Media Coverage

Recently, I asked Northwestern University Assistant Professor and Founder of PRIMR, Dr. Nicholas Soulakis, to tell me how he plans to use data science to innovate health care. Dr. Soulakis is a public health scientist whose research focus lies at the intersection of epidemiology and informatics; he is particularly interested in understanding the expanding, data-rich environment created by health information technology, and leveraging computationally techniques to monitor and improve healthcare quality.

The foundation — commonly known throughout the neighborhood on the Far Southwest Side as Live Like John — donated $500,000 on Dec. 1 to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Sheehan D. Fisher is an instructor and clinical psychologist in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University specializing in fathers and mental health and a fellow with The OpEd Project.

The French results suggest that coil treatment may provide real benefits for a select group but won’t work for many COPD patients, said Dr. Ravi Kalhan, a Northwestern University lung specialist who was involved in the U.S. study.

This shift in age among first-time mothers impacts public health, says Dr. Priya Rajan, a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine at Northwestern University. She says teen moms are at higher risk of serious medical complications like anemia and hypertension, and are more likely to give birth prematurely and to have small babies.

A novel, minimally invasive way to treat severe breathing problems caused by lung disease showed modest but promising benefits in a small French study. The results suggest that coil treatment may provide real benefits for a select group but won’t work for many COPD patients, said Dr. Ravi Kalhan, a Northwestern University lung specialist who was involved in the U.S. study. “Every little increment of something that could work in COPD is significant. There are a lot of people with this disease,” Kalhan said.

“Live kidney donations generally come from family members, who are the most likely to be a genetic match, but [they] often come from spouses, friends and even strangers,” said Juan Caicedo, the director of the Hispanic Transplant Program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and a co-developer of the Infórmate site.

Elisa Gordon, an associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University who led the development and testing of Infórmate, said many Latino families are afraid that donation can decrease virility and fertility. Other concerns are that the Catholic Church opposes it or that becoming a donor could trigger a report to immigration officials. None of those are true. In addition, many Latinos worry about related costs and don’t know that insurance generally covers most of the expenses for both the donor and recipient.

Elisa Gordon, an associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University who led the development and testing of Infórmate, said many Latino families are afraid that donation can decrease virility and fertility. Other concerns are that the Catholic Church opposes it or that becoming a donor could trigger a report to immigration officials. None of those are true. In addition, many Latinos worry about related costs and don’t know that insurance generally covers most of the expenses for both the donor and recipient.

“I think this data is some of the first to report what we see in the clinic,” said Dr. Joshua Meeks, a urologist affiliated with the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.