 87 years old with good longevity, may have a brain that also matches their age. Tamar Gefen, an assistant professor at the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease at the Feinberg School of Medicine, noted that “there is no special trick to becoming a SuperAger — at least not yet.” How people go about accomplishing these qualities can be vastly different. “For some, it is drinking a beer [or a few] at night. For others, it’s abstaining from vices. Some are still running successful businesses, while others have been retired for years,” Gefen said. ”I suppose the common denominator is that most appear to be socially active or engage in continuous, meaningful activity. But there are exceptions.” The main 5 things that are key practices include moving your body regularly, engaging in social activities, doing what you can to reduce controllable stress, challenging your brain, and making time for the things you enjoy.
